Rend Collective. I am seriously in love with this band. Their music is stuck in my mind and right now, it’s actually keeping me going.
Two
Margaret Maron. My mother-in-law was #1 on the library list for her latest book and she gave it to me to read when she finished it. Of all the murder mystery authors I read, she is in the top 3 favorites if not my favorite because I can actually get lost in her books without realizing it.
Three
Air1. Listening to music keeps me sane while driving and Air1 is the local nationally-broadcasted Christian station that I can get down here. (I could actually get it and KLOVE equally well when we lived up north and would switch off when a song came up that I didn’t like.)
Four
Trader Joe’s. The people at my Trader Joe’s are just fabulous and they love Daniel. (Then again, who doesn’t love Daniel that has met him?) I’ll be having some of their chili when I get home.
Five
Iced vanilla lattés made with whole milk. I fully believe that the existence of these is proof that God wants me to be happy. 😉
Outside my window… dark. It got into the 90’s here today which was irritating but unfortunately not uncommon for August. (And yes, I’m seriously praying that Jon gets a call to a colder climate. The Arctic Circle is looking lovely right now.)
I am thinking… about some of the more asinine arguments and statements in favor of homeschooling that I saw on the Web today. I have friends who are amazing homeschooling parents like Dawn and Kelly so I’m definitely not opposed to it (also because my husband was homeschooled); but seriously, some of the crud I read today would be at home on the Sanctimommy page on Facebook.
I am thankful… for Daniel going back to school tomorrow. I’m kind of bummed that we didn’t get to go to Meet-the-Teacher on Friday but it was worth it to get the extra respite time with my parents.
In the kitchen… cheese and crackers because it’s too hot to do anything involving the oven, microwave, or stove.
I am wearing… the black cat nightshirt that my mother-in-law got me here as a coming-home present.
I am wondering… how Daniel will do tomorrow with his longer school day.
I am reading…Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton. I was reading Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu but it deals with the subculture that surrounds families like the Duggars and it just wasn’t a good thing in which to immerse myself at the moment.
I am hoping… the pain in my foot from walking almost 6 miles on Friday will go away.
I am looking forward to… being able to go for prayer walks and work out once Daniel is on the bus tomorrow.
I am hearing… various things on iTunes and YouTube.
A Daniel story for today… he said “mo nanna” (“more banana”) to my mom when she was watching him while I was somewhere last week.
Around the house… silence. It is positively blissful.
A favorite quote for today… “The worship-to-panda ratio has gone a different direction.” — Rend Collective in this video:
One of my favorite things… club soda when I’m trying to beat my Coca-Cola addiction.
A few plans for the rest of the week: PT on Tuesday, a bunch of phone calls, and getting medical records and such ready for a bunch of Daniel appointments.
A peek into my day… I was trying to explain this video to a friend last week. I find it hysterically funny because I’ve attended a church like this.
Post Script…
This is my favorite worship song and very few people outside of the UK or my chapter of Intervarsity know of it.
I’m unexpectedly hanging out with my parents in northern California for a week longer than planned so Dad suggested that the four of us (him, my mom, Daniel, and me) go to the beach as Daniel had never been before and it would give us a chance to tire him out. It was a wonderful trip but it has also meant that with software updates and my laptop being pissy, I’m just now writing my Quick Takes at almost 1 a.m.! So… here are seven beach pictures.
Iced vanilla lattés. They aren’t quite my comfort food but they’re close. I’m constantly searching out the best one. (The current winner is It’s A Grind in Elk Grove.)
Two
Coca-Cola. This one *is* actually my comfort food. It’s also one of the worst things I can put in my body and a hard addiction to break. The thing that is helping me do so right now is that I’m with my parents who do not allow it in the house except on rare occasions. (They’ve been referring to it as “hemlock” so every time I’ve gotten to drink one in their presence, I comment on the lovely “minty” flavor as I hear that hemlock tastes minty.)
Three
Lamb gyros. We got food from Yiassoo last Thursday and I had one at my favorite place in Elk Grove on Friday. I love them with onions, feta, and extra tzatziki sauce.
Four
Redwood forests. Daniel and I got to go to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park on Saturday and I had no idea how much I missed them until we went. It had been 20+ years since I had been there and 9 years since I had seen redwood trees in person. (I’m a UCSC alum so I lived in a redwood forest for 3 years.)
Five
The ocean. We’re going to try to go on Thursday as it has been 9 years since my feet have been in the Pacific Ocean. (The last time was Lincoln City, OR when I was in Oregon for my grandfather’s interment.)
Outside my window… dark. It was over 100F in San Jose today which did not make me a happy Jen. We also have smoke from the wildfires in the northern part of the state so it’s not good air for walks with the small child. *makes mental note to go in and record miles walked in the last week on MapMyRun*
I am thinking… about things in the coming week.
I am thankful… for the time with my parents. It’s been a good week with them and I’ve gotten to get together with a few people including Rebecca.
In the kitchen… Dad made hot dogs again tonight.
I am wearing… jammies (charcoal v-neck from Old Navy and black capri sweats from Target).
I am going… to the store tomorrow for more apple juice for Daniel.
I am wondering… about a lot of things right now.
I am reading…The Alpine Yeoman by Mary Daheim for the third time. (2nd re-read this time.)
I am hoping… for resolution in some areas of my life.
I am looking forward to… a mall date with Rebecca to get some Giants socks. I’m going to my first MLB baseball game in a few weeks and it’s at Dodger Stadium so I can’t wear my Giants stuff. Before I even knew about the game, Jon and my priest were negotiating the terms. I can’t wear my Lincecum shirt (which I only have because they weren’t selling Romo shirts at Target) but I can wear Giants socks. I am also not allowed to boo Kershaw or Puig, which I think is completely unfair.
A Daniel story for today… He’s been taking over closets at my parents’ house and playing with his tablet in them.
Around the house… silence as I think everyone is likely asleep.
A favorite quote for today… “When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person.” — Philip Yancey
One of my favorite things… Coca-Cola which is pretty much banned at my parents’ house – my mom got me some one night when I needed “comfort food” (I’m weird, OK?) and she was referring to it as “hemlock”. Whenever I’d take a sip, I would say, “mmmmm… minty!” (According to a murder mystery, hemlock tastes minty.)
A few plans for the rest of the week: drive back down to LA and whatever else comes up.
504 plans and IEP’s. Around this time of year, the question of 504 plans vs. IEP’s comes up in the groups with whom I hang on Facebook. This is the definition of a 504 plan and this is how it compares with an IEP. (The difference is accommodations vs. specialized instruction.)
Prerequisite baseball take. Currently, the Dodgers are losing to Cincinnati and the Giants are beating the Nats. Life is as it should be. 🙂 (Why yes, I am conveniently ignoring the fact that the Giants are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers in the standings and am instead baiting my husband with tonight’s scores.)
Cosmo and controversy. Last week while heading somewhere with Daniel (I think to get x-rays), I heard something about Rite Aid and a couple other national supermarket chains putting Cosmopolitan magazine behind a screen in checkout stands because the titles are too lewd for kids to read; and apparently, kids are asking their parents some pretty uncomfortable questions based on them. (We’re talking questions about sex acts and anatomy that their parents aren’t comfortable explaining to a 4 year old.)
So… should Cosmo be put behind a screen: yea or nay?
Eschet chayil!Dr. Frances Kelsey, who protected Americans from thalidomide, died last week at the age of 101. Because of her, the US was spared the scores of kids born with deformed arms and legs, deformed eyes and hearts, deformed alimentary and urinary tracts, blindness and deafness born in other countries where the use of the drug hadn’t been restricted. (It was used as an anti-nausea med and crossed the placental barrier.)
Irony of ironies, it is actually one of the chemotherapeutic agents used for my father-in-law’s type of cancer but they are meticulous about making sure that anyone prescribed it has no chance of getting pregnant or getting anyone else pregnant. It is also used to treat leprosy.
For newbies, my son Daniel was born at 29.5 weeks prematurity (I am a HELLP Syndrome survivor) which left him with about a 50% development delay across the board, apraxia, and autism. Needless to say, mothering him is a full-time job and while I have a lot of fabulous people in my life advising me and helping me, I also deal with people to whom I need to hand a “stop talking” card. As I prefer to teach by praising the good in people, here are my five favorite things people say to me and to Daniel.
One
“It’s OK. He’s not bothering us.” This comes when Daniel is in public and berkerking around opening/shutting doors and acting like a tornado. It’s hard when he’s in that mode because he lacks the ability to calm down and we haven’t been able to effectively teach him how yet. People saying that (even when they’d truthfully like my precious sweetling to calm down) helps me to feel less awkward in having a kid who just can’t calm down at times.
Two
“You’re a saint.” I seriously don’t solicit this one because I totally don’t feel like a saint. I lose my temper with him, get frustrated with him, and a lot of times wallow in my feelings of unfairness that I have gotten so much thrown on me that is seriously beyond my capacity to handle. Catholic friends of mine have mentioned that we are to “help our kids to heaven” and I seriously think that’s Daniel’s job for me. Being his mom is purifying me from every ounce of selfishness, making me do things that scare me and require me to depend on God’s strength, and showing me that what I have been given is far more amazing than the kid I thought I wanted. Still… it’s good to know that people see God working in me.
(By the way, never tell someone that “God won’t give them anything they can’t handle” — it’s a bold-faced lie. God *REGULARLY* gives His people things they can’t handle except by His power and grace in their lives.)
Three
“He is so cute!” Yes. Yes, he is. 🙂
Four
“What a sweet and happy kid!” I’m seriously blessed that despite all the communication failures, the communication tantrums, and the normal moodiness, I have a kid who is smiley, happy, and very content 90% of the time.
Five
“You’re a good mother.” I think I need to hear this the most because I obsess about the tantrums in public, the milestones he hasn’t reached (potty-training), the kid sports that I probably should sign him up for but can’t afford, and a lot of things I feel like I do wrong. It’s nice to know that in the midst of these, I’m still a good mother.
