I now interrupt my regularly scheduled posting to vent…

I have been learning something about myself lately.  I often feel a strong desire to speak up, particularly in regard to issues when something other than truth is being promoted.  This happens primarily in regard to issues such as abortion and my faith in Christ.  The unfortunate aspect of this is that I really, really dislike conflict.  And of course, issues such as the two mentioned above result in conflict for many.  Many, many, many.  And social media is one of the worst for breeding conflict.  People sit behind their softly glowing computer screens and pronounce judgment on others with a few swift key strokes.  I try not to do that, but I know I have before and I have become increasingly aware of it.  I am learning to edit my initial response with a more Christ-like one (read:  work in progress).  Thank the Lord, it has gotten better as He has worked in me on keeping my passion in check and not allowing it to grow into something like unrighteous anger.

I go into all of this because as the upcoming election looms ever near, I find my desire for truth (or in many cases just a possible differing viewpoint), causing me to comment even when it is uncomfortable to do so.  I don’t claim to always be right.  But I do know that when something is clearly unscriptural, and my beliefs are lining up with God’s word, that I’m clear.  Topics such as Christ and issues such as abortion are pretty clear to me.  Politics as a whole, however, are a gray, mushy, miserable area to me that people respond to much like a lion crouches waiting to pounce on its prey.  And I don’t presume to think I’m always right, or even often right, on many of my political stances, particularly when it comes to the economy, foreign policy, and so forth.  Therefore, I have been trying to avoid commenting on political status updates overall.

I failed in my resolve to do this last night and actually made a non-instigative (I thought), friendly comment agreeing that people can’t have it both ways (the context was that conservatives cannot ignore a mistake of a conservative president and then condemn a liberal president for the same mistake).  I then erred by giving an example of this in reverse, but in regard to giving credit to one when it is due another).  And then it happened.  Sarcastic responses, links “proving” me wrong, and innuendo that I am uninformed and not very well educated.  Apparently, not agreeing with some of these people means that I must be an idiot who is just politicking and not aware of the real issues (to me, at least, there was that undertone to some of the comments).  Why, oh why, does disagreement so often lead to judging one another as individuals?

I’m using this post to vent, I know.  I truly don’t mind honest, respectful debate, but I resent the tone that many take and I did have to try my hardest not to engage in a similar response.  I often choose to avoid debate because of the tone of the comments, not because I am uninformed and not able to back up my comment.  I mentioned above how much I dislike conflict, but I probably should have clarified that it is the nasty, mean-spirited, or presumptive kinds of conflict I cannot stand.  I can’t see the benefit of trying to engage with someone in a discussion when that is how they present themselves.

So…where does that leave me?  I suppose that when it comes most political issues, I am going to abstain from commenting because it just isn’t worth it all that often.  When it comes to my hot-button, passionate issues, such as the unborn, I am likely to share what I know to be true and will do my best to do it in a loving, respectful way.  Let’s hope so, right?  Otherwise you are apt to see more posts with me venting!  🙂

Flowers, Grocery Store Flirts, and Grease

Since I’m blogging while the kids are napping and I have no idea how long I will have, I figure I will at least get some quick thoughts down on “paper”…

1) Speaking of paper, I have noticed how much easier it is for me to write online than actually picking up a pen or pencil.  And I really don’t like that I seem to have succumbed to our technologically driven culture so much that my hand actually seems to cramp if I write too long of a letter.  Each year I write a letter to my kids around their birthdays to share special things that happened that year and special things I love about them (during their first year I write one for each month).  I’ve noticed in doing this that I’ve lost something of my ability to write like this over the years, and I absolutely love handwritten letters.  Am I the only one who has this problem?  I really hope not.

2)  I am so thankful that God brought me together with a man who not only brings me flowers “just because”, but also brings home a bouquet for our 3 year old daughter.  My husband is amazing.

3)  Being a married woman, I am not used to men flirting with me, so when I was at the grocery store last week and one of the store employees that often is stocking near the milk (an area I visit frequently) said something rather flirtatious (I think) to me, I was stunned.  And uncomfortable.  Then I started to worry it may happen again and so I’ve been trying to figure out how to respond… maybe something along the lines of “My husband often says that too”?….I almost always have my two kids with me so it is extra surprising.  Needless to say I quickly veered down a different aisle today when I saw him in the dairy section.   I’ve heard others talk about men flirting with them at the grocery store…is this a common occurrence?

4)  I have talked about my love of Pandora.  Yesterday, in the midst of some country and contemporary Christian, the song Summer Lovin’ came on from Grease.  Not sure how it got mixed into that rotation, but it made me smile.

5) I still need to write a post on Asher’s birthday but am waiting to upload some pictures from our camera. Also, hoping to soon post on some DIY projects in our bedroom- I’m overdue on the door headboard we made!

Book review: God Gave Us You

It’s been awhile since I did a book review for Blogging for Books, and I am quite overdue on this one!  A few months back, I received a copy of God Gave Us You, a children’s book by Lisa Bergren.

The copy I received is in board book form, which I figured would be good for my 2-year-old son Asher, since his superhero name is Mr. Destructo at times.  It is about a mother polar bear tucking her little polar bear cub into bed one night, when the cub begins to ask the question all children at some point ask…Where did I come from?  Mother Bear proceeds to tell her little cub how she came from God.  She describes how happy she and Papa Bear were to find out they were pregnant and what it was like waiting for her to arrive.  Mama Bear also describes how happy they were when Little Cub was born.

At first glance, it is a sweet book, written much like a conversation between a little child and their parent at bedtime.  It is wonderfully illustrated by Laura Bryant and just the right length to keep a young child’s attention.  After reading it a few times through to my kids, I saw an additional value in the frequent reassurance of Mama Bear to Little Cub- reassurance that she is wanted, loved, and special.  The importance of this message for a child (and really, for all of us) cannot be underestimated or over-given.

*I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program.

Bad mom moment

I totally forgot to mention Asher turned 2 last month (during the blur of the part-time work phase)!  I pledge to blog on this later 1) so that I can record his birthday as all modern day mommy bloggers do, on the Internet of course (note to self- pull out baby book ASAP); 2) so I can share the joy of Asher’s birthday with others, and 3) to assuage my mommy guilt.

Back to “normal”

I finished working part-time (covering for a former co-worker while she was on maternity leave) a week or so ago.  While I enjoyed the opportunity to use my brain in a more clinical way again and serve at the Yahweh Center Children’s Village, I am very happy to be able to give 100% of my attention back to my kids again during the day.  My time back at work really reassured me of God’s calling to be a stay-at-home-mom and refreshed my perspective in regard to what a blessing it is that we have been able to make it work!  Not to mention that trying to make phone calls and sound professional with your 2 year old and 3 year old yelling in the background is quite a challenge and one that I was tiring of quickly!  It’s bad when you have to bring out the M&Ms to buy a few seconds of silence.

So now life is back to whatever the Adair normal is.  Which means I am diving back (well, some days it’s more like wading) into focusing on homeschooling, potty-training Asher, reading and the occasional blogging.  And pinterest.  Which leads to other favorite  things such as baking, cooking, and decorating/DIY projects around the house.  Eila’s birthday is coming up next month (hello almost 4-year-old!) and Will’s birthday is 10 days after Eila’s.  I will be starting a MOPS group in the next few months and will be holding my first Veggietales event as a Veggietales Ambassador (more on those things later).

Add to that a new debate raging (in my mind) over the timeline on trying for a third child and perhaps life isn’t going to slow back down now that I’m back at home full-time.         And I’m okay with that.