Trip to Gatlinburg, TN

It's beautiful country and the weather was perfect.

Om Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya is Sanskrit, the most ancient of languages. It is used as a chant in the practice of yoga meditation. There is no exact translation for these words but it is universally understood to mean something like “I honor the divinity within myself” or “I honor that which I am capable of becoming.”

As someone who was raised in a traditional Christian household, I admit that there was a time in my life when I would have felt this mantra was inconsistent with Christian teaching. After several years of intensive Bible study, however, I now understand that these words directly relate to the relationship of the believer to the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells us that when a person accepts Christ, they are “Indwelt” by the Holy Spirit. The most famous and visible instance of this is illustrated in Acts 1-2 which describes the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost. This was the first time believers were “Baptized with Fire” and given accessibility to God through the Holy Spirit.

So, while many people confuse “Om Namah Shivaya” as a form of worshipping self, if you read the words again, it is really about accessing God from within the self, which is very different. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us “Do you not know that that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

As we approach Easter, I find myself dwelling on “Om Namah Shivaya”, this ancient message and reminder of God’s most intimate relationship with us. Understanding it changes my perception of the principle of “Fear of God”. In Old Testament times, people feared the retribution by God: fire and brimstone, Hell and damnation.

But now that we have Christ, everything changes. John 15:15 states “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Once you experience God within you, and feel the peace, purpose and belonging of being connected to God through Christ, “Fear of God” becomes losing that connection. People who are “In Christ” change their behaviors not out of fear but out of a desire to be and remain close to God.

John 13:20 “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

Om Namah Shivaya – I honor the divinity within myself.

Destination Imagination

Hannah competed in Destination Imagination last weekend. It is a state wide competition where grade school children (3rd grade and up) are given an ambiguous set of instructions and must produce a play that fits the criteria.

This year they did "Courage in the round". The girls had to write a script that had a hero who had to show courage when they were afraid. There had to be two side trips from the main story and a piece of the set that changed from one thing to another. They also had to perform it "in the round" - so the audience was all around them.

That's all the direction they are given and adults can NOT help at all. The girls write their own script, make their own props and work together to decide who does what. My neighbor is the "Coach" and can facilitate the girls but can not actually do anything for them or give them ideas. (hard job!!!)
So, the girls decided on a story called "Santa's vacation". Hannah played Mrs. Clause and the other girls were elves. Santa was on vacation and wanted them to join him but the sleigh was broken and the one reindeer that remained in the North Pole was missing. The little elf had to find the reindeer and save the day.

It was very cute and as you can see from the pictures, the girls did a great job on the set. One of the girls got inside this box and when the little elf went to the field to find the reindeer, they flipped a painted sheet over the sides to change the set. There were also birds that came out of it to deliver mail from Santa and a trap door that delivered the reindeer.

They did a terrific job and won 2nd place. Not bad considering they were competing against 5th graders.

Hannah's PE Program

Last week was Hannah's PE program. Her class did a dance with "Wands". Other classes did parachute, tumbling, basketball, jump rope and line dancing. The theme was "Covering all the bases" and each class touched on a different aspect of physical fitness and nutrition. It was really cute and Hannah did a great job. She even had a speaking part.

I was frustrated with my camera. The first and last picture are taken with the flash on "Auto" - so dark! The middle one is with the flash off - no wand. Anything in motion doesn't come out at all. I also tried to video her speach only to have the camera shut itself off in the middle of it because of a low battery (light wasn't on before I left home). Then, I turned it back on and continued to take about 20 pictures and video on said low battery.

So, I am thinking this means the camera is on its last lense. Either that or it is possessed by an evil spirit. I'll try an exorcism and some new batteries and see if it can't last a few more months.

WE ARE ALIVE!

Judging by the number of family members who have called this week (which was very nice by the way), I thought our lack of posting may have worried a few. We are doing great just not a whole lot going on in this very cold weather.

I joined a virtual writing community call Zeotrope which allows you to post short fiction. For every 1 you post, you review 5 submissions. I posted a story titled "The Stairs" and then worked my *ss off carefully reviewing other peoples work so that I could read my reviews. I've gotten some feedback but not as much yet as I was hoping for. If any of you are interesting in reading and providing honest feedback on my first attempt at short fiction, (app. 7,000 words)please let me know.

Haven't heard back yet on my poetry submissions but did learn my first article is being picked up by two more magazines in Southern Florida. I know I should get busy with more non-fiction queries but I've kind of been obsessed with the fiction work lately and I haven't had loads of time with sick kids, snow days and school holidays. Also, have another book fair coming up.

Someday, I might get to editing that book I've had on the back burner too. Hmmm.

Here's a recent picture of Madi painting.

The Hard Part

February is the hard part of the year in the midwest. Sure, it's cold in other places and at other times of the year but in the heart of the Heartland the wind blows right through you. The below zero temperatures are so cold that salt won't melt the ice on the road. The sky is pale grey and it's hard to tell where the snow ends.

There's something about this time of year that can really bring you down. Your joints ache. You feel sun "deficient". Unless you are tanning, your skin takes on a greenish hue and you feel like the Earth, in its death like slumber has chosen you as its energy source and with Matrix like translucency has drained you of all will to do anything but sleep.

Thankfully, this usually lasts only a few weeks.

Hannah completed her last short course swim meet this weekend. She did fantastic, finishing in the top 10 for her age group in each event. Swimmers must qualify for regionals with 10 and under times and Hannah is 8 so she was not ready this year. But we are very proud of her progress. They take a little break now (if you call practicing 5 days a week a break) from meets and then in April they will start long course meets.

Hannah is also gearing up for Destination Imagination which is a creativity competition in the area. Her team of six will do a "theatre in the round" production in March. I'll post pictures.

Madi is now in Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and swimming but is still bouncing off the walls to go outside. We started some seeds together recently and are enjoying watching them sprout: a preview of spring!

First Time in Print!

Had a Fun surprise today when I went to the mailbox- a check! An article that I had submited early in January was published. It's my first freelance article, a humorous piece titled "The Devil Wears Diapers: Living with the strong willed child". (I bet you can't guess who inspired it?) It appears in the February issue of Western New York Family Magazine https://www.wnyfamilymagazine.com/Articles/. My article is not available on-line but they sent me a copy of the issue with my check. I'm on Page 53- Woohoo!

Madi's Hard Head

Have you checked the weather in Bloomington lately? Its south of zero here which means we are spending the least amount of time as possible outdoors. But, Madi was playing at a neighbors today and Aaron walked down to pick her up. She was really tired, so he hoisted her into his arms to carry her home. On the way, he rolled his ankle and dad and daughter took a fall. Madi's head met concrete, and the concrete won.

Now, my mom always told me that if I did this or that I might fall and "crack my head open", but I had never known anyone who had ACTUALLY done it. But, once she was safely in the house screaming, the largest egg I had ever seen bloomed in the back of her head. We drove to the ER to make sure she hadn't "cracked her head open".

When the ER nurse checked us in, she said "Gosh, you win the prize, that is the biggest egg I have ever seen!" ...and she was an old nurse. She fast tracked us into the ER because she was afraid that Madi had "cracked her head open."

Then, we saw the doctor who said "Wow! That is the biggest egg I have ever seen!" He ordered a brain scan because he thought she might have fractured her skull which would mean she had "cracked her head open."

The CT Scan guy said "Wow, that's the biggest egg I have ever seen." and ran the test. The egg was now even bigger and a few shades of purple.

Well, after three hours and I don't want to know how many dollars, the scan came back and there is no damage. I am convinced that no one "cracks their head open" but beyond that it is proof enough that she inherited her father and grandpa's HARD HEAD.

I've never been more thankful for it.

The Write Stuff

If you have been thinking about picking up something to read, here's my top ten (in no particular order). Warning: these books will keep you up at night and apologize to your spouse in advance because you will not be able to shut up about what you have read when you are done.

1. The Cider House Rules, John Irving- True modern literature about a man raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, who leaves as an adult to see the world and learn "the rules" himself. Caution: fuel for the abortion debate fire!

2. The Giver, Lois Lowry- Tale of a self proclaimed utopian society and a boy citizen who wants more.

3. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen - Man joins the circus during prohibition and falls in love. In the style of Nicholas Sparks "Notebook", an easy but fulfilling read

4. Silas Marner, George Elliot - I will never tire of this tale of what's really important in life.

5. The Devil Wears Prada - For anyone who has ever hated their boss-a must read.

6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon - Feel what its like to be inside the mind of a boy with autism.

7. The Davinci Code, Dan Brown - What a ride! This is the literary equivalent of eating hard candy but its so entertaining.

8. Switch Bitch, Roald Dahl - Who knew the popular children's author was a master of short stories for adults? If you like reading books for young adults, also check out "the Witches" by the same author.

9. Life of PI, Yann Martel - Indian boy with three religions falls off a ship and drifts at sea. You won't put this one down until the last page is read and then you may flip back a few times.

10. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden - If you haven't read this one you are really missing out on a beautiful birds eye view of pre-WWII Japan and traditional Geisha culture.

Honorable mentions:

The Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards - A doctor who delivers his own fraternal twins decides in a moment to give away the one with down syndrome and tell his sedated wife she died at birth.

Saving Fish from Drowning, Amy Tan -A group of American tourists on an art expedition see first hand the impact of capitalism on Burma. Interesting and thought provoking.

The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri - Fascinating novel about Indian immigrants and their children adapting to American culture.

Oh - and of course any Harry Potter. Book seven is coming!!!

The 411 on 911

Do you remember being 5? I try to when my kids do things that don't make sense to me. I try to think what it was like to be small: to look up constantly, to be over-powered often, to sit in too big furniture.

Last night, the phone rang and Aaron and I picked it up at the same time. I was upstairs, he was downstairs. A distant sounding voice urgently said "Someone dialed 911 from this number. Is there an emergency?"

Aaron and I both said "No" at the same time.

"We have a recording of a child's voice." the woman said. We explained there was nothing wrong but the dispatcher said they are required to send a police officer to the scene.

So, while we waited for the police officer to arrive we had a little talk with Madelin. Here's her side of the story. She was messing with the phone, she reached 911, and when they answered she told them "I don't need you." and hung up. We both came down on her pretty hard about NEVER dialing playing with the phone again etc.. Then, we made her apologize to the police officer for having to come to our house.

This is where it gets interesting. When the door opened to reveal the uniformed police officer, I thought Madi was going to wet her pants. She apologized and then bawled and bawled. Why do I have this strange feeling this is going to come up in some therapy session later in life?

Stuff I think about

You are desperate for money and you must take one of the three jobs below. Which do you take and why?

A. The sole caregiver for 6 two year olds
B. The sole caregiver for 6 special needs kids
C. The sole caregiver for 6 geriatric patients

If you could choose one of these three men to be your uncle, which would you choose?
A. Warren Buffet (Did you know he does not give money to child relatives beyond an education?)
B. Mr. Rogers
C. Martin Luther King

100_1795.mov

Do you think we could get some electricity from this gerbil?

The More Things Change...

Hannah had a swim meet in Champaign this weekend. She is doing really well. Her 25 yard freestyle is down to just over 17 seconds and she is swimming in the fast heat in most events.

While I was over there, I decided to look up my nephew who is an EE major at U of I. We went to his favorite place for lunch and then visited for awhile. Some of you might know that I spent two years at U of I before transferring, in 1992, to ISU. The funny thing was that the kids seemed exactly the same to me. Its been 15 years and the boys still dress and look the same and the girls, although more obviously trendy, don't look that different either. I think the parents where better looking and seemed younger though. :)

My nephew is officially an adult. What a great person he's turned out to be. Hung out with his Auntie for several hours and didn't even hide his face with embarassment. He's doing well in school, good self-esteem, and seems to be generally happy and well balanced. I guess my brother did something right. On second thought, it was probably his wife.

Daddy's little girl

Madi and I were watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood today. It was the show about good choices. In case you missed it, here's the synopsis.

In the land of make believe, the community decides to invest $3,000 to put in a pool. While they are digging the pool, they break a pipe. Repairing the pipe will cost $3,000. If they don't repair the pipe, there is no running water. They decide running water is more important than a pool, so they fix the pipe. Mr Rogers sums up the episode by saying that no one can have everything. This is why it is important that we make good choices about what we spend our money on. (Wow, don't you wish some adults could see this episode? But, I digress.)

So Madi says to me "Mom, what's 3,000 + 3,000?"

"6,000" I reply.

"If we had $6,000 we would be rich!" She says.

"Madi, if you had $6,000 what would you spend it on. What is it that you want?" I asked.

"I'd buy a job." She replied.

"Why would you buy a job?" I asked.

"So that I could go to work with daddy every day."

Everyone say together - Awwwww!

Princess and the Pee

Madelin and I have been having such a good time watching her new Gerbil. She is turning out to be a terrific pet owner.

Tonight, I pointed out to her that Jasmine had scraped all of her bedding into a big fluffy pile under her house. I said "look Madi--she made an extra thick mattress for herself. It's like the Princess and the Pea."

Madelin began laughing hysterically. She just kept laughing and saying "Princess and the Pea? - Pricess and the Pea!? Ha Ha HA.

I, then, realized she had never heard of the story of the Princess and the Pea and thought I meant the other ... well...Pee.

Oh well - for a moment I was a comedian!

Signs

Do you believe in signs from God?

Over the holidays, I began to struggle with the idea of Madi going to Kindergarten in September. When she goes, my current job of caring for her full-time will no longer exist. From 9am-3:45pm, both kids will be gone, and I am someone who needs to keep busy. As I see it, I will have three choices at that point:

1. Return to work full time, which means I will have to hire before and after school care and a summer nanny.
2. Return to work full year-part time which would mean I still needed a summer nanny.
3. Find a job that follows the academic calendar - like teaching, which would preserve my time with my kids but also provide some opportunity while they are in school.

I have been praying about this for awhile now but haven't felt sure about what I should do.

I am in my fourth year of a seven year Bible study and we returned today from our holiday break. Last night, I was completing my lesson and in answering question 15 found these references to guidance by the Holy Spirit:

• When we don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit will let us know (Romans 8:26)
• The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in accordance to God's will (Romans 8:27)
• The Holy Spirit will teach you what to say when you need to say it (Luke 12:12)
• You will recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes to you (Acts 1:8)
• All believers have access to the Father through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)
• The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)

Today, I was running late for Bible study for the first time this year. Because I arrived late, I went directly to my small group and skipped opening lecture. When I sat down in the empty room, I was surprised that a woman I hardly know was also late and sat down next to me. She asked, "How's your book coming along?" After surpressing my surprise that she knew I was writing a book, I told her I had finished the first draft and was editing now. She told me she used to teach writing at a college nearby. I responded that I had been thinking of taking my GRE and potentially going back to school at a local University to teach writing but I thought it was a long shot because my Undergrad was in Accounting. It turns out that she graduated from said University and knows of many people with backgrounds like mine that are admitted and do well. She went on to say she thought I would not have difficulty finding work in this area because there are so many schools looking for writing teachers.

So - GRE here I come.

Madi's Birthday

It seemed simple enough. Madi wanted a pet for her 5th birthday. We talked it over and decided a Gerbil would be best. After all, Gerbils are contained and easy to care for. As a bonus, they are inexpensive ($10).

Madi picked this very pretty, black, female. (Somehow, once the guy at the pet store walked us through the care of the Gerbil, our $10 pet became an $80 pet but I digress. ) So, we brought her home and Madelin spent the evening thinking of names. She settled on Jasmine from Disney Princess. We talked at length about caring for her pet and then we put both of them to bed.

The cool thing about Jasmine was that when we woke up in the morning she had completely rearranged her cage. Apparently, she is very particular about her furniture and she stayed up all night making her cage exactly how she likes it.

Last night was Jasmines second night in our house. The very uncool thing about Jasmine is she can jump high and run fast. Madi decided to bend the rules a little bit and tried to handle her pet while Aaron and I where sleeping. Jasmine escaped and we spent the first hour of the morning chasing the little bugger all over her room.

Luckily, Aaron was able to catch her and she is back in her house. Madi swares she will never let her out again. We'll see. :)

She is awefully cute. You can't see it in the picture but she has a white strip down her chest.

Oh No Mr. Christmas Bill!

Every year, on Christmas morning, I make pancakes in the shape of reindeer heads. This tradition started when Hannah was very small and wildly enthusiastic about these types of things. That first year, I decorated a cooked pancake with chocolate chip eyes, a marricino cherry nose and a whipped cream smile. I carefully dripped the batter into the pan to make perfect antlers. Hannah was so thrilled with the creation that I decided to do this every year.

Well, times they are a changin' and in all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I forgot to pick up the cherries. I thought stawberry jam would make a good substitute, being red and all. I also decided I wanted to try to bake the chocolate chips into the pancakes instead of adding them at the end to save time. This is the result. Do you think he got a look at our Credit Card bill?



These are my kids with my nephews. The older ones are so helpful with the younger ones.

We got the little guy at the top a TMX Elmo for Christmas. If you haven't seen one work yet you are missing out. I think the adults liked it as much as the kids.

There's something about a bright and smiling face at a Holiday Program.

Christmas Program

She's got a great right hook...I think the boy in the green striped shirt is afraid of her.