recap

This morning, by some small miracle, I was afforded the chance to think in the shower. You know, as opposed to just verbalizing exasperated statements like, "One minute! That's all I ask! Can I just take a shower for one cotton pickin' minute!?" and "Please crawl back out of the shower, darling. You don't want wet jammies, do you?"

Actually, who am I kidding? The fact that I was afforded the chance to shower at all today is a miracle in and of itself. Regardless, shower I did, and I spent time thinking while I was at it.

I was thinking, of all things, about how our family's blog names came to be, and trying to recollect when it was I started this bog. And it occured to me, somewhere between drying off while hopping on one foot to avoid tub toys strewn about on the bathroom floor and grabbing a rubber band to pull my hair up with, that maybe it was time for a little recap on my blog.

You know, for those of you who are new. Or who have bad memories. Like me.

So, in a fashion similar to what I did here, I offer today a recap, in bullet format, about my blog and the characters herein.

I was born a long time ago, in a land not so very far away. My husband, who I refer to on my blog as Prince Charming, and I grew up together and have been married for almost 6 years.

I started this blog almost three years ago, the day I learned what a blog was. I had about 4 readers. They were all related to me.

We live in the Frozen Tundra, where it has currently thawed out enough to be loosely called summer. We live on a lake in a small house in a small town that is on the edge of a big(gish) city.

I coined the name MckMama for myself back when we had only three children. Their names begin with M, C and K, and our last name begins with all three, so I thought MckMama was a clever and appropriate blog handle.

We added a surprse fourth child to our family 8 months ago. He was diagnosed in the womb with a heart condition that nearly killed him. He survived and was born healthy. All evidence of his heart condition, SVT, was gone until he was 4 months old. He has quite a medically adverturous life so far. You can read more about it here. He is on heart medication. Recently, his dosages were upped again, and he has been SVT free since the 4th of July.

Our children are young. I gave birth to our fourth when our first was only 3 years old. No twins. I sometimes lovingly refer to our children as our MSC. That stands for Many Small Children.

I took our MSC to a sweet antique shop in the middle of the country this morning. It's in a old barn. They were well behaved. We saw a peacock. I bought a distressed turquoise dresser. I took this picture.



Our MSC have real names. But our 8 month old, Stellan, is the only one I refer to by his given name on my blog. When we thought we were going to lose him, we shared his name with all of you, in a desire that his name be known before he died. Since then, I have not been able to call him by his nickname, MckMuffin, very often.

Our other children are Big Mac, a 4 year old boy; MckNugget, an almost 3 year old boy; and Small Fry, a 20 month old girl.

We have never called our children by their blog nicknames in real life. They have no idea what a blog is. But they do know what McDonald's is. And they also eat a lot of hummus.

My husband's mother lives in our mother-in-law apartment. I refer to her as the Queen Mum. Not because she's old and matronly, though. Check her out here. Queen seemed an appropriate title, since she's my husband's mother, and I refer to him as a Prince.

Then there's Uncle Duke, my husband's teenage brother. He lived with us for 1 day a few months ago and is now in boot camp with the Marines.

I read all the comments on my blog. I really do. Every time. I shoot with a Canon and I get the boys' stretchy cut-off sweatpants from Mini Boden. You're welcome.

My husband's father and older brother passed away when we were in high school. My parents live in another state, but we visit their house as often as we can. My sister and her family live nearby and she's going to make me an aunt again in October.

I used to be an elementary school art teacher. Now I am a wife and a mother who mostly stays at home. I also work as a professional photographer and a blogger. Like, no duh.

And, with that, I think we're up to speed. Don't you think?

What about you? I've gotten to know many of you who are regular commenters, just be reading your comments. I remember your profile photos and screen names and I know lots about many of you. To that end, I'd love to learn even more. Who are you all? When did you discover the blog world? Do you have children? Have you made up silly nicknames for your family, too? Are you the parent of a heart baby? Is it hot where you live?

You get the idea. I recapped for you, how about returning the favor in the comments of this post!?

blue and green

Small Fry secretly studies self-defense and surprises siblings with her skills. Subsequently, said siblings safeguard their…stuff.



Congratulations, ourownlittlenest! Prince Charming and I loved your alliteration-heavy entry the best, although it was a difficult choice. Get ahold of me and we can chat about you sending me a photograph of yours to edit!

Our other favorite entries:

Relieving...on a jet plane. by Randi.
Hysterically clever.

Happy (hit ya) In-de-penis Day, MckNugget! by heatherkmd.
Totally inappropriate, but utterly hysterical. And a great play on words, although it took me a while before I got it.

You've Got to Fight... for your Right... to POTTY! by Alana.
Sing it with me now!

Houston, we have a problem. by Tara.
Yes, indeed.

I'll have one Small Fry and hold the MckNuggets! by Maureen.
Hardy, har, har.

Red White and LOO! by Heather S.
Clever!

I now baptize thee, my brother MckNugget, in the name of ... by Alexis.
Oh, my. That is totally what it looks like she's doing!

And, because I did it last time and I think it's worth repeating, I present the People's Choice Award. You know, the comment that the most people clicked that little "like" next to:

Shhh!!! Please don't tell mom I hit you in the MckNuggets... by Tracy.

Congratulations, everyone!

----------------

You know you've let your daughter skip her nap too many days in a row when...



...she grabs her brother's blankie...



...and takes care of matters herself.

----------------

Big Mac: "Jesus doesn't like the color blue best. Or green."

Me: "Why, yes He does, Honey. Jesus loves all colors the best, don't you think?"

Big Mac: "No, He doesn't, Mama. Remember? 'Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight'!"

surprised by joy

The anniversary crept up on me. I knew it was coming. I just didn't realize until yesterday that it was already here.

I was doing a lot of purging, cleaning and organzing when I realized. Sorting through papers on my desk, many at the bottom of the pile which had been there for--literally--a solid year, I pulled out a packet. It was a medium sized white envelope with greeting cards inside. I looked through some of them. They were for Stellan and for me. At first I thought they must have been from when Stellan was in Boston a few months ago, having the ablation performed on his heart because his SVT had spiralled out of control.

But it didn't take me long to realize the cards were older than that. About a year old, to be precise. This day a year ago changed me forever. I was rocked to my core in a way I can't convey to you unless you've been there. It was a year ago today when we first learned that something was wrong with Stellan's heart.

That afternoon, I penned these words on my blog:

And I know it is still a blessing (in disguise, perhaps, as only God knows how this story will ultimately unfold) that this morning at my routine 20 week ultrasound, came a crushing blow of unexpected news. Our baby's tiny heart is not as it should be. Beating irregularly, at times not beating at all, twitching, double beating and then missing a beat, I could see instantly that something was wrong with his heart even as the ultrasound technician was still zooming in for a closer look...Our baby's heart is suffering from severe arrhythmia, and there is fluid on his heart.

Stellan was as yet unnamed and unborn, but his little heart was already in heart failure, his body filling with fluid. It wouldn't be long before I was whisked to the hospital to be pumped full of cardiac drugs in a desperate attempt to save my baby, where I would spend almost three of the darkest weeks of my life.

I realized that the anniversary was upon us when I saw a folded group of papers among the cards I found while organizing yesterday. About four pages in length, it was a little group of worksheets, stapled together, dated July of last year. As I unfolded the papers and began to read, I literally fell to my knees in the dark, evening kitchen. The questions, unanswered, stared back at me from the pages. Short spaces after each question were left blank. Not enough room to have held a long answer, the spaces on my sheet held no answers at all.

I'd never completed the questionairre.

I remember when the Care and Grief Coordinator at the hosptial was assigned to me. She was very sweet. Cute. Young. She seemed so unversed and innocent, yet amazingly persisent in her kind attempts at getting me to fill out the papers she gave me. She would stop in once a day to see if I'd completed them.

I just couldn't. I remember that. I looked at the packet only once and just couldn't do it. I know I tucked it away in a drawer in the bedside table in my tiny hospital room. The drawer where I kept the gum and candy my friends had brought, and the ultrasound photos of my baby I'd save each time he had an ECHO.

But yesterday, I opened the papers and read the questions one more time:

When your baby dies, do you want to hold your baby? Would you like a nurse present in the room? What where some of the hopes and dreams you had for this baby? Does your baby have a name? May we call the baby by that name? Would you like a photographer present? How much time would you like with your baby?

My knees hit the floor last night as I read those questions. The tears came immediately, but my face was frozen for a while. I didn't have an all-out cry right away. Just started thinking, through my tears. Was it true? Was Stellan really so close to death? I can almost not believe that he came so close to dying. Yet, at the same time, that pain and fear is so real and present in me that at times I can almost not believe that he is alive and is sleeping soundly in the next room, eight months old.

We were surprised by joy. But it has been a hard road.

After holding the papers in my hands for a few minutes, taking in the brevity of the moment, thinking about what Stellan's future might hold, letting my mind wander back to the past, remembering when the doctor came in to my hospital room and told us that our baby would not make it to be born alive, I finally set the stapled sheets down and walked into our bedroom to be with my husband. The big, ugly cry finally came. Through crocodile tears I asked him how it was possible that we were told our son would die a year ago, that he was terribly sick when he was too small to survive, but that survive he did and was born a robust, blue eyed, perfect baby.



It just isn't fair. And sometimes I almost can't believe all that really happened to us.

We were surprised by joy when Stellan was born alive and well. But some families aren't. Where is the equality in that? More surprises lay ahead for us, of course, when the condition we were certain Stellan had outgrown reared its ugly head a few months ago. Shock and disbelief that we were again back to those dark days came over us. We were sure that chapter in our lives had been forever closed. We were wrong.

It jsut isn't fair. But again we have been surprised by joy.

It is the joy that we know in being able to put one foot in front of the other each day. In having Stellan in our arms, in our life. It's nothing short of breathtaking that our baby boy made it through those harrowing weeks in utero when the doctors did not think he would. It is the joy that we have made it through our dark past, through moments, hours and days when we thought we'd lose him and, in the process, were sure we'd lose ourselves, numerous times in the past year. And though we know not how many more dark moments lie ahead for our sweet baby boy, we do know that we are celebrating this one year anniversary with joy.

Though the feelings, both in looking back and in looking forward, are both bittersweet, what remains is that we have the here and now. Just like one year ago, when I cherished every single kick and flutter I would feel from Stellan inside me, knowing my baby was still alive, savoring each special moment I was gifted to spend with him, so is it the same today, a year later. I soak up each new day I am allowed to spend here on earth with precious Stellan.

And I remain forever changed. Yes, I'm still scared, still wounded. Yet I'm decidedly hopeful and amazed. I have been surprised by joy.

Name That Photo Contest!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Stay tuned for the winner!

What in tarnation is going on here with Small Fry and MckNugget!?

Come up with a clever caption, title, name or thought bubble for what is happening in this photograph and win!



What will the winner win? Well, it's not entirely tangible, but I hope you find it extremely tantilizing. The owner of the winning caption will get to send me one of their digital photographs. I'll work whatever magic I have left in me after the end of a long day with MSC to enhance, edit, beautify or funkify their picture, depending on what the winner wants, and then send it back to them in a high resolution format so they can make their own reprints of it!

In the words of Jeff Probst, "Worth playing for?"

If you think so, then give this photo a name!!



One entry per person. Feel free to "vote" for the captions you like by clicking "like" next to the comments, but Prince Charming and I will be making the final choice. I'll shut down comments and we'll start picking a winner with little warning, so hop to it!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Stay tuned for the winner!

Chat with MckMama LIVE

Chat with MckMama LIVE is now over.

That was fun! Thanks for chatting, everyone. You just may see some of your questions answered in my next Ask MckMama anything post!

I'm outta here, but the rest of you can keep on chatting amongst yourselves if you'd like.

Until next time...

shoulda thought of that one sooner

Two bits of business before moving on the the meat of my post:

The MckPicnic is definitely still on!! On Saturday the 18th of July, here in our Frozen Tundra, any and everyone (women, children, men, or any combination of those!) who wants to come bring their own food, towels and chairs and spend the day swimming, playing, grilling out, soaking up the sun and talking with each other and with our family at a huge local park is welcome to join in.

To learn even more about the MckPicnic and how to RSVP, click here.

The MckBrunch for the next day is already "sold out" (the venue we chose could only hold so many people) but any and all are still welcome to the all-day picnic on Saturday. The more the merrier. You'll get the details if you RSVP (the final email to those of you who have RSVP'd will be to your inboxes this week!).

In other news, I was able to tweak some of the settings on Disqus, my new commenting system. If you tried before and weren't impressed with the speed of loading or if you weren't able to comment, it may be worth giving it another shot now that I've made some changes.

You know, only if you want. Don't let me twist your arm.

---------------------

Moving on.

This kid.



This kid looks so calm here. His soft, floppy mohawk frozen in time, you might think Nuggey, too, is always this way. Frozen. If you only know our second born son via the computer he might seem to you to be a placid, even keeled little boy. I'm here to tell you that is not so.

Adorable and funny? Absolutely. Loving and tender? Without a doubt. Obedient and sensitive. Yup. But his still, deep eyes and gorgeous, icy stare here belie the true nature of MckNugget.

He is a freaking wild man.

Take, for example, what happened yesterday when we were visiting my parents out of state.

Let me start by saying, in their defense, it was a spontaneous, unplanned trip on our part. They didn't have time to Nuggey-proof the house. We'd been in the door only a few minutes when the older boys raced downstairs to the Lego infested basement. Moments later, Big Mac came pounding back up the stairs screaming, "Nuggey has grandpa's screw! He has his screw an' it's goin' round and round and round! Come quick, Mama!"

I came quick. And saw that I need to have Prince Charming work on hardware and tool recognition with the boys. It wasn't a screw, at all. It was my dad's drill. Nuggey had put a bit in (backwards) and was wielding the drill, trying to "do some work like Daddy" on a table. Someone should really watch that kid. I mean, seriously.

Don't get me wrong, Nuggey is endearing. He's a great listener who (sometimes) plays well with his siblings. It's just that our second born is a little off-the-wall, filled to the brim with energy and pure boy.

Just today at the park, when a lady strolled by, Big Mac yelled out to her from his perch on his new (used) tricyle, "I got a new bike!" The stranger smiled and nodded, plodding along still. MckNugget, not to be left out, picked up right where his big brother left off and shouted to the woman, "And I got a new knife!"

Um, or not.

He had knives of the brain earlier, too. Who knows why. "Grandmother," he asked my mom. "Where your knives?" To which my mother responded, "Well, I'm not going to tell you!"



Oh, this kid.

Running around constantly at breakneck speeds, Nuggey is a sight to behold. Dirt under his fingernails, our 2 year old is usually underwearless, as well, as he routinely "forgets" to return them to their proper location on his bottom after bathroom breaks.

My theory?

All this wild man, off-the-wall stuff is just Nuggey busy learning to be a man. A manly man. Like his daddy. So he needs to get all his boy out while he can while on the fast track to becoming like Daddy.

Case in point:

Me: "Nuggey, it's time to take a bathroom break."

Nuggey: "But why?"

Me: "Because it's time for bed and I want you to urinate before you go to sleep. So take a bathroom break and hop in bed, please."

Nuggey: "But why?"

Me: "Because it's already after 8 and it's late. You need to go crawl in bed."

Nuggey: "But why?"

Me, resisting the strong urge to shout because I said so, that's why!: "So you can get a good night's sleep."

Nuggey: "But why?"

Me: "So you can grow to be big and strong like Daddy."

Nuggey: "Oh, okay!" And off he skipped to the bathroom.

Shoulda thought of that one sooner.

Not Me! Monday

UPDATED:

Hey, friends! If the new longer Not Me! button that you've uploaded to your blog gets cut off when you post it in the body of you blog, then try copying all (you'll have to scroll down in the box) of this code instead:


<a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> <img src=http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg width=”400” /> </a>

ORIGINAL POST:



Are you feeling guilty for leaving the windows open to catch a breeze when you know the air is on? Feel like a bag lady for wearing the same shirt for days on end? Get tricked by a fake news story and feel foolish? We'll don't! Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!

This week, I most definitely did not wear my cute Target swimsuit coverup over a bra and tanktop and just call it a shirt so I could wear it on a date with my husband. Nope. Not me!

On the Fourth of July, when visiting a WWII warplane in the rain at a local airport, I certainly did not allow, nay encourage, MckNugget to repeatedly catch raindrops off the plane's wing with his tongue. That would be gross and unsanitary, and so I did not do that. Not me!



I certainly didn't go out in public, repeatedly, with my husband who was wearing only a wife beater white tank undershirt. We are way more high class than that and care deeply about our looks and how we are perceived by others, and so I definitely was not seen out and about with him in such attire. Not me!

And finally, upon hearing that Michael Jackson had died but knowing no other details, I most certainly did not Google "Michael Jackson died" and then randomly click on one of the links that appeared and begin to read it, assuming it was real news. I am not gullible and so when I read in said article that a body recently found buried at Neverland Ranch was believed to belong to a person who died about 18 years ago, I didn't actually believe it. When I read that DNA tests proved that the uncovered body was "the real Michael, and that the disturbing figure claiming to be Jackson was a fake," my jaw didn't drop and I didn't gasp, "No wonder!" and begin thinking about how long the small-nosed fake Michael had been impersonating the real, since deceased Michael. And it didn't take me another full 15 seconds of thinking the oddness behind Michael Jackson was finally making perfect sense before I realized I was reading an article written 4 years ago for The Onion. Not me! I know the different between real reporting and comedy farces like The Onion and so there is no way I thought that article was real, even for one itty bitty second.

Would you love to join the Not Me! Monday fun? Simply write your own post on your blog, link back within your post to my blog, and sign up with MckLinky below. Please make sure you know the rules if any of that sounds confusing by either clicking on the Not Me! Monday button in my lower left sidebar, or just right here. There you'll be able to get some fool-proof ways to publish your own Not Me! Monday post, as well as learn how to link back to my blog if you don't already know how.

Already know how to link up but just need the sweet new logos that Kristine made last week? Look no further. My friend Jennisa (Who is looking to rename her blog business; click here if you want to help her!) turned the logos into grabbable (Is that a word!?) buttons you can snag.

To add this Not Me! Monday button to the body of your Not Me! Monday posts...

...simply copy this below code and paste it into your blog when it html mode.

<center> <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> <img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg"/> </a></center>

Or, you could right click on the Not Me! logo itself above, save it to your computer, and then upload it to your blog like you would any other photograph.

Would you like the smaller button for your post instead? Or maybe to put in your sidebar like I did?



Grab this code, too, if that's the case!

<center> <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> <img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/NotMeMondaySIDEBAR180x180.jpg"/> </a></center>

Don't have a blog or too chicken to leave your Not Me's there? Just leave your Not Me's in the comments of this post so we can all enjoy them and don't forget to click like next to the comments you like the most so we can see whose Not Me's are the funniest this week!

Happy Not Me, everyone!

you don't know what you've got till it's gone

It's true. You don't know what you got till it's gone.



And, no, I'm not referring to the nearly gone strawberry smoothie from Maui Waui that Small Fry milked for all it was worth at the summer festival we spent the day at on the Fourth of July.

Although I could be. She was slightly unhappy* when it was gone.

*(understatement)

Nor am I referring to the ants that scattered across the tar until they were gone, escaping inquiring young fingers.



Nope. I'm talking about something different.

Prince Charming and I learned this weekend that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. In our case, we never truly grasped how laughably easy it was to have three children aged 0, 1 and 2 until we had a fourth child. We spent our Fourth of July weekend missing Big Mac but thankful for a break in the intensity of life. And not because our missing son, off at family camp, is himself intense, but simply because any four young children are intense.

Naturally, I realize that a family with five children probably thinks our simple life with merely four is a cake walk, just like a family of six thinks of them. And the Duggars? Well, they've upped the ante on everyone I know, and probably everyone you do, too. I assert simply that you never really know how great/easy/wonderful something really is...until it's gone.

And this applies to anything, not just children. I didn't know how simple it was to have one dog, for example, before I had two. Nor did I realize how easy high school was until I got to college. Or how fun Valleyfair is before Disneyworld. I am sure you can relate. We just didn't know how easy getting around was with only three children, until we had four.

Not that we'd have it any other way, of course. Prince Charming and I love having four young children. We missed our oldest son terribly while he was gone. But I will not lie and say that we did not enjoy an easy, fun filled weekend cavorting around with only the siblings Big Mac left behind.

Our first stop on the Fourth of July with our three youngest was a local airfield and museum. Prince Charming's request. He'd heard on talk radio that a B-17 warplane from WWII was going to be in town for the weekend, with tours and flights available.

It was pouring rain when we arrived, but we waited out the storm and hit the tarmac running when the clouds parted.



Please note the delightfully appropriate sign hanging on the airport behind MckNugget in this photograph.



It was a sweet (wet) airplane. And sweeter still to meet some of the men who have served our country in years past.

Again, since we only had three children in tow, Prince Charming and I felt as light as feathers and decided to hit a local summer festival as well on the Fourth.



Our children? Not as light as feathers. But it was no matter to Prince Charming who wrangled both Small Fry and Nuggey during the day while I carried baby MckMuffin in the sling or pushed him in the stroller.



We ate (what was probably more than) our fair of fried and frozen carnival food and Small Fry succeeded in her oft attempted but never before successful desire to rip the white flower off her red hat and toss it aside without me noticing. Sigh.



We all danced in the rain and soaked up the sun when it finally came out late in the day. Amazingly enough, we even ran into some of Prince Charming's cousins and an aunt and uncle we had no idea were in town from out of state!



Today we're off on a long road trip, something you already know about if you get my Tweets on your cell phone or read them here or in my left sidebar. We're out of state with a UHaul, helping the Queen Mum move some of her things at her house, and visiting my family in the process. I'll shut off the comments on this post, the one where you all checked in about what state you live in, later on Sunday and we'll pick up Big Mac and head home.



But the six of us will travel by car and truck and not by warplane. Bummer.



And once back into our normal life with FSC (Four Small Children), Prince Charming will head back to work. And I'll have my hands even more full than they were yesterday on the Fourth of July.

Yes, I didn't know what I had till it was gone. And, to be honest, I'm glad I didn't, because I still wouldn't change a thing.

flying dinosaurs on the Fourth of July

FURTHER UPDATED:

Comments on this post are now closed. Stay tuned to see a breakdown of where all of you are from!!

UPDATED:

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! It has been wicked awesome to watch all of you share in the comments on this post where you are from, and to see people connecting with neighbors as well as old friends and new right here on my blog! I'm tickled pink. And I also went bowling with my husband on our date tonight and I beat him best two out of three. Just so you know.

ORIGINAL POST:

"I want to be a flying dinosaur, Mama. With wings. And horns! Can you help me make a costume?"



And so help him I did. Using butcher paper and red Christmas tape that says "No peeking!"



Christmas tape seems appropriate for July, no?

If you follow me on Twitter or clicked on the links in Tweets in my left sidebar (Yes! I finally figured out how to add photos to my Tweets so I can show you as well as tell you what we are up to throughout the day. If you didn't check them out yesterday then you also missed the photographs of Prince Charming and his roofing fork out by the fire last night trying to catch raccoons!), you probably already saw Big Mac in his Superman shirt leaving on an adventure yesterday. That's right: our little flying dinosaur flew the coop.

Big Mac is at family camp with my mom and sister this weekend. The same family camp that Prince Charming and I grew up going to together, though we've not been there in many, many years. It's hours and hours away; my sweet sister picked Big Mac up from the Splash Pad and drove him and her son to camp. The last I heard, they had procured a cabin (with no indoor plumbing or electricity) for themselves and the boys were playing in the sand.

A few days before he left, I broke the news about family camp to Big Mac. His jaw dropped open and he literally exclaimed, "All my dreams are coming true!"

Indeed, my dear little flying dinosaur. They are. Have fun at family camp!

That leaves me and Prince Charming (the Queen Mum has been gone for some time. She'll be doing lots of traveling and staying at her own house in another state this summer. But she'll be back eventually!) and only three of our MSC (Many Small Children) for this Fourth of July weekend. Today we drove out to the country a bit to do some work related errands Prince Charming needed to do.

And whether you spend your Fourth with flying dinosaurs or not, have a good one! We plan to catch some fireworks tomorrow ourselves. And maybe hit some local summer festival. I won't be blogging on the Fourth, and while I'm gone, I have an Independence Day activity for you all!

First, I want yo to open your desks and take our your number 2 pencil.

Just kidding.

Actually, in honor of the day we celebrate our nation's independence, I thought it would be fun to see which states (or provinces or countries!) you guys are living in! For the rest of the weekend, when you comment, tell us where you're from...city, state, county, province, country...be as general or as specific as you want! That means you too, silent ones, lurkers, non-commenters, this is easy: You can comment by just stating your state if you want! And, as I mentioned, readers from outside the United States please jump in here with us! Independence Day is about all things USA, and we celebrate not just our history but also our relationships with the world.



So, whether we are all out jumping on trampolines in our best patriotic dresses, celebrating with barbecues, picnics, trips to the lake, the beach, the pool or the mountains, eating watermelon and homemade ice cream, or staying close to home, let's take stock of where you all are, my dear blogging friends! And in the processs, you may find some local friends among your fellow readers. Feel free to use the "reply" feature beneath someone else's comment. Clicking there and then commenting will thread yours under theirs as a comment to that person, such as, "Hey! Whaddyaknow!? I live in Tinytown, too!" Or whatever.

In fact, just to make it more fun, I will let you know next week if we hit all 50 states this weekend, and even which is the state that can claim the biggest number of commenting wolverines!

I'll start in the comments first to show you how easy it can be. Happy Fourth!

FURTHER UPDATED:

Comments on this post are now closed. Stay tuned to see a breakdown of where all of you are from!!

politically speaking

It's Canada Day. Our state just got a new senator. The Fourth of July is just around the corner. So I figured, why not today?

I'm going to be honest here: I just don't get the whole "It's not polite to talk about politics or religion." Hmm. Really? Like, if someone asked me if I believed in God, would I really tell them, "Erm, well, I don't really want to talk about what I think about God. It's not very polite." Um, no. I'd say, "Darn tooting I believe in God." Or something like that.

So why there is this stigma about talking about politics, I'll never entirely understand. Sure it can rile people up. Of course feelings run deep. Naturally everyone's opinions are different. And guess what? That's okay.

I have friends who are staunchly conservative, friends who don't believe in Jesus, friends who love art, friends who hate bright colors, friends who are gay, friends who don't go to church, friends who quote Bible verses like their lives depended on it, friends who eat meat, friends who are vegetarians, friends who are Catholic, friends who are Jewish, friends who voted for this person, friends who voted for that person. My capacity to have a relationship with someone does not hinge whatsoever on whether or not they share my beliefs about whatever the issue may be. Do I gravitate towards people who are most like me? Sure. Do I intentionally surround myself with others who will lift me up and challenge me, encourage me and help me to be better? Of course. But does someone having a different opinion about something make me dislike them or think I shouldn't talk about deep subjects with them? No!

In the same way, I find absolutely nothing wrong with sharing our feelings about politics in the public square and on personal blogs. It is no more my intention to alienate any readers than it is when I post about grinding nuts and using cloth diapers. In fact, most of my friends don't use cloth diapers or grind nuts in their spare time. And, frankly, I don't really care if you do or not. It doesn't affect my feelings towards you as readers, just as I would trust that your feelings about my blog don't hinge on areas where you do not agree with me. And talking about religion and politics? Totally not taboo on my blog.

In fact, that is the very point I want to make with this post. Politically speaking? Yes! I think we all should be! I think change in our country would need to come from the ground up, and not from the top down. And talking about our opinions about politics just might be what we need to do more of.

Naturally, as with any deep rooted topics of conversation, I believe we must be careful in how we approach politics. If we come across as condescending or condemning of those who do not hold our same beliefs, any points we would try to make would be moot. I'd actually like to fancy myself a rather polite person. I do not bash people belonging to political parties I don't agree with, nor do I slam Presidents I didn't vote for. That would get me nowhere! What I hope will get me somewhere is sharing in polite, yet straightforward, ways about what I personally believe to be the best course of action for our country.

Am I somehow more enlightened than all of you in the political arena? Um, no. Do I think my strongly held opinions are any better than yours? Again, nope. Do I realize that politics are not the end all? Of course! I don't really even talk about politics very much and you may remember from this old post that I do try to keep my priorities straight. Politics aren't at the top of my list. But I do possess firmly held beliefs about what I think our country needs and doesn't need. And I think it would behoove me share those thoughts. So I'm going to.

After all, this is my blog. And it doesn't take a village to write my blog.

Nor do I believe that it take a village to raise a family or to run a country, contrary to what Hillary Clinton thinks. I mean, sure, a village would be nice, but it's definitely not a prerequisite for raising a family. There is what seems to me to be an all too prevalent mindset in our society that surrounding ourselves with a large, village-like government is what's best for us. I couldn't disagree more strongly.

It is my belief that less government is the answer, not more.

I choose to have a much more laissez faire attitude when it comes to our government than I think is present among many of our current elected officials. I happen to think that school vouchers are a good thing and that socialized health care is not. For crying in a bucket, people from outside the United States have been coming here to get health care and now there is talk about making our health care socialized like theirs!? That does not add up for me.

Neither does creating more government than we already have, or having longer government fingers reaching into the private sector. Competition is good for a country, it's great for an economy. Requiring private companies to meet government standards, or socializing all schooling, or taxing small business owners relentlessly, or allowing the government to decide what is or isn't medically necessary, or limiting what kinds of cars Americans can choose to drive...all of these things suffocate free enterprise, squash the ability to have healthy competition that is good for our country and are just steps closer to creating a terribly socialistic society that I, for one, would rather have no part of.

Government forcing ideals and principles upon people has historically not ended well. Of course, the United States still boasts freedom of religion, which it of course should. I'm not comparing our government, at present, to Hitler's, thankfully. But I truly believe we are on that slippery slope.

And, in the name of Jesus, I even think some Christians unfortunately hold strong, yet backwards, views about what our government should and should not do. I have made my point that our government ought to make sure life is protected by outlawing murder and abortion right here. But, in the name of following God, should we desire our government to disallow homosexual unions, criminalize premarital sex or forbid people to worship anyone but Jesus, just because we may believe that the Bible is clear on those topics?

Absolutely not!

Nor should our government be able to outlaw organically grown food or force parents to vaccinate their children, both of which might actually become reality in the near future. However, it is unequivocally, in my opinion at least, not the government's job to put any such rules, laws or restrictions on its people. I firmly believe, in those instances, it should be left up to individuals to act in accordance to what they personally believe.

That certainly doesn't mean that I don't think there is an absolute truth about those topics, because I certainly do! It's no secret that I believe in an absolute truth. Am I also of the opinion that there is a right way for our country to be run? Of course! I would hazard a guess that most people hold opinions because they believe that particular opinion to be correct or true and not for a different arbitrary reason. And I am no exception! I am simply saying that I do not think it ought to be the government's place to intervene in such personal matters.

I mean, honestly, take some of the world's Muslim countries, for example. Is forcing people to be one religion really the answer? Has that had a good outcome for the people of those countries? I would say no. And we'd be little more than that if we sanctioned our government to criminalize behavior that we find disagreeable. I think to desire that, especially in the name of Christianity, would be hypocritical and not do wonders for the name of our faith.

In fact, it's just as I was saying earlier in this post. Change, if there is to be any, will need to come from the bottom up. And not vice versa. To be preachy, or hate on leaders we don't agree with, to drag others down who disagree, or to belittle others, to do anything besides have mature, polite debates, while showing the love we profess to have, on the matter will accomplish nothing.

It will come as no surprise to you that our country is run by elected officials. If we don't like the politics of the folks in office, then we should work from the bottom up, to help educate our fellow Americans. Politically speaking? Yes! We ought to be! Engaging in healthy political banter, no matter what side of the fence you find yourself on, will get you far. Sure, call your senators and write letters to Presidents if you want. But I believe the most change will be affected, regardless of what kind of change is even being talked about, if we start small, on an individual basis. In fact, that is one reason I wrote this post and will leave comments enabled. I think a healthy, attack-free dialog among anyone interested in politics can be enlightening for all parties.

The more that we Americans are on the same page, the more that majority will rule, and the more our elected officials will have to follow suit...because we'll elect them! And I'm not exactly talking about Christians banding together to vote specifically Christian leaders into office. Sure, that might be all well and good, to have Jesus believing, Bible banging folk at the heart of our government. But even if such a goal should be, or could be, attained, it wouldn't be awesome because those could then impose or force religious or personal views on everyone. Our nation is great because we have individual freedom! Unfortunately, I see the socialistic ways our nation has been heading and individual freedoms as being rather mutually exclusive.

One of socialism's hallmarks is fewer people in upper levels of government making decisions for the majority of others in the country, in the name of the common good. But what is common about good if we don't get to decide for ourselves what that means to us?

There was a story in the news recently about a boy in our area who has cancer. He, and his mother, do not want him to get treated. Our state has been trying to force him to get the chemotherapy he needs to have a chance at survival.

Is that a good idea for the government to do that? Isn't it for the common good for children to get treated when they have cancer? WIthout a doubt, yes! It is good for children to get treatment when they need it. In the same breath in which I say that, I also must say that I do not think it ought to be the government's decision to force that upon the boy's family, however. Do I disagree with the mother who doesn't want to treat her son? Wholeheartedly. I find it to be a terrible decision for that mother to not allow her child to get the treatment upon which his life depends. I personally think that is reprehensible and there is no excuse for it.

However, that is not the point of this story! The point is, if I had my druthers, l would rather see our country have a government which chooses to allow individual parents to make medical decisions for their own children based on what the family sees as best, not based on what the government dictates. This is a tough example, though, as it relates so closely to this boy's very life. There is a fine line there, one that must be walked carefully and prayerfully. I don't claim to have all the answers to this situation, but it does serve as a model for explaining how I wish government did, and did not, work.

I do think many of a country's biggest decisions should be made by the country's individual people and not always by its leaders.

So my final point? Start politically speaking! Educate your family, bounce ideas off your friends, politely learn from others who share viewpoints that oppose yours, share your opinions with your fellow man, discuss politics with your neighbor, blog about your beliefs and use your brain to decide for yourself what is best.

This is what I try to do, as it relates to politics, whilst still remembering that it is God who sits on the most important throne of all. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but it is God, who is neither Republican nor Democrat, who is forever.

UPDATED:

Oh, how I thoroughly enjoyed all this healthy political discussion with all of you! My hat goes off to you all for your well thought out, polite and kind discourse in the comments. Bravo. The comments are closed now, but don't let that stop you...keep politically speaking!

just three little things

A MckLinky winner has been drawn! Just check out my BlogFrog community to see who it is.

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Somebody pass the Saccharin.



Because sublime little Stellan.



Is sweeter.



Than.



Sugar.

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Our state has a new senator.*

*That was me, warming up in preparation for my upcoming (Promise!) political post. How'd I do?

the lip curl

Invented by Elvis...



...perfected by Big Mac.