I am pleased that I continually receive e-mails from people saying, in various ways, that we should keep God in our pledges, on our money, even write about Him (e.g. write "in God we trust" on the back of the envelopes we send out). I love that so many people I know want to keep God in our thoughts, in the forefront of our brains, and even in our actions. The fact that I get so many of these e-mails means that people know where I stand... that God is a presence in my life that I acknowledge and am grateful for.
But isn't it interesting that we keep sending these e-mails to the same people? I mean, it's a little redundant, isn't it? Maybe I shouldn't even say this... I don't want to make you all think I differ from the common point of view--I don't! It just seems that we're not going to accomplish much more than self-congratulatory head nodding, the occasional "right on!" or "amen!" spoken (or even shouted) in the comfort of our own home. I notice we all say "Don't use those new golden dollars, because 'In God We Trust' isn't on the front of them (it's on the edge, where it'll get worn off quickly, &/or people won't even see it)", or that thing about writing on the backs of our envelopes, or sign this e-mail petition to keep God in the Pledge of Allegiance, or whatever. We're all so concerned about letting people know where we stand, but we're all in agreement.....
I don't feel like I'm getting this out quite right. Let me try again.
How many of us are sending those e-mails to the people we know (don't we all know at least one or two) who are atheists, or at least don't "practice" their religion as fervently as the rest of us (who are OBVIOUSLY in the right)? I have to admit, I don't. I forward those e-mails to all the rest of you who send the same stuff back to me. I only send those e-mails to the people I won't... um... offend. (You're right, it IS an outrage that mentioning God and His importance in our day-to-day life would offend someone, but isn't this the country where we're supposed to be free to have whatever opinion we want?)
So what's the point here? I feel like I'm waffling back and forth between two different arguments: I don't forward those e-mails to people who really "need" to see them--the people whose minds the e-mails are supposed to try and change. But I'm afraid of offending them. And I believe that one of the things that makes this country great is that they have every right to be offended by those e-mails. So while part of me thinks I should be forwarding them, not just to the active God-lovers in my life, but to the people who they're really directed to--the "lost"; the other part of me says "who says those people are 'lost', just because their values are different from mine?"
Do you see why I'm in a rather constant state of confusion?
About Me
- trayceetee
- I grew up in Small Town, Nebraska, feeling sheltered by the 'safety' of it all. When I moved to Big City, Nebraska, I felt like the world was my oyster. However, I soon felt like there was much more for me Out There... I moved to Chicago, thinking I was done with this 'little' state. It took living in a true big city to realize that Lincoln is just an oversized small town... and it's where I belong! I'm blessed to have a wonderful husband who understands me and all my oddities. My kids are young enough to still think I'm cool. Beyond that, who cares, right?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Self Portrait ... Sunday
Okay, it's been exactly a month since my last post. How awful is that? No matter. I need to focus on the future, not on the past.....
Here's the thing--my Mom said she enjoys reading updates on the kids and the family and my day-to-day life, but what she really looks forward to on my Blog is my actual "writing"... things I put down that are meant to either be me venting or something that's going to inspire you, Dear Reader, to think about whatever I have to say. Well, I don't know if I'm going to get anything so grand written down tonight, but I do mean to get on here and NOT do an update on family.
My cousin, Bridget, used to do weekly posts called "SPT", which I correctly guessed to stand for Self Portrait Tuesday. (Wasn't so hard to figure out after reading her blog a few weeks in a row, noticing that the first one was an actual physical picture of her, and the next two or three were very introspective.) I liked the idea, but have not ever really rolled with it myself. I think she was getting topic suggestions from someone else (I could research that a little further, but that'll be for another entry, if at all). Anyway, here's one I've kind of been thinking of for a while:
Several entries ago, I posted 100 Things About Jim (nice, mushy stuff about Jim) and I got great feedback on it! Before that, I'd posted My 100 Things (just general things about me). I was thinking I should post what I don't like/would change about myself. However, I felt that listing 100 of those things (though not necessarily hard to come up with!) would seem very self-deprecating. So I decided that coming up with ten would be both gentler to my self-esteem and easier on you, Dear Reader.
10 Things About Me That I Would Change
1. I would be more motivated, in general. I have a tendency to want to stay home, do as little as possible, nap frequently, not strive hard to accomplish anything. I could probably be classified as an underachiever.
2. I would listen more, rather than waiting for my turn to talk. Quite often, in little e-mail surveys, I list--as one of the things I dislike about myself--that I interrupt people. Along with that, even when I don't interrupt, I'll find that I'm just waiting my turn to speak, to insert my own little tidbit or anecdote, whether it's necessary or not. I wish I was better at simply listening to people speak and absorbing what they have to say.
3. I would lose weight. I know, the key is to eat healthfully, exercise, and be happy with who I am. But I'm being honest here--I'm happier when I'm thinner. Problem is, I've been quite a bit heavier than I'd like to be for enough time now that I worry my body is used to being this size. (Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize, right?) A big part of my problem is that, for YEARS, eating has been an emotional thing for me. Y'know the saying, "Some people eat to live, some people live to eat." I'm in the latter group. Exercising and eating well are definitely things I'm working on, but I'd like to be thinner, too. Plain and simple.
4. I would be less guarded. I know that sounds strange, considering I'm sitting here, opening myself up on a Blog for all to see. But I truly believe that I hold things back from people. I let them tell me all they want about what's going on in their lives (and seriously, I sometimes feel like I've got the word "shrink" tattooed on my forehead!), yet I rarely tell more than surface stuff about myself. I don't know why I'm like that. It's not like I have these major, dark secrets. I just don't always feel comfortable opening myself up to most people.
5. I would have a better balance of patience and loving firmness with my children. Sometimes, I feel like I can't say "no" to them ever. Yes, you can have a snack. Yes, I'll buy you a "treat-treat". Yes, you can watch TV. Blah, blah, blah. But then I feel like I fly off the handle over the tiniest little infractions. I feel almost mortally wounded when I "slave" over some new meal and nobody wants to eat it. I yell, I beg, I plead, I threaten, and nobody will eat it. Then I get super mad and start enforcing major punishments.... but I'M a picky eater--wouldn't you think I'd be more understanding when my kids don't like something? Things like that... I wish I was more patient, yet more consistent when enforcing rules.
6. I would have gotten a teacher's certificate when I was in college. How dumb was I? Majoring in English, but not going into Education? There was no law that said I'd HAVE to teach, but at least I could have put my degree to some use if I ever decided that I WANTED to!!! (But no-o-o-o, I was going to be "a writer". Wonderful.... How much have I written so far, ever? Nada! Zip! Zilch!) I realized about five years out of college that I would have maybe enjoyed teaching kids at the high school level, but by then it would've cost kind of a lot and taken another two years just to get a teacher's certificate. Dang-it!
7. I would have made more of the time I had in Chicago. Don't get me wrong--I had a great time when I was living there, and I feel like I benefited a lot from the experience. I saw a lot of cool stuff, I had a lot of wonderful visits from friends and family, I did things I would've never been able to do in Nebraska. But my whole reason for going--for joining VISTA--was to help others. I was put in a position where a VISTA volunteer was actually not needed. So rather than ask to transfer to a position where I could be helpful and useful, I just coasted. Sure, I did a few things at the counseling center I was assigned to, but it was mostly stuff like babysitting, re-vamping the resource library within the facility, attending meetings that I had really no business going to, and doing a bit of public speaking. I also watched a lot of movies when the boss was out and the other counselors were free, I wrote a lot of letters (this was before e-mail), I read a lot (well, I don't regret that--much of my reading was done on my commute), and I even took naps at work now and then. Neat. Real impressive. Why didn't I ask to be relocated so I could actually HELP somebody?
8. I would have stuck with band during my last year in high school, so that I could have tried out for the UNL marching band. I said that my reason for quitting was because the marching band didn't have clarinets and I hated playing alto sax (clarinets were added to the marching band, I believe during my sophomore year, but it could've been when I was a freshman), but the real reason I quit was because the new high school band teacher and I DID NOT get along. I should have sucked it up and continued on. If I didn't join the marching band, maybe I could have been in the symphony or something. I really miss playing now and I was really quite good, if I do say so myself.
9. I wouldn't have spent so much money on shoes. I know that sounds silly, but I didn't ever realize that a person's feet grow during/after pregnancy. Maybe it doesn't happen to all women, I don't know. But my feet grew after Lindsay was born--they grew a whole size! I had to get rid of over 30 pairs of shoes, and I was VERY into those shoes. I mean, I didn't spend $400 on Manolo Blahniks or anything, but still, I LOVED my shoes. Giving up that many shoes was painful!
10. I would have picked the right numbers on the Powerball when the jackpot was in the $300 million range. Tee! Hee! I'm mostly kidding. Obviously, we never have that kind of knowledge ahead of time. And what do I need with millions and millions of dollars? It would probably ruin me to have that much money. But it sure is fun to dream about, don't you agree?
Well, that's all I can come up with, luckily. I suppose I should have said I'd list nine things, but I enjoy putting that fluff one at the end.
By the way, I see that Bridget is still doing SPT... if you clicked on the link to her Blog (above) you'd see that too. Thanks, Bridget, for once again being my inspiration!
Until next time,
xoxo
tt
Here's the thing--my Mom said she enjoys reading updates on the kids and the family and my day-to-day life, but what she really looks forward to on my Blog is my actual "writing"... things I put down that are meant to either be me venting or something that's going to inspire you, Dear Reader, to think about whatever I have to say. Well, I don't know if I'm going to get anything so grand written down tonight, but I do mean to get on here and NOT do an update on family.
My cousin, Bridget, used to do weekly posts called "SPT", which I correctly guessed to stand for Self Portrait Tuesday. (Wasn't so hard to figure out after reading her blog a few weeks in a row, noticing that the first one was an actual physical picture of her, and the next two or three were very introspective.) I liked the idea, but have not ever really rolled with it myself. I think she was getting topic suggestions from someone else (I could research that a little further, but that'll be for another entry, if at all). Anyway, here's one I've kind of been thinking of for a while:
Several entries ago, I posted 100 Things About Jim (nice, mushy stuff about Jim) and I got great feedback on it! Before that, I'd posted My 100 Things (just general things about me). I was thinking I should post what I don't like/would change about myself. However, I felt that listing 100 of those things (though not necessarily hard to come up with!) would seem very self-deprecating. So I decided that coming up with ten would be both gentler to my self-esteem and easier on you, Dear Reader.
10 Things About Me That I Would Change
1. I would be more motivated, in general. I have a tendency to want to stay home, do as little as possible, nap frequently, not strive hard to accomplish anything. I could probably be classified as an underachiever.
2. I would listen more, rather than waiting for my turn to talk. Quite often, in little e-mail surveys, I list--as one of the things I dislike about myself--that I interrupt people. Along with that, even when I don't interrupt, I'll find that I'm just waiting my turn to speak, to insert my own little tidbit or anecdote, whether it's necessary or not. I wish I was better at simply listening to people speak and absorbing what they have to say.
3. I would lose weight. I know, the key is to eat healthfully, exercise, and be happy with who I am. But I'm being honest here--I'm happier when I'm thinner. Problem is, I've been quite a bit heavier than I'd like to be for enough time now that I worry my body is used to being this size. (Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize, right?) A big part of my problem is that, for YEARS, eating has been an emotional thing for me. Y'know the saying, "Some people eat to live, some people live to eat." I'm in the latter group. Exercising and eating well are definitely things I'm working on, but I'd like to be thinner, too. Plain and simple.
4. I would be less guarded. I know that sounds strange, considering I'm sitting here, opening myself up on a Blog for all to see. But I truly believe that I hold things back from people. I let them tell me all they want about what's going on in their lives (and seriously, I sometimes feel like I've got the word "shrink" tattooed on my forehead!), yet I rarely tell more than surface stuff about myself. I don't know why I'm like that. It's not like I have these major, dark secrets. I just don't always feel comfortable opening myself up to most people.
5. I would have a better balance of patience and loving firmness with my children. Sometimes, I feel like I can't say "no" to them ever. Yes, you can have a snack. Yes, I'll buy you a "treat-treat". Yes, you can watch TV. Blah, blah, blah. But then I feel like I fly off the handle over the tiniest little infractions. I feel almost mortally wounded when I "slave" over some new meal and nobody wants to eat it. I yell, I beg, I plead, I threaten, and nobody will eat it. Then I get super mad and start enforcing major punishments.... but I'M a picky eater--wouldn't you think I'd be more understanding when my kids don't like something? Things like that... I wish I was more patient, yet more consistent when enforcing rules.
6. I would have gotten a teacher's certificate when I was in college. How dumb was I? Majoring in English, but not going into Education? There was no law that said I'd HAVE to teach, but at least I could have put my degree to some use if I ever decided that I WANTED to!!! (But no-o-o-o, I was going to be "a writer". Wonderful.... How much have I written so far, ever? Nada! Zip! Zilch!) I realized about five years out of college that I would have maybe enjoyed teaching kids at the high school level, but by then it would've cost kind of a lot and taken another two years just to get a teacher's certificate. Dang-it!
7. I would have made more of the time I had in Chicago. Don't get me wrong--I had a great time when I was living there, and I feel like I benefited a lot from the experience. I saw a lot of cool stuff, I had a lot of wonderful visits from friends and family, I did things I would've never been able to do in Nebraska. But my whole reason for going--for joining VISTA--was to help others. I was put in a position where a VISTA volunteer was actually not needed. So rather than ask to transfer to a position where I could be helpful and useful, I just coasted. Sure, I did a few things at the counseling center I was assigned to, but it was mostly stuff like babysitting, re-vamping the resource library within the facility, attending meetings that I had really no business going to, and doing a bit of public speaking. I also watched a lot of movies when the boss was out and the other counselors were free, I wrote a lot of letters (this was before e-mail), I read a lot (well, I don't regret that--much of my reading was done on my commute), and I even took naps at work now and then. Neat. Real impressive. Why didn't I ask to be relocated so I could actually HELP somebody?
8. I would have stuck with band during my last year in high school, so that I could have tried out for the UNL marching band. I said that my reason for quitting was because the marching band didn't have clarinets and I hated playing alto sax (clarinets were added to the marching band, I believe during my sophomore year, but it could've been when I was a freshman), but the real reason I quit was because the new high school band teacher and I DID NOT get along. I should have sucked it up and continued on. If I didn't join the marching band, maybe I could have been in the symphony or something. I really miss playing now and I was really quite good, if I do say so myself.
9. I wouldn't have spent so much money on shoes. I know that sounds silly, but I didn't ever realize that a person's feet grow during/after pregnancy. Maybe it doesn't happen to all women, I don't know. But my feet grew after Lindsay was born--they grew a whole size! I had to get rid of over 30 pairs of shoes, and I was VERY into those shoes. I mean, I didn't spend $400 on Manolo Blahniks or anything, but still, I LOVED my shoes. Giving up that many shoes was painful!
10. I would have picked the right numbers on the Powerball when the jackpot was in the $300 million range. Tee! Hee! I'm mostly kidding. Obviously, we never have that kind of knowledge ahead of time. And what do I need with millions and millions of dollars? It would probably ruin me to have that much money. But it sure is fun to dream about, don't you agree?
Well, that's all I can come up with, luckily. I suppose I should have said I'd list nine things, but I enjoy putting that fluff one at the end.
By the way, I see that Bridget is still doing SPT... if you clicked on the link to her Blog (above) you'd see that too. Thanks, Bridget, for once again being my inspiration!
Until next time,
xoxo
tt
Friday, November 09, 2007
Candy Suicide
I've been eating way more of the kids' Halloween candy than I should. I'm trying to lose weight, for goodness' sake. Why do they throw all these FOOD holidays at us right when it gets so bloody cold outside that all I want to do is stay inside and nibble all day? It's just mean and inconsiderate. They don't have any sort of salad or crisp veggie holidays. No, it's got to be holidays were we focus first on candy (Halloween); then on turkey, potatoes & gravy, and PIE (Thanksgiving); then there's more candy, cakes, and cookies, cookies, COOKIES (Christmas)! Top it off with New Year's, where I'm tempted to drink myself into oblivion--those empty calories in booze are such a waste, and then I'm punished with a hangover?!? Forget it!
I've got to make a change. I had placed all of the girls' candy into a gallon Ziploc bag (which it filled, even after a week of all of us--minus Donovan--snarking away at it every chance we get), with the intention of hiding it somewhere, so it's out of my sight. The girls can still eat it, I just don't want it sitting out anymore. However, I did have to pull out a few pieces that I know the girls won't eat: Twizzlers, Butterfingers, Snickers, Baby Ruths, etc. Those, I hid in a different spot. And I ask myself, why? I mean, it's not like I won't know where THOSE are! Why bother hiding them? In fact, why don't I just eat them right now? In FACT, why don't I just eat it ALL right now! Just open the hatch and dump ALL of the candy in, barely take time to even chew it. Eat all of the stuff in one sitting, so that I get so completely sick, barf my guts out, and then I'll never want to touch a single piece of candy again. It's the perfect plan! Of course, I may die doing it, but is Candy Suicide such a bad way to go?
I've got to make a change. I had placed all of the girls' candy into a gallon Ziploc bag (which it filled, even after a week of all of us--minus Donovan--snarking away at it every chance we get), with the intention of hiding it somewhere, so it's out of my sight. The girls can still eat it, I just don't want it sitting out anymore. However, I did have to pull out a few pieces that I know the girls won't eat: Twizzlers, Butterfingers, Snickers, Baby Ruths, etc. Those, I hid in a different spot. And I ask myself, why? I mean, it's not like I won't know where THOSE are! Why bother hiding them? In fact, why don't I just eat them right now? In FACT, why don't I just eat it ALL right now! Just open the hatch and dump ALL of the candy in, barely take time to even chew it. Eat all of the stuff in one sitting, so that I get so completely sick, barf my guts out, and then I'll never want to touch a single piece of candy again. It's the perfect plan! Of course, I may die doing it, but is Candy Suicide such a bad way to go?
Monday, October 29, 2007
I am way behind on blogging now. I can't even believe it. I'm hoping I'll add an entry today and then maybe do some catch-up entries in the next couple of days
Let's see.....
Lindsay just wrapped up her season of Girls on the Run. It was two months of training, finishing up Sunday with a 5K. She ran in the Pumpkin Run a few weeks before, and that was 1 mile, which was the furthest she'd ever run. So Sunday, doing a 5K (3.1 miles, I believe), it was a huge deal. Yes, she did walk a bit, but she ran a good chunk of it, finished and got an awesome medal! Jim ran with her, and I'm glad he did! We're both so proud of her!!!
Girls on the Run
Pumpkin Run
Josie is almost catching up to Lindsay already in the reading department. She reads everything she can get her hands on, provided the words aren't longer than four letters! It's especially nice when she reads Donovan's board books to him, like "Baby, Come to Church" and "How Do Dinasaours Clean Their Rooms?" We just got done with Fall Break, and Josie was lucky enough to have TWO playdates with her friend Olivia! She's a great friend! We also decorated pumpkins, did our annual Boo at the Zoo, and went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch, near Omaha.
Lindsay, Josie & Olivia
Lindsay & Josie with their Jack-o-Lanterns
Josie (vampiress), cousin Corbin (ninja), Donovan (vampire), cousin Sara (pirate), and Lindsay (demon)
At the Pumpkin Patch--the girls love these faceless frame things!
Donovan, my 10-month-old boy (can you believe he's that old already?) is now walking, as of last week -- when he was still only 9-months-old. It's a Tibbels Family Record! (At least, for THIS Tibbels family!) He's got four teeth showing through very well, and there are about three or four more trying to poke through. I weaned him to formula about two months ago, which was great for both of us! He weaned himself off the pacifier not long after, as it bothered his sore gums. (Great--one less task for Mommy and Daddy!) Aside from walking all over the house and chewing on everything, our latest challenge is dealing with severe diaper rash. Josie had problems with it when she was a baby, and we discovered it was because she could only handle a certain brand of diapers. I'm thinking that's the same problem with D--so far, it seems to be better if we stick with Pampers Cruisers (no Luvs, no Huggies, no Pampers Baby Dry, NO Target brand, which is what started the whole problem!). Like Josie's way back then, Aquaphor won't clear it up. Neither will Desitin, Arbonne's Diaper Rash Cream, or even the all-powerful Boudreaux's Butt Paste (which we all love simply for the name). Actually, the latter three are all zinc-oxide based, and Aquaphor and Eucerin are both petrolium jelly based. The only thing I've found to work is scorched or fried flour. It worked on Josie, and it's slowly working on the boy, as well. (Baking soda baths, and then letting him air dry for a while, helps.)
Goin' commando!
Little vampire
Other than that, we're just gearing up for Halloween, then looking forward to Thanksgiving, our niece's wedding, Christmas, Donovan's 1st birthday, etc., etc. Hope this autumn is going well for you all and that it's just as beautiful where you are as it is here for us!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Game Face
I can't seem to keep up with all the pictures we've been taking lately! And I'm definitely having a hard time just keeping up on current events. The girls are enjoying school--Lindsay's in 3rd grade, which seems to be much harder, but I think she's adapting well--Josie's in 1st grade, so it's her first time going all day, every day...she seems to love it! Lindsay is in Girls on the Run this fall (she'll end up participating in a 5k road race!), and she'll be starting this year's session of Brownies soon. Josie just got signed up for her own Brownie troop earlier this week, so hopefully, she'll start going to her own meetings soon! Keep us in mind when you're looking for Girl Scout cookies!!! Both girls also got to be "cheerleaders for a day" when they participated in a Booster Bash for Southeast High School (where they'll eventually go).
Lindsay is standing, 2nd from left.
Josie's sitting, far right.
Meanwhile, Donovan is growing, as they say, like a weed! He's only got two teeth right now, but I believe he's got a couple more coming in--he drools absolute buckets every day, and when he eats, he sometimes has a hard time with it, though I can tell he's hungry. Poor guy! He crawls very quickly--he's into everything--and he is already trying to walk along by holding onto furniture or someone's hands. He's long and (cough) full of muscles! We haven't decided yet if he's going to play football for the Huskers, or if he'll go off to Chicago to play baseball for the Cubs! Either way, he's a winner in our book!
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