TAXI

My life today felt like a re-run from the old show TAXI. Not only was I running back and forth on short trips…but strange things seemed to occur at every turn.

I made a trip out to Robert Lee again. This is becoming a bi-weekly event. I drive out on Monday and leave the van. I drive back on Friday and pick the van up. Josiah drove out for me this a.m. and I got some zzzzzz. Yes, I’m still tired. Zander was up at 3 a.m. This hasn’t happened in weeks. I’m thinking he once again overdosed on whole-grain, honey filled cookies. He wasn’t bad – he was just awake. Stacia woke at 5 a.m. Two of her teeth are in and two more are nearly in…..

I took Josiah and Jamin to get their hair cut and I shopped for things they need for their upcoming trip. Raincoats are NOT something that are in high demand in W TX this time of year. :::snort::: We found everything else. Dayton has promised to let the boys use his fishing gear.

I came home and switched out kids. I then took Arielle and Jared to get their hair cut. We refuse to let hair be an issue in our family. There are so many other really big things to fixate about as parents. Our 12 yo WAS getting shaggier and shaggier and testing our resolve. We’d had many talks with him and understood his thoughts. We asked only that he keep his hair clean. Today he came out of the barbers with a CAESAR cut….really short. He mentioned that now that we are hanging out with the students he’d better get a different cut. This actually brought a smile to my face….because I knew that the whole hair thing went deeper – it’s hard to find your identity when your dad is not only a pastor but active duty military and all around you have short, short hair…..I think he is making his peace with the Air Force environment.

Dinner was Encore Presentations. I did get apples going. I didn’t get bread made. Mike and Josiah are working late tonight….I’m hoping my two little ones will be really tired and go down within 30 minutes….then maybe I can go down too.

OH – the hair dresser told me today, while cutting Jared’s hair that my hair is so damaged she’d be afraid to touch up the roots or do anything…it would probably BREAK OFF. She gave me some samples to try to speed the restoration process. I think it is near hopeless. In a few months it may be long enough for me to cut it REALLY short and start all over…remember Susan Powter? Mike’s worst nightmare….

BATHING BEAUTY

We have a darling picture of her blowing a kiss but I edited it and it's not a PSF and so blogger won't upload it...I don't how to edit it and keep it a jpg.

*Woman First, Family Always* by Kathryn Sansone
“real-life wisdom from a mother of ten”

This book caught my eye at Sam’s club and I put it on my PBS wish list. It arrived on Saturday. I don’t think I would have requested it, if I’d looked at it closer at Sam’s Club. I had hoped to find lots of practical ideas…but really there was nothing new here. It did cause me to drool over her home court which includes basketball, hockey and weights in her basement home gym. {bg}

The book is arranged around 3 main sections with 30 1 – ½ page essays on each topic. The sections are “your self”, “your marriage” and “your family and kids”. She lost me right in the beginning with such a focus on keeping touch with yourself and not loosing yourself. This flew in the face of Scripture which tells me that I gain my life when I loose it. I should think of the interests of others at least as much and often more than I think of my own personal interests. I’m to deny self. I think I “get” what she was saying…but this book was a bit to “pop culture” for my tastes. She states it is important for us to get in touch with our spirit – and our spiritual core. Then she goes on to say that this core can be different things for different people for her it is her religion. She gives a list of what it may be for others – with all choices seeming to be as valid as any other. This also lost me.

As for practical advice…all very common sense…nothing new or enlightening.

I guess she’s a big Oprah fan and been on Oprah. If I knew that Oprah highly endorsed her and this book, I’d not have picked it up. I find Oprah’s book choices to be depressing and her focus on “pop culture/religion” to be maddening. I find it even more frustrating that so many Christian women turn to Oprah more often than they turn to the Word to find answers for their daily lives. This is not a book I’d recommend. If someone wanted a book on parenting I’d recommend many others over this one. If someone wanted a book on life management, I can think of two or three I’d recommend over this one.

The great thing is that I re-listed this book last night and someone has already requested it. I’ll mail it out today and hopefully soon have more credits for more books. {G}