New Furniture
It has been years since Terry and I have bought new furniture - we have made do with hand-me-downs and furniture that we bought new over 12 years ago. After 5 kids, several dogs, numerous cats and goodness knows how many kids parties at our respective houses, we are in desperate need of a home make-over!
We have started that make-over by adding a dinette set to complement the 8-seat dining room suite we already have. That now gives us formal seating for 16 (we got an additional 4 chairs with the dining set) and then folding chairs for extras.
I am so thankful that we can afford to buy new pieces! Over the next 6 months or so we will slowly be adding new furniture to replace or complement old pieces.
God is indeed good and we are blessed to be able to do this!
LET'S SAY I BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE
This was an email received by a friend of mine - wish I had written it!
LET'S SAY I BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE
Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the U.S. might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).
According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest,except for that breaking in part). If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard working and honest, um, except for, well, you know.
And what a deal it is for me!! I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice, and being an anti-housebreaker. Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me.
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?! Only in America...
Back Home Again
After 4 months working at Citibank, I have come back home again. As much as I enjoyed (for the most part) the job I did at Citibank, the commute was killing me. For some reason about a month ago San Antonio's traffic exploded and what used to take me 60 minutes to drive was now taking 90 minutes. Because of the parking lots AKA freeways, my gas consumption skyrocketed too.
I was lucky enough to garner some new clients for my freelance work, and when I knew I could generate enough income from them again, I was able to put in my two week's notice.
The family as a whole has missed having me home. Trying to cook a nutritious meal at 6:45pm, get the homework done, baths run and kids into bed by 8:00 was a stretch. Things like housework were left until Saturday and we had Ramen noodle soup way too many times over the last few months. Warrick saw me cooking a three course meal the other night and said in a heartfelt manner, "Oh. It's good to have you home!"
So, instead of spending my day in the basement of a building, sharing a desk with one other person, after having to use a security badge to move anywhere on the property, I spend my days instead in this sun-filled office, with all the comforts of home - ah, does it get any better?
Labels: work from home
New Vaccine
As I am sure anyone who has a TV, or who reads/watches the news has seen, there is now a vaccine available that could prevent cervical cancer in girls. One of my friends took her five year old daughter for a check up today and they were encouraging her to give this vaccine to her daughter! I had seen the commericals promoting the vaccine on TV, so decided to research it a bit.
All the ads refer to the virus as HPV, or human papillomavirus; but actually its full title is genital human papillomavirus and is generally ONLY transmitted through sexual activity. So, a doctor wants to immunize a five year old for a sexual disease?? Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
Teagan and Hayley are up to date on all their shots and as a result haven't seen their doctor lately; but I am sure when I next take them in I will be told that they should have the vaccine. The Washington Post ran a story on the vaccine back in October 2005, and this is a quote:
""I would like to see it that if you don't have your HPV vaccine, you can't start high school," said Juan Carlos Felix of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, who leads the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's medical advisory panel."
Do I really want my high school dictating what I do and don't inject into my children? CNN ran a story on this yesterday, and read excerpts from letters from listeners. One person said they were thrilled with the vaccine while yet another parent said they were disgusted with it, and the only way to avoid HPV was to abstain from pre-marital sex. What was so sad is that I was in the lunch room at my workplace when I saw this; and a gal, maybe in her 20's said, "I think it's a great ideaa. I mean you're going to have sex anyway, so let's get protected. What do you think?" I gave her my opinion and I think she was surprised. But I have run into this lassitude before, with parents. They say, "Oh well, they're gonna do it anyway..." and basically fling their hands up in the air. HELLO - all people (well not all) eventually learn to drive, but do we hand them the keys to the car when they're 12, because, "they're gonna do it anyway?" Why are we stricter on our kids about things like driving, and yet let them give their bodies away like yesterday's trash because they are supposedly protected?
And for the first time here is a great reason for the schools to promote abstinence instead of protection, something that is non-religious. Will they? I bet not! The school districts (for the most part) are more interested in keeping the peace than in promoting a life of self control. They will preach protection, when it is apparent that most teens, who think they are immortal and invincible anyway don't give a hoot about protecting themselves when engaging in sexual activities.
I am also concerned that at some point in the near future this is going to become a standard vaccine, like the chicken pox vaccine has become in the last decade. And when it becomes standard it gets harder to get your kids into school. I know that we refused the chicken pox vaccine and got all kinds of flak from the school about it.
What is this world coming to when a vaccine for sexually transmitted disease is offered? I certainly hope all parents research this carefully and don't feel pressured by health officials and schools to give their daughters something that can be fully prevented with abstinence.
Labels: Hayley, HPV, Teagan
Big Blue Has a new Driver
We have a large conversion van, a 15 passenger van that seats 7 very comfortably. In fact the back seat folds down into a full size bed! We are very fortunate to have such a great van (although it is heavy on gas).
Warrick is learning to drive it and I let him drive to church this morning and I have to say I am very impressed with how well he handled the van. Of course like all beginner drivers he is trying to get a sense of how wide the vehicle is, and in this case, it is a wide one! He actually initially said he didn't want to learn to drive the van because he wants a car. Our attitude is that if you can drive this, then you can drive anything!
Insurance premiums wil be rising in the near future!
Labels: van, Warrick
