Plants Need Water
June 30, 2009 10:52 PM
I'm considering myself a brand-new gardener, having never gardened successfully in the past. I have only gardened in the same way that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and American car companies have been successful business--via the bail-out.
It's only my mom's patient bail-out that kept our family from starving (okay, I'm exagerating a little) those years that I tried "taking over the garden." I didn't water often enough, didn't weed often enough, lost interest before harvest came close. I was a horrid gardener. Mostly because I didn't really tend the garden.
This year, I've been a bit better--probably because "gardening" is on my daily to-do list. Even so, I have days (or weekends) where I fail to care properly for my plants--and the plants suffer as a result.
My tomato plants needed water this weekend, water I didn't give them. So now they look like this.
My tomatoes need water every single day.
So do I.
...My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1b
Simple Sunday: International Quilt Study Center
June 28, 2009 8:08 PM
~Thankful for quilting--and the long tradition of quilting that goes on before me. Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the International Quilt Study Center with a friend and fellow quilter this afternoon.
The above quilt was created from a kit--only the quilter appliqued each individual flower rather than embroidering it. Each piece is tiny--and incredibly intricate. Read more about the State Flowers Quilt on the IQSC website--and sign up for an e-mailed Quilt of the Month club if you'd like.
Visit Davene at Life on Sylvan Drive for more Simple Sunday posts.
Case Studies in Greatness: Uncle Andrew
June 27, 2009 4:59 PM
Uncle Andrew is a magician. He's done much experimentation and explored many mysteries to get to where he is, and he's quite proud of his accomplishments.
What's more, he's quite proud of himself in general--even without accomplishments to back him up. He describes himself to Digory as a man "who possess[es] hidden wisdom." Once away from the terror of Jadis, he begins to think himself a rather "distinguished-looking man". "'Andrew, my boy,' he said to himself as he looked in the glass, 'you're a devilish well preserved fellow for your age.'" When he finds himself in Narnia (by no act of his own) and observing a miraculous creation event, he is still full of his own greatness--"Ho, ho! They laughed at my magic....I wonder what they'll say now? I have discovered a world where everything is bursting with life and growth. Columbus, now, they talk about Columbus. But what was America to this?"
Ultimately, though, Uncle Andrew's "greatness" (or at least his perceived greatness) is an excuse to do whatever he likes without regard for rules or relationship. Digory had this figured out by the second chapter. Uncle Andrew says "But of course you must understand that rules...however excellent they may be for little boys--and servants--and women--and even people in general, can't possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers and sages..." After hearing Uncle Andrew's monologue, Digory reflects: "All it means...is that he thinks he can do anything he likes to get anything he wants."
Andrew selfishly regards himself as great, while taking liberties with the lives of others. Asked why he did not travel to the other world himself, Andrew answers: "Me? Me?...A man at my time of life, and in my state of health, to risk the shock and the dangers of being flung suddently into a different universe?" For him to take risks for his magic would be preposterous--but he has no qualms with sending Polly and Digory where he himself would not go.
In Uncle Andrews mind, greatness means being above the law. For him, greatness means having the right to do whatever he pleases, never mind the consequences to others.
Stay tuned for more CASE STUDIES in greatness from The Magician's Nephew.
The Point of The Magician's Nephew
June 26, 2009 11:32 PM
What is the point of The Magician's Nephew? Why was it written?
Ostensibly, the answer to this question is found in the very first chapter, in the very first paragraph, in the second sentence: "It is a very important story because it shows how all the coming and going between our world and the land of Narnia first began." Really, The Magician's Nephew is just a way to fill in the missing puzzle piece--how Narnian's and Earth-folk got mixed up together. Or at least, that's what Lewis would have you think. He carries this pretense along to the very end, stating in the second to last paragraph of the book: "That was the beginning of all the comings and goings between Narnia and our world, which you can read of in other books."
Obviously, I think that there's something more to The Magician's Nephew than simply being a stage-setting story.
Okay, okay then--what is the point of The Magician's Nephew?
Actually, that's a hard question to answer. But I think that maybe the point of The Magician's Nephew, the main theme that ties it all together is greatness.
Stay tuned to discover WHY I think greatness is the theme of The Magician's Nephew--and to read some CASE STUDIES in greatness from The Magician's Nephew.
How Others See Me
June 25, 2009 11:31 PM
As part of a professional development exercise, Dr. K asked the interns to have a friend fill out a little worksheet. The worksheet contained several dozen adjectives. The friend was supposed to circle ten to fifteen adjectives they felt described the person in question (the intern.)
The instructions read, "Ask someone who is close to you--spouse, sibling, roommate, or friend--to circle 10 to 15 traits that describe you." I chose my sister--who fits into the "sibling", "roommate", and "friend" categories.
She circled the following traits:
- Active
- Frugal
- Idealistic
- Independent
- Persuasive
- Responsive
- Scientific
- Determined
- Liberal :-P
- Precise
- Radical
When we were asked to read aloud the traits our friends had circled, Dr. K hummed and nodded for several of my classmates. She agreed with their friend's analysis of them. For me, she didn't so much. Her response was more of a "Hmm" (with the head nod that indicates she didn't see it at all.)
I guess I'm not really surprised that she didn't agree with my sister's analysis (even if I agreed with her analysis just fine). You see, I'm rather good at compartmentalizing--at choosing which aspects of my personality to show in different settings.
Personally, I think it's the radical that threw Dr. K off--and I can understand why it might. After all, I don't generally broadcast the more radical aspects of my being within a professional setting. Class isn't really the best place to bring up my radical views regarding childbirth. And I'd prefer not to discuss my more radical environmental choices with any but my closest friends. If I'm going to rant about politics (another area of radicalism), I'd rather do it in a setting in which 1) I won't offend anyone or 2) it doesn't matter if I offend someone. In class and on the job doesn't really fulfill either qualification. Since I consider many of my most radical choices to be PERSONAL choices--that I don't want to push on others--I steer clear of getting too passionate about them among people who don't know me well enough to know that just because I'm getting excited about the topic doesn't mean I'm judging them for their lack of excitement about the topic. (Environmentalism, certain feminist/anti-feminist ideas, education, childbirth...quite a few topics fit under this category.)
So what do you think? From what you've seen of me and know of me, do those adjectives describe me? What are the first words that come to your mind when you think of me?
On the other hand, have you ever been in a situation where someone thought they knew you when they really didn't? How did you deal with it? Did it bother you or did it just run right off your back?
Do you feel like you act the same and show the same side of yourself in every setting? Or are you more like me, showing certain sides of yourself only to certain people? Do you think that's two-faced? Or do you think it's smart?
I'm curious, how do others see me? How do others see you?
Evading Hypocrisy
June 24, 2009 9:17 PM
In a last ditch effort to avoid hypocrisy after proclaiming (to my online class) that nutrition professionals should get familiar with current media and social-networking type sites, I have joined Twitter.
Yes. It's ridiculous. I know.
Ultimately, it's an ethical dilemna. Do I do as I say and get familiar with all the crazy technology and (ahem) time wasters of the present day? Or do I maintain my heretofore expressed disgust for said time-wasters?
While decrying the foolishness of this generation whiling away their lifetimes on the web, I find myself sucked deeper and deeper into its morass. I excuse the blog and website because 1) it allows me to develop my (marketable) skills as a web developer, 2) it allows me to hone my writing skills, and 3) it allows me to connect with (actual) people. I excuse Facebook because 1) it helps me keep track of people when they're moving all around the globe and switching phones and addresses all the time, 2) it allows easy access to my fellow interns for class-related stuff, and 3) it helps me to stay up-to-date on what's happening in the "CLAN" (my extended family). I excuse my blog reading because 1) it helps me connect with people I actually know, 2) it informs and entertains me, and 3) at least I'm reading ;-). I excuse occasional forays to YouTube in the name of staying culturally literate. And now I'm calling Twitter professional development?
I mean, seriously.
Next thing you know, I'll be excusing online gambling or Match.com.
If you're on Twitter too, add me to your (just a sec while I look up the lingo) follow me--my name(?) is "bekahcubed". And don't forget to leave me a comment with your name(?) so I can follow you.
Juggling
June 23, 2009 10:44 PM
Priorities.
Do they ever get easier to juggle?
Or will I always have to make trade-offs between one thing and another?
For example, my health.
Sleep or exercise?
Which 15 minutes will serve me best?
I don't know.
Done with the Dr.
June 22, 2009 9:58 PM
Something special happened today
Something extraordinary, something gay
Today I read just one picture book
And with it I took my last look
At the category of Splat-egories
Dr. Seuss wrote.
With today's reading of Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss (as Theo LeSieg), I closed the Dr. Seuss "first readers" category. I had already closed Dr. Seuss in the "picture books" category. Which means that I am officially done with Dr. Seuss.
Somehow I doubt I'll be done for long. As I re-read several favorite Dr. Seuss stories and read a few for the first time, I couldn't help thinking of who and how and when I might share the stories next. It's been fun reading Dr. Seuss to myself, but Dr. Seuss was meant to be read aloud--preferably to children, who will take delight in the made up words and not too realistic drawings.
Old Favorites:
- There's a Wocket in my Pocket-in which strange things show up in the most ordinary places.
- Green Eggs and Ham-in which a boy discovers that Sam's novel dish is not so bad as he originally thought.
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins-in which a king's pride creates a bit of trouble for a fortunate boy unfortunate enough to have 500 hats.
- The King's Stilts-in which a king plays and his kingdom crumbles, until a boy sounds the alarm to awaken him to duty again.
- I had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew-in which paradise is always just around the corner (and so is a roadblock)
New Finds:
- Please Try to Remember the First of Octember-in which all your wildest dreams come true (don't forget to mark your calendar for the First of Octember!)
- The Shape of Me-in which I celebrate the many sizes and shapes of many different "me's"
- Did I ever Tell You How Lucky you are?-in which I discover that life really could be an awful lot worse.
Simple Sunday: Silliness
June 21, 2009 5:16 PM
~Thankful for the little silly times with my Dad. Sticking our noses together and moving our heads--"Your eyes are bobbling up and down!" Kicks in the butt and flight lessons. Chasing us around the yard with a stick [a pencil, folks, calm down!] Dancing in the living room to "We wanna see Jesus lifted high". Right angles in the library stacks. Exploring "evolution" by walking like an ape in the basement of Morril hall. And occasionally breaking out in loud and nerdy snorts in the midst of a game of Pit.
Visit Davene at Life on Sylvan Drive for more Simple Sunday posts.
Boys run in the Family
June 20, 2009 1:40 PM
**Warning: While I attempt to avoid vulgarity on my blog, I am one to speak frankly. While I do not go into details about "how babies are made", this post contains mention of sperm and x and y chromosomes. If this is something you are uncomfortable with, please accept my apologies and feel free to not read further.**
Davene is 36 weeks pregnant with her fourth. After three boys, they've decided to not find out this baby's sex in advance. Debate has been raging as to whether this baby is going to be a girl or a boy. Many of Davene's blog readers think this one's going to be a girl. To which Davene replies, "Do they realize what the odds are?"
I mentioned this to my sister, a newly minted Physician Assistant, and she said, "50-50". Because the odds for a baby's gender are just like the odds for tossing a penny and having it land heads up. Every time you toss a penny, the odds are 50-50 as to which side it'll end up on, regardless of what's gone on before. This is statistical fact.
I can think of plenty of couples who have thought their hopes were gone for a child of a certain sex--but who ended up with one nonetheless. One aunt and uncle had four girls--and were surprised when their fifth (a true surprise baby) turned out to be a boy. I've seen even more cases where the fourth was of the opposite sex than the three going on before. Another aunt and uncle, my former pastor's family, Davene's neighbor Wilma, to name just a few.
But that doesn't stop me from thinking, in a radically unscientific way, that a certain sex does "run in the family."
Take for instance, my dad's family (4 boys, 1 girl). Three of the boys have children. One has 6 boys and 1 girl. One has 3 boys. My dad has 4 boys and 3 girls.
Then there's my mom's family (10 girls, 2 boys). Both of the boys have children. One has 4 girls and 1 boy. The other has 2 girls and 1 boy.
Notice that I'm only mentioning the boys. That's because ultimately it's the man that determines whether a baby's a girl or a boy. Women have xx chromosomes, Men have xy chromosomes. Mom always contributes an x to baby, Dad contributes an x to make a girl baby or a y to make a boy baby. That's why I haven't mentioned the girls on my Mom's side of the family.
But even those tend to support my theory that a certain sex "runs in the family". My mom married into a family of boys--and has 4 boys and 3 girls. My aunt Rachel married into a family of boys and has 4 boys and 2 girls. My aunt Janet married into a family of boys and has 2 boys and a girl.
So I tend to think that maybe a certain sex does "run in a family". I've thought that for quite a while. It's just today, though, that I thought of something to take my unscientific theory to even higher scientific heights: "I wonder why a certain sex might 'run in a family'. Is it because a certain family tends to have more x or y containing sperm--or is it because the x or y sperm in a particularly family have a competitive advantage?
Wow. Talk about stretching out pseudo-science. (Although, if you happen to know any real science concerning whether certain sexes "run in families", please let me know so I can apply some real science to my hunch.)
**Note on the use of the word "sex": I realize that by using the word "sex" rather than the more socially acceptable "gender", I may have inadvertantly caused offense or caused this page to lose its family-friendly rating. However, according to Merriam-Webster, sex means "either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the basis of their reproductive organs and structures." Gender, on the other hand, means "the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex." Thus, sex is a biological term and gender is a cultural term. When I speak of a baby's sex, I am referring to the child's biological category, not to his or her cultural identification with a particular sex.**
Are you goin' to Narnia?
June 19, 2009 5:51 PM
One small disadvantage to my "read every book in Eiseley Library" goal is that I find myself neglecting my old favorites in the press to read more and more and more NEW books. It's liberating, in one sense, to finish an author and breathe a sigh of relief--I've closed that author and I won't have to read that author ever again unless I CHOOSE to. It's challenging, in another sense, to be constantly forcing myself outside of my reading "comfort zone." And in another sense, it's outright frustrating.
I've probably read each book in the Chronicles of Narnia through 20 times. But still, every so often, I get the hankering to curl up with C.S. Lewis and go to Narnia. Most recently, I've wanted to read through the series, not just for enjoyment but for meaning. I want to tease out the the allegory, the symbolism, the intended and unintended truths to be found in the Chronicles. Problem is, I've already read The Chronicles of Narnia.
I have a file on my computer entitled "A Catalogue of all I've read since September 5, 2006". It contains, well, a log of all that I've read since September 5, 2006. And, as you can see from the following screenshot
I've already read the Chronicles of Narnia since I started my "read every book" goal. What's more, the books are in the pink font--indicating that I have read every juvenile fiction book by C.S. Lewis that Eiseley library owns. C.S. Lewis's juvenile fiction works are officially "closed" to me.
Which is where Carrie's challenge comes in handy. It just so happens that Carrie at Reading to Know is hosting a
Which offers me a perfect excuse to get some reading in. Thanks Carrie!
If you'd like to join in on the fun, go to Reading to Know and get linked up. Then read something Narnia related and blog about. Easy-peasy.
Non-bloggers are welcome to join in too--I'd love to talk with you or have you post comments on my blog related to Narnia. Or you could post your thoughts as Facebook notes. Or you could write a quick e-mail and send it to your friends (don't forget to include me in your e-mail). Even if you don't want to write about the experience, I encourage you to read the Chronicles of Narnia--they're absolutely fantastic.
Passable
June 18, 2009 10:56 PM
I've been teaching myself to play the piano--making faltering steps then giving up, just to take the task up again later. The progress has been slow--after more than two years of off and on practicing, I'm still only in book 2 of Faber & Faber's curriculum. In addition to my sporadic practice schedule, a primary contributing factor in my slow progress may be my difficulty in "passing" myself on to the next song.
Both of my sisters have mentioned it to me before: "That's one of the advantages of having a teacher--they can tell you when to go on to the next song." As it is, I have a tremendously hard time deciding when I can progress.
At first, I insisted on perfection. My notes must all be correct, my timing impeccable, and the dynamics appropriate. Which meant that I spent forever practicing the same several songs. The thing was, I got bored with the first few songs--so I kept adding more and more--but without giving myself permission to stop practicing the first few songs. So practice sessions grew until I was playing half the book every time I sat down at the piano.
Then, slowly, my sisters' wisdom began to sink in. I didn't have to be perfect. It was a waste of time and energy to continue to practice "Tinkling Windchimes" (made up name, not an actual song) in order to achieve perfection. I had already learned all that was necessary from practicing that song--I'd mastered the song--I just hadn't performed it perfectly.
Today, I sat down at the piano and realized it had been almost a month since I'd "passed" a song. "I'm going to pass one tonight," I spoke out loud, half to myself, half to my sister. "It's been too long." And I proceeded to play the song terribly. Never mind that I'd been playing it pretty well for nearly three months on a decently regular basis (3-5x/week). I played it just awfully. My timing was off, I was missing notes. It was horrid.
I observed that the harder I try, the worse I do--the more I strive after "perfection" the more I realize how far from perfect I am. But I refused to give up. I was going to pass a song tonight, I had decided. So, after a couple of false starts (caused by my trying to play and talk at the same time), I played the song through again. And this time, I only faltered once. "That's pass-able" I told myself.
And that's when it struck me. Passable. It's a word I've always despised, equating it with mediocrity. Passable: (adj) satisfactory but not outstanding; adequate. And that is what it means. In one sense, that is. But passable also means "that which can be passed, traversed, or crossed." Passable means I can move on.
Because if I truly want to achieve excellence, if I really want to be outstanding, I'm going to have to move past my mistakes and keep learning. At some point, harping on those mistakes became a hindrance holding me back rather than a tool to spur me forward. It's that point that I must aim to find--the point at which something is "passable".
What's holding you back today? What area are you waiting to get perfect before you move on with your life? I encourage you to take a hard look at that situation. How important is it that that certain thing be perfect before you move on? Is your pursuit of perfection getting in the way of accomplishment?
Just like I had to "pass" myself on some of those simple songs in order to free up some time to work on the more difficult songs, maybe you need to "pass" yourself in that area so that you can move on to something else.
"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid holdof me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Phillipians 3:12-14
An Inconvenient Convenience
June 17, 2009 10:23 PM
I work within five minutes walking distance of both of my banks. So when I needed to transfer some funds this morning, I took off my lab coat and jaunted off for a quick walk. After all, it would take at least 5 minutes to get up to the parking garage and out of it. Then I'd have to tangle about in traffic just to spend another five minutes traversing the parking garage maze again. It'd be much simpler-and better for me--to walk. And so I did.
What I didn't count on was my bank not opening their lobby until 8:30. So, when I got to the bank at 8:15, I couldn't go in. I started on my way back, then stopped short, realizing that I wouldn't have time to get anything done before heading back to the bank again anyway. So I walked up to the drive-through and tried to do it that way.
The teller wasn't quite sure it was safe for me to walk up to the drive-through. Cars just speed up to those things, you know. She warned me to keep watching over my shoulder--but she did let me complete my transaction.
I got to the other bank around 8:20 to discover the same situation--but this time the drive-through was filled with cars. So I sat outside the doors for ten minutes until the lobby opened up. Then I deposited my money and walked back to work.
I understand the convenience of a drive-through bank window for some people--particularly for mothers of young children for whom unpacking everybody just for a quick deposit might be overkill, and for disabled individuals for whom getting out of a vehicle is a huge rigamarole. But for the rest of us, are drive-through windows REALLY that convenient?
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to walk into the bank. Yes, I have to turn off the car, leave the AC, and walk a whole twenty steps or so. But I get my money just as quickly, and I have personal contact with my bankers--such that they know who I am and recognize me when I come back in. On the other hand, driving through the drive-through means wasting gas idling while the person in front of me dinks about, it means messing with a machine that is nothing if not unwieldy, and it means opening my windows and letting the AC escape anyway.
It seems to me that the spurious "convenience" of the drive-through window is very little compared to the significant inconvience of not having the option of visiting the lobby. After all, since motor vehicles are the only entities generally allowed in drive-throughs, having only the drive-through open necessarily excludes at least three classes of people: those who walk, those who bicycle, and those who use public transportation.
What might be a "convenience" to some is just plain exclusive to others. And, an inconvenient truth regarding drive-through bank windows? They promote the waste of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases by idling vehicles, while penalizing those who choose eco-friendly forms of transportation (namely: walkers, bicyclists, and users of public transportation.)
Just About Everything
June 16, 2009 11:36 PM
There isn't enough time in a day to do everything. So I settle on doing just about everything. Still, I manage to get quite a bit done.
I got up today at 5:30--and as you can see, I'm just starting to wrap up now at 11:30. But check out what just about everything means today:
- Get up :-P
- Fix bed
- Dress to shoes (Okay, you caught me, I'm going through my "Flylady" morning routine)
- Fix hair
- Do makeup
- Take meds
- Make and eat breakfast
- Unload dishwasher
- Devotions
- Brush teeth (using left hand to increase the mental workout)
- "Swish and Swipe" bathroom
- Return a dozen items to their proper places (clearing the clutter in my bedroom!)
- Do a ten-minute Spark People kickboxing workout.
- Run to my parents to retrieve my baby shampoo
- Take a dozen photos of the bunnies out back.
- Renew my library books online
- Assemble tonight's dinner (a bean and tomato concoction I thought up last night)
- Get car dropped off at the shop
- Work a little over 8 hours (2 diet educations, 4 new admits, 1 follow up, 1 set of rounds. Not bad.)
- Read an article on family mealtimes
- Pray over a couple dozen issues while taking the stairs at work
- Read a chapter on Nutrition programs for children
- Pick car up from shop
- Go grocery shopping
- Water indoor plants
- Start yogurt going
- Enjoy a leisurely discussion with roommates
- Work on quilting
- Practice piano
- Make tomorrow's lunch
- Go to Ice Cream with friends--and have a great chat about...what we don't talk about (in mixed company)
- Check Lincoln's "Dial-a-Registered-Dietitian" voicemailbox
- Practice recorder
- Read all the new posts on class discussion board. Respond appropriately.
- Write reactions to family mealtime article on discussion board
- Create job description for marketing project
- Set out clothes for tomorrow
- Read a chapter of a novel
- Catch up on a few blogs
- Post on my own blog
And now I should probably work on the last thing on my list--getting ready for bed.
It's been a full day today--but Mary's Fuller! That is, tomorrow is likely to be full too--so I'd best get a bit of sleep before tomorrow begins!
The Next Generation
June 15, 2009 11:16 PM
My family has been going on "romps"--long rambling walks through the pastures of my grandparents' property--for as long as I can remember.
In the beginning, we romped our way to the old stove, where my mom and aunts used to use cowpies as pretend food to be cooked on the wood-burning stove.
Later on, we romped across fields and through pastures in a circuitous route to the "crick" for some "wading".
And most recently, we've romped through the little stream right below Grandma and Grandpa's house, out through a few pastures and to the windmill and the "cracks."
This weekend, I saw that my grandparents were a bit weary and the younguns' far from worn out--and so I began to gather whoever was willing for a romp. One cousin heard that there was a romp in progress and asked my Aunt Martha, who has been the instigator of romps for as long as I can remember, what the plan was.
She said she didn't know. That I was planning it. That maybe it was time to pass romps on to the next generation.
Which got me thinking. Aunt Martha was my age when I was born. She probably wasn't much older than I when she instigated the first romps. And from my earliest memories, she was the fun-planner for the family. She had funny stories to share, she had gifts for everyone, she had some way to make each kid feel oh so special.
And now I, the next generation, have the opportunity to do the same.
I thought of it as I walked along beside my young cousin, discussing long legs and whether our other little cousin came along just to have some one to talk at. I thought of it as I called some cousins near to show them gooseberries--and to encourage them to give one a try--even if they are rather tart. I thought of it as I held open a half a dozen barbed wire fences so children could slip between the wires. I thought of it as I untied the water bottle from my waist so a straggler could have a drink from the windmill-pumped well water. I thought of it as I assisted cousins across the boggy little stream as we neared home.
I thought, "Wow. I really am the next generation."
And I thought, "I couldn't do it better than my aunt Martha--but I'm sure gonna try to do it just as well."
Pregnancy
June 10, 2009 8:15 PM
What should I be eating now that I'm pregnant? Everybody talks about eating for two, but what does that look like? My friend's doctor said she could gain as much weight as she wanted--but then I've seen her struggle to lose weight after she had the baby. And then there's this pregorexic thing. I mean, I don't want the baby to make me fat, but I certainly don't want to become anorexic or anything--especially not while I'm pregnant.
So...
Did I manage to scare all of you who read the first paragraph of my every post in your feed burner or on Facebook? You needn't be afraid. I am not pregnant. I am still a virgin (that's for my few brave high school readers--you can do it!).
Instead, I'm taking an online course in Life Cycle Nutrition. As part of that course, I have been asked to review the USDA's "MyPyramid for Moms" website. While all I have to do for class is review the site and discuss it on the class discussion forum, I thought I would share my thoughts with you all as well. So here goes...
MyPyramid for Moms
Advantages:
- Calculators Galore-You can calculate a personalized MyPyramid Plan that tells you how much of each food group to eat during each trimester. You can compare what you're eating to the recommendations. You can even calculate how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy.
- Understandable information-What information is present is written in a fairly easy to understand style.
- Personalized Plan-The MyPyramid Plan for pregnancy and for breastfeeding is personalized to your height, weight, activity level, due date, and whether you're breastfeeding completely or partially. It's further broken down into trimesters of pregnancy and months after delivery.
Disadvantages:
- Wordiness-You've got to sort through a lot of text to find what you really want to know
- Not very specific-for example, the site proclaims that "when you are pregnant, you have a higher need for some vitamins and minerals", but fails to mention which vitamins and minerals you need more of.
- Skirts the issues-MyPyramid never actually says how much your nutrient needs are increased during pregnancy. It has an eating plan--but you'd never know from MyPyramid that for most women, "eating for two" means only an additional 300 calories per day (about the calories in a large candy bar.)
Please take a look at the MyPyramid for Moms website and let me know what you think. Was my assessment correct or am I way out there? Even the non-Mom's can participate in this one. Just do as I did--enter 12/01/09 as your due date for the pregnancy calculators and enter 05/01/09 as your child's birthday for the breastfeeding calculators. I'd love to hear what you think (and your insight might add something worthwhile to my class's discussion of the topic as well!)
A Riddle
June 9, 2009 9:07 PM
I am priceless; I cannot be bought with money.
You can use me, but you cannot own me.
You can spend me, but cannot keep me.
Once you've lost me, you can never get me back
What am I?
Answer: Time
How many times have I complained that I haven't any time? Yet I am allotted the same time as anyone is: 24 hours in a day.
How many times have I complained at how swiftly time moves? Yet time moves at the same rate for everyone: 60 minutes to the hour.
I complain about time as though I were the only one constrained by it--as though I were the only one that felt its subtle bonds. Yet time is an impartial master, placing the same bonds on every man.
My experiences with time are not unique--but I can choose to let my response to time be unique. I can choose to embrace time as my friend rather than struggle with it as my enemy. I can choose to seize each moment rather than complain about every moment lost. I can choose to remember the past with fondness, look forward to the future with hope, and live today to the fullest.
And so I shall. I shall live my newly hectic life to the fullest: interning in the CCU, taking a 5-week summer course, enjoying this weekend's family festival, preparing a marketing proposal with a friend, coordinating our church's 20S ministry. And maybe somewhere, in the midst of all that, I can take a moment in hope of the future and go house shopping. Just maybe.
Exhale
June 8, 2009 9:07 PM
"My son, if you become surety for your friend,
If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler."
Proverbs 6:1-5
Not having heard a "No" from the Lord, I said "Yes" to a friend.
The Lord's "No" didn't take long in arriving.
Thankfully, my friend heard the same voice, and did what I would not: Humbled himself, pled with his friend, and delivered us both from our own hands.
Now I, and he, can breathe again. A nice, long exhale.
Mish-Mash Monday
June 1, 2009 8:06 PM
Don't you just love all these amazingly alliterative titles? The ones I participate in are only the tip of the iceburg: Simple Sunday, Thankful Thursday. I regularly read Tiny Talk Tuesday posts, Works for me (or Wordless) Wednesday posts, Silly Saturday posts--they go on and on. So far as I know, no one has ever "patented" the "Mish-Mash Monday"--so today I'm claiming it as my own. Mish-mash is the way my mind feels, so mish-mash is the way my blog will be today.
Mish-Mash 1: Sea-Stitch
A couple of missionaries from our church are back in town on furlough. Richard and June spoke yesterday in the service--and I was reminded that I should post a link to June's Sea-Stitch ministry. Sea-Stitch is a practical ministry that trains Philipino women and men to cross-stitch and gives them supplies to create cross-stitched works of art. June's goal is to provide enough work that each of the stitchers can buy food for a family of four three times a week off of the proceeds. This practical ministry has provided many Philipino families with food--and has been a medium of introducing the workers to the family of God. Many of the workers have accepted Christ as a result of this ministry and have become active participants in churches within the Philippines.
You can support the work of Sea-Stitch by following the link to their website, checking out the neat cross-stitch designs, and purchasing some cross-stitched bookmarks, Bible covers, greeting cards, or wall hangings. (I personally picked up a good selection of greeting cards yesterday.)
Mish-Mash 2: Cup of Coffee
I had a cup of coffee yesterday--the first I'd had in ages. And I was wired the entire morning. I was still tired, and yawning constantly. But my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest.
"Like a warm cup of coffee" is unlikely to have quite that effect on you--at least it didn't on me. Instead, this blog I stumbled upon (via a link from someone--I can't remember who) is likely to encourage you and get you thinking about what it means to be a Christian woman in today's world. I have enjoyed Sarah Mae's thoughtful and thought-provoking discussions.
Mish-Mash 3: Why O Why?
Why can't life just be easy? Why does it have to be complex? Why do I have to think things through? Why do I have to guard my heart? Why do I have to guard my mind? Why do I have to hold my tongue? Why do I have to seek wisdom? Why can't wisdom just be plain? Why do I have to search her out?
And why do I always find myself questioning the Potter?
"Woe to him who strives with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to him who forms it,
'What are you making?'
Or shall your handiwork say,
'He has no hands'?"
Isaiah 45:9
"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" Romans 9:20-21
When, Rebekah, will you see that it's useless to strive with your Maker? When will you see that He will reveal His will in His own time? When will you let it be sufficient to know that God has good plans for you and that He will bring them to pass?
Soon, I pray.
Simple Sunday: Girlfriends
May 31, 2009 2:44 PM
Thankful for girlfriends to quilt with, walk with, talk with. Thankful for a rather late night of sharing our hearts with one another. Thankful for Casandra and Joanna. Thankful they're my friends.
Visit Davene at Life on Sylvan Drive for more Simple Sunday posts.
Pride in Disguise
May 30, 2009 12:40 PM
I call it self-sufficiency, trying to make it on my own. I call it being a grown-up, this unwillingness to ask for help.
"I'm a big girl now," I say to myself, "I can't always be daddy's little girl." I'm going to prove myself, I'm going to make my own way. I don't need a leg up from anyone.
I call it living my own life. I call it not being presumptuous.
I call it lots of things, but really it's just pride in disguise.
I've been...
May 28, 2009 10:19 PM
Sorry I haven't written lately. I've been too busy.
"Busy doing what?" you might ask.
Too which I can only respond: "Dreaming."
It had been ages since I knelt in worship--even longer since the kneeling turned to sitting. I used to kneel in worship all of the time. And when my knees started to go numb, I'd transition to sitting on the floor, basking in the presence of God. Many of my most intimate conversations with God have occurred on the floor of our church during a worship service. But it had been a long time since I'd been on the floor--and a long time since I'd last had that kind of conversation.
When I knelt in worship this Sunday, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular--I just wanted to worship God. And when my knees grew tired of being sat upon, I shifted onto my bottom. I wasn't expecting God to drop in--but He did.
"When did you become so pragmatic?" He asked. "When did you stop dreaming?"
You see, I used to be a dreamer. I dreamt of making a difference in the world. I dreamt of seeing great things, of doing great things. I dreamt of seeing blind eyes receive sight. I dreamt of dancing in the arms of a lover. I dreamt of owning a house that I'd minister out of. I dreamt of marriage and children. I dreamt of traveling the world. I dreamt of so much. My goals are nothing compared to my dreams.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped dreaming. Things hadn't turned out the way I intended. I turned 21, not only unmarried but with no prospects in sight. I was 24 and still in school. I prayed for revival, but I didn't see it happen. I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing that dreams could come true.
It's not that I didn't miss dreaming. On the contrary, I sorrowed over my lack of faith, my absence of dreams. I even wrote a little song about it:
Once upon a time I thought big thoughts
I hadn't yet learned they were impossible
Once upon a time I dreamed big dreams
Before I learned to not believe
Teach me again the faith of a child
Teach me again to see
Teach me again, God oh so big
Teach me again to believe
Remember the child
dreaming to sweat drops of blood?
Remember the child
Crying for revival to come?
Bring back that heart,
that longing,
that hunger
Teach me again to believe
I heard Michael W. Smith's "Missing Person" with new ears. I'd heard the song, sung the lyrics a thousand times without ever giving thought to what it was saying:
There was a child who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searching for that missing person
He used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
It's been a long time and I haven't seen him lately but
I've been searching for that missing person
It brought tears to my eyes--I wasn't the only one who felt that way. But for all my searching, I wasn't getting anywhere closer to finding the missing dreamer inside of me.
At least, not until God asked me His question: "When did you become so pragmatic? When did you stop dreaming?"
I didn't really have an answer--or if I did, it was a pretty defensive one. "Well, Lord, what do you want me to do?" I asked in frustration.
"Listen to the dream." He answered back. "Let it well up in your heart once again. And let Me make the dreams reality."
I struggled with God a bit: "So how do I know that dreaming won't just lead to disillusionment? I've dreamt before--and where has it gotten me? Have any of those dreams come true? How do I know that dreaming isn't just a waste of time--something to keep me occupied so I don't notice when life passes me by?"
And God responded: "My kind of dreams aren't a waste of time. My kind of dreams don't keep you from enjoying life. The knack, Rebekah, is to dream My kind of dreams. The knack is to discover where your dreams and Mine intersect--and to jump on them for the ride of your life."
And then He began to awaken the dreams. But this time, they're not the fantasy castles of a little girl. This time they're the dreams that involve blueprint writing, financial affair setting in-order, deep soul-searching. So I've been busy dreaming--finding the missing person I thought I'd never see again.
Simple Sunday: Seniors Staying in Lincoln
May 24, 2009 10:22 PM
Thankful for this year's high school seniors who are staying in Lincoln after they graduate. I don't know what I'd do if they left.
John and Steve around 6 years old.
Congratulations to Steve (this week), John (two weeks from today), and Joanna (next month). I'm so glad you're going to stick around--we won't have to break up the gang quite yet.
Visit Davene at Life on Sylvan Drive for more Simple Sunday posts.
Alzheimer's-proof
May 18, 2009 9:20pm
Anyone who's walked with a loved one through Alzheimer's knows that it's a challenging path to trod. It's tough and frustrating for the sufferer--and tough and frustrating for those who love them.
My experience walking with my Grandma through Alzheimer's has convinced me of one thing: I'm going to do everything within my power to keep my children and grandchildren from having to experience that kind of anguish. I'm going to do everything possible to prevent the onset of that disease, a disease of relationships as much as it is a disease of the mind.
Which is why I've been collecting research (and pseudo-research) on Alzheimer's prevention.
Risk Factors for Alzheimers
- Age
- Female sex
- Biological markers of inflammation
- Hypertension
- High BMI
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Low Mood (depression or anxiety)
- Effects of chronic illness
- History of head trauma
- Functional/physical disability
- Sensory handicaps
- Neuroticism
- Lack of physical activity
- Stress
- Poor sleep
Preventative factors for Alzheimers
- Higher socioeconomic status
- Better lung capacity
- Good health
- Better cognitive function
- Self-efficacy in instrumental aspects of life
- Higher levels of education
- Moderate alcohol use
- Social engagement and support
- Use of vitamin supplements
That was mostly science. Based on epidemiological studies, people who have such factors are either more or less at risk for developing Alzheimer's. The pseudo-science comes in when you ask if and how you can impact your risk of developing Alzheimer's by changing your behavior.
But I'm willing to jump on the risk-avoidance bandwagon--or the proactive prevention bandwagon, if you'd rather.
Which is why I've pulled my recorder off the floor and started playing.
I can hear your "Huh?" loud and clear.
Well, it just so happens that "better cognitive function" is a preventative factor. And one of the proposed means of increasing cognitive function is playing an instrument. It also just so happens that "better lung capacity" is a preventative factor. And one of the means of increasing lung capacity (along with aerobic activity) is playing a wind instrument.
It just so happens that I have a wind instrument--a little plastic recorder I received as part of a white elephant gift exchange at my life group. That recorder has been sitting on my bedroom floor since the day I pulled it out and tried--very unsuccessfully--to teach myself to play.
But, bolstered by the thought of saving my grandchildren from the agony that is Alzheimer's, I grasped hold of the recorder, googled "how to play the recorder", and began my education.
Amazingly enough, despite my initial failure, I was able to successfully play "Mary had a little lamb" last night--and to still play it again this morning. Turns out you don't just blow one endless breath into the recorder--and you don't hold the recorder at a right angle to your face either.
Ah, thank goodness for the internet! What would I do without handy self-teach websites like this one? I'd probably already be senile--and terrorizing the entire world!
Ends and Odds
May 16, 2009 9:20pm
Ends: Things I just finished
- reading The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (Review here)
- reading If I were a man, I'd marry me by P.S. Wall (Review pending)
- reading Bernard Goldberg Presents a Slobbering Love Affair Starring Barack Obama: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media (Review pending)
- watching Bride Wars
- listening to "Les Miserables" (the musical) in the car
Odds: Things I've just begun (or, at any rate, haven't finished yet)
- attending the Farmer's Market--my first time this year
- planting my newly purchased tomato plants
- planting my newly purchased basil plants
- learning about how to prevent (or delay) Alzheimer's
- studying for the RD exam
- looking up nutrition references at CY Thompson
- reading A Tale of Two Cities
Navigate Bekahcubed
Favorite Blogs
Cast of Characters
