We met for lunch again. And this time I remembered my camera. :)
6.28.2011
6.22.2011
It Takes a Village
Last Friday - my first full Friday off in a long time - I joined a group of moms and kids from church on a fairly high-effort outing to the city to catch a Wiggleworms show at Millennium Park. Most of us took the train, and decided it would be easier to huff it to the park from Union Station rather than cram five strollers and eleven children onto a city bus. The trip was a smashing success, as far as I'm concerned; we had fun, and everyone was accounted for at the end of the day. One of the biggest factors in the smooth sailing was the ease with which the various mothers care for each others' kids. There was a lot of "Okay, you've got so-and-so" and "She's with me, we'll meet you by the elevators." And, when Juliette started having a meltdown on the ride home, one of the other mamas swooped in with an exceedingly helpful intervention that effectively terminated what could have been a full-fledged fit on a full train car.
We had a really tough morning today. The new school thing is still iffy, and Juliette had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I spent a good twenty minutes in the school parking lot, helpless to stop the full-fledged fit unfolding in the Honda Fit. Instead of hoping we wouldn't see anyone we know, I found myself sort of wishing one of those other mamas would happen by.
I think that's one measure of a healthy parenting village, don't you?
We had a really tough morning today. The new school thing is still iffy, and Juliette had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I spent a good twenty minutes in the school parking lot, helpless to stop the full-fledged fit unfolding in the Honda Fit. Instead of hoping we wouldn't see anyone we know, I found myself sort of wishing one of those other mamas would happen by.
I think that's one measure of a healthy parenting village, don't you?
6.21.2011
Ten on Tuesday
1. We're officially full term. I'm actually feeling really good, a million times better than I did a month ago. The two biggest factors in the turnaround: being mostly moved in, and getting back to the pool a couple times a week. Oh, how I love to swim.
2. I've also been mowing the lawn with our push reel mower. I can tell that half the people walking by think I'm crazy - the general perception is that the lack of motor means that it's harder work. But the mower is so light it's a great, gentle workout. I'm holding out hope that that the push reel mower revolution is growing. Our mailman stopped by while I was out the other day, complimented our mower selection, and said how glad he is that he's seeing more and more out in the neighborhoods.
3. Juliette just brought me a photo of our wedding day. "Mama, look it! You got married!"
4. I've downloaded some really good music from Noisetrade recently, especially this one by the Civil Wars. Sometimes live albums aren't the best introduction to a new band, but this is a great recording.
5. We are now in possession of an ice cream maker. I cannot wait to get started. It was only $30 at Costco and highly recommended by a friend, and I'm thinking we're going to get some pretty good use out of it.
6. Juliette is doing the reading program at the library this summer. She reads so much these days - by herself and with us - it feels funny to suddenly add prizes to the mix; she really doesn't need the incentive of free pizzas and silly bands. Might as well reap the rewards, though, even if she'd be doing it anyway.
7. I had a great pastoral care moment today. I was talking to a woman whose elderly husband has taken off on a great bucket list adventure. I exclaimed that he was really "plucky" to do so. She was so enamored of that description that she wrote it down and said that's how she's going to refer to it from now on, instead of the other slightly-less-than-supportive ways she could refer to it. It made me feel so confirmed in my call, like: yes, there is a place for a lover of words in pastoral ministry, and not just in the pulpit. And likewise confirmed in my belief that the right words can be a gift.
8. We didn't think we were going to swing a garden this year, but last week we were gifted a wagon full of tomato plants. So we bartered with our neighbors - a raised bed box for a night of babysitting. And now it sounds like we're going to pick up a few more plants as our industrious gardener friends are culling their overgrown beds. Looks like we'll have a harvest after all!
9. I started a blog at the local Patch site; my hope is that it will be a place for locally-flavored ruminations on faith and spirituality. My first post was about the prayer flags at church.
10. The new Nikki McClure book is delightful.
2. I've also been mowing the lawn with our push reel mower. I can tell that half the people walking by think I'm crazy - the general perception is that the lack of motor means that it's harder work. But the mower is so light it's a great, gentle workout. I'm holding out hope that that the push reel mower revolution is growing. Our mailman stopped by while I was out the other day, complimented our mower selection, and said how glad he is that he's seeing more and more out in the neighborhoods.
3. Juliette just brought me a photo of our wedding day. "Mama, look it! You got married!"
4. I've downloaded some really good music from Noisetrade recently, especially this one by the Civil Wars. Sometimes live albums aren't the best introduction to a new band, but this is a great recording.
5. We are now in possession of an ice cream maker. I cannot wait to get started. It was only $30 at Costco and highly recommended by a friend, and I'm thinking we're going to get some pretty good use out of it.
6. Juliette is doing the reading program at the library this summer. She reads so much these days - by herself and with us - it feels funny to suddenly add prizes to the mix; she really doesn't need the incentive of free pizzas and silly bands. Might as well reap the rewards, though, even if she'd be doing it anyway.
7. I had a great pastoral care moment today. I was talking to a woman whose elderly husband has taken off on a great bucket list adventure. I exclaimed that he was really "plucky" to do so. She was so enamored of that description that she wrote it down and said that's how she's going to refer to it from now on, instead of the other slightly-less-than-supportive ways she could refer to it. It made me feel so confirmed in my call, like: yes, there is a place for a lover of words in pastoral ministry, and not just in the pulpit. And likewise confirmed in my belief that the right words can be a gift.
8. We didn't think we were going to swing a garden this year, but last week we were gifted a wagon full of tomato plants. So we bartered with our neighbors - a raised bed box for a night of babysitting. And now it sounds like we're going to pick up a few more plants as our industrious gardener friends are culling their overgrown beds. Looks like we'll have a harvest after all!
9. I started a blog at the local Patch site; my hope is that it will be a place for locally-flavored ruminations on faith and spirituality. My first post was about the prayer flags at church.
10. The new Nikki McClure book is delightful.
6.15.2011
Review: Ultimate Allegiance by Robert D. Cornwall
I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer by Robert D. Cornwall - or Bob, as I know him from our days as colleagues in the Pacific Southwest Region of the CC(DoC). Bob's blog has always been an exemplar of the "blogging pastor" genre; he is a prolific and thoughtful writer who addresses all kinds of important cultural and theological issues. (Meanwhile, I blog about my pregnant lady heartburn. There's room for everyone on the internet, right?) Needless to say, I was excited to read his new book.Bob reveals in the preface that the genesis of the book was actually a six-part Lenten sermon series addressing each of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer. Still, the chapters did not read like sermons. This is not just a hastily dashed together sermon collection reprinted in book form, but a well-organized, lucidly written, and in-depth study of scripture. I loved knowing that the book originated as a sermon series, because it highlights what I think is one of the book's overriding strengths: it is as deeply pastoral as it is scholarly. It engages the scriptures associated with the Lord's Prayer with both exegetical and practical attention, and is actually quite conversant in the whole of the Bible, drawing from a host of passages to place the prayer in scriptural context.
It isn't always easy to find materials to use in the church that are theologically sound and accessible. Jason Byassee has a blurb on the back cover, and I concur wholeheartedly with his sentiment: "It's a beautiful thing to watch a pastor teaching her or his people with wisdom and grace." This is the kind of book that empowers other pastors to do the same. One minor disappointment was the lack of study questions at the end of the chapters; I can see this as being a good resource for a bible study at church, and that's always a nice addition. But I guess I shouldn't make Bob do all of my homework. And besides, I'm betting his other book published by Energion, Ephesians: A Participatory Study, does have the bonus of discussion questions.
A few things I wrote in the margins:
- author takes the gendered language issue seriously but without losing perspective
- he doesn't tame the prayer - allows it to be as radical as it is, even as he puts it in conversation with politics, culture, history, biblical criticism
- starred passage: "God's name is made holy, not just in our words, but in our very lives."
- starred passage: "The way of deliverance involves our committing our lives and futures into the hands of the good and gracious God revealed to us in Jesus Christ." This is in the midst of a nuanced discussion of what kind of evil we're asking to be delivered from.
- starred passage: "This prayer becomes culturally and socially subversive when it becomes the foundation for discernment."
- starred passage: "Jesus may very well have told his audience to give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, but what belongs to Caesar does not include our ultimate allegiance."
- loved the definition of the kingdom: "The kingdom of God is visible, but it isn't one and the same with any human government or society. It is instead a parallel culture, where those who embrace kingdom values live life differently."
That notion of the kingdom of God as a parallel culture really struck me. At first glance it seems that "culture" is a fairly weak element, but it really isn't. Culture is huge. It is often the thing in which we unthinkingly live and move and have our being.
Highly recommended! Thanks for the chance to read your work, Bob.
6.14.2011
Ten on Tuesday: Monday Night Heartburn Edition
1. This is the Monday Night Heartburn Edition because, you guessed it, my pregnant lady heartburn is keeping me up past midnight. I don't have this particular symptom very often, but when it hits, it hits hard.
2. Juliette seemed totally content when I picked her up from school this afternoon. Apparently, the only time she got upset was when she was the only kid without a toothbrush after lunch; her other school didn't brush teeth midday. Problem solved with a quick after school trip to Target for a new Dora toothbrush. That said, I was less than thrilled to discover that because the administration hadn't transferred her files yet, they didn't have any contact or medical information on hand all day. Grr.
3. First day of school, last day of school.
Her shirt doesn't say "Bye Bye Butt," by the way. I accidentally cropped out the "erfly."
4. There was a Groupon for Blurb this week. (That sentence sounds like a bunch of gibberish.) I printed the first two volumes of my blog way back in 2009; the second one ended just before I announced my first pregnancy. I have a lot of catching up to do. I started on the next one tonight. If you aren't familiar with Blurb, it "slurps" your blog into a very easy to edit book format, photos and all.
5. We saw Water for Elephants on Saturday. The book was a solid three stars for me, and I probably liked the movie even more. Even if the kid from Twilight is kind of an awkward actor. I feel like that's a Keanu Reeves All Over Again kind of situation.
6. We'll have a new roof within the next week, and new front steps by the end of next month. I wish the steps could be done sooner. Preferably yesterday. I've already tripped on them once and they get worse every day. I may have subconsciously thrust my baby belly out a little further when the contractor came over with the contract. Okay, consciously. But it didn't make any difference - the spring has been terrible for construction and they're booked. I suppose it is fairer to complete jobs in order of contracts signed, anyway...
7. I've been reading a great study about the Lord's Prayer by my Disciple colleague Bob Cornwall... review to follow by the end of the week.
8. Our yard has beautiful landscaping. I need to get some photos of the explosive pink rose bushes, and within a few days the hydrangea bushes are going to go wild. I'm still a little sad that we didn't get a proper garden planted. It looks like one of two pie pumpkin seeds Juliette and I planted has a sturdy sprout, but I accidentally mowed over the one sunflower that escaped the birds' appetite. I did pick up two pitiful looking seedlings on clearance at the grocery store today... will be interesting to see if Charlie Brown Strawberry Plant and Charlie Brown Tomato Plant thrive.
9. Juliette took her first ballet class today (also compliments of a Groupon). I don't think there's anything cuter than a gaggle of three- and four-year-old girls prancing around in pink leotards. She loved it.
10. Heartburn, you can go away now. Really.
2. Juliette seemed totally content when I picked her up from school this afternoon. Apparently, the only time she got upset was when she was the only kid without a toothbrush after lunch; her other school didn't brush teeth midday. Problem solved with a quick after school trip to Target for a new Dora toothbrush. That said, I was less than thrilled to discover that because the administration hadn't transferred her files yet, they didn't have any contact or medical information on hand all day. Grr.
3. First day of school, last day of school.
Her shirt doesn't say "Bye Bye Butt," by the way. I accidentally cropped out the "erfly."4. There was a Groupon for Blurb this week. (That sentence sounds like a bunch of gibberish.) I printed the first two volumes of my blog way back in 2009; the second one ended just before I announced my first pregnancy. I have a lot of catching up to do. I started on the next one tonight. If you aren't familiar with Blurb, it "slurps" your blog into a very easy to edit book format, photos and all.
5. We saw Water for Elephants on Saturday. The book was a solid three stars for me, and I probably liked the movie even more. Even if the kid from Twilight is kind of an awkward actor. I feel like that's a Keanu Reeves All Over Again kind of situation.
6. We'll have a new roof within the next week, and new front steps by the end of next month. I wish the steps could be done sooner. Preferably yesterday. I've already tripped on them once and they get worse every day. I may have subconsciously thrust my baby belly out a little further when the contractor came over with the contract. Okay, consciously. But it didn't make any difference - the spring has been terrible for construction and they're booked. I suppose it is fairer to complete jobs in order of contracts signed, anyway...
7. I've been reading a great study about the Lord's Prayer by my Disciple colleague Bob Cornwall... review to follow by the end of the week.
8. Our yard has beautiful landscaping. I need to get some photos of the explosive pink rose bushes, and within a few days the hydrangea bushes are going to go wild. I'm still a little sad that we didn't get a proper garden planted. It looks like one of two pie pumpkin seeds Juliette and I planted has a sturdy sprout, but I accidentally mowed over the one sunflower that escaped the birds' appetite. I did pick up two pitiful looking seedlings on clearance at the grocery store today... will be interesting to see if Charlie Brown Strawberry Plant and Charlie Brown Tomato Plant thrive.
9. Juliette took her first ballet class today (also compliments of a Groupon). I don't think there's anything cuter than a gaggle of three- and four-year-old girls prancing around in pink leotards. She loved it.
10. Heartburn, you can go away now. Really.
6.13.2011
A Rare Rant
I figure it's a blogger's prerogative to use her space to rant every so often. Consider yourself duly warned.
This morning - about thirty minutes ago - I dropped Juliette off at her new school. It's the fourth school she's attended in her life, and is the sister school to the one she has attended two days a week for the last year. She's always been a super social kid, so even though there have been some tough mornings here and there, she invariably reports that her favorite part of her day is the time she's spent at school.
This school, or collection of schools, is not my favorite. We loved her small and wonderful Montessori school in California, and consider ourselves incredibly blessed that she gets to attend the church preschool down the hall for a few more years. But we need an option for some full days and summertime, and this one she's been attending more or less fits the bill. We did decide, however, to switch her to the one in our town (as opposed to the one the next town over) because her classroom situation has been so chaotic and loud ever since she moved up to the three-year-old room. This one is also closer, within walking distance. We decided to make the switch now, when the school is transitioning into its summer program, and a month before the baby is slated to appear.
Okay, transitions are tough for three-year-olds. I fully expected Juliette to have a little difficulty getting her bearings this morning. But I also expected her new teacher to introduce herself and enthusiastically welcome Juliette into her new classroom. Maybe even introduce the other kids. We did arrive, after all, during the morning open playtime, not in the middle of a lesson. But that's not what happened. After bumbling around to find someone to let us past the security-coded door and to figure out which classroom she was supposed to be in, we entered the room with barely a glance and mumbled "hello" from the teacher. I had to ask her what her name was, because she just sort of nodded when I told her ours. She continued prepping paint for their mid-morning craft. I get it; you've got things to do to keep your classroom going. But don't you think it's in your best interest - let alone your new student's - to make the kid feel a little welcomed? I walked Juliette around the classroom and tried to help her meet the kids (some of whom were considerably more hospitable than their teacher). But I really can't blame her for clinging and repeatedly saying she didn't want to stay. I wouldn't have wanted to stay. I don't know if she cried after I left, but I sure did.
This morning - about thirty minutes ago - I dropped Juliette off at her new school. It's the fourth school she's attended in her life, and is the sister school to the one she has attended two days a week for the last year. She's always been a super social kid, so even though there have been some tough mornings here and there, she invariably reports that her favorite part of her day is the time she's spent at school.
This school, or collection of schools, is not my favorite. We loved her small and wonderful Montessori school in California, and consider ourselves incredibly blessed that she gets to attend the church preschool down the hall for a few more years. But we need an option for some full days and summertime, and this one she's been attending more or less fits the bill. We did decide, however, to switch her to the one in our town (as opposed to the one the next town over) because her classroom situation has been so chaotic and loud ever since she moved up to the three-year-old room. This one is also closer, within walking distance. We decided to make the switch now, when the school is transitioning into its summer program, and a month before the baby is slated to appear.
Okay, transitions are tough for three-year-olds. I fully expected Juliette to have a little difficulty getting her bearings this morning. But I also expected her new teacher to introduce herself and enthusiastically welcome Juliette into her new classroom. Maybe even introduce the other kids. We did arrive, after all, during the morning open playtime, not in the middle of a lesson. But that's not what happened. After bumbling around to find someone to let us past the security-coded door and to figure out which classroom she was supposed to be in, we entered the room with barely a glance and mumbled "hello" from the teacher. I had to ask her what her name was, because she just sort of nodded when I told her ours. She continued prepping paint for their mid-morning craft. I get it; you've got things to do to keep your classroom going. But don't you think it's in your best interest - let alone your new student's - to make the kid feel a little welcomed? I walked Juliette around the classroom and tried to help her meet the kids (some of whom were considerably more hospitable than their teacher). But I really can't blame her for clinging and repeatedly saying she didn't want to stay. I wouldn't have wanted to stay. I don't know if she cried after I left, but I sure did.
6.09.2011
Miscellany
1. I experienced two strong symptoms when the temperature passed the 90 degree mark: the misplacement of my ankle bones, and a fierce desire to chop my hair off. I probably won't see my ankle bones again until late July, but the hair is gone.
2. It's currently 54 degrees. It was in the mid 90s yesterday. Whatever, Illinois.
3. I love this picture of my ruggedly handsome husband, taken on the pedestrian bridge between Millennium Park and the Art Institute.
4. We took a quick trip to Ohio last week. One afternoon Juliette and I moseyed around Kent. It was fun and even a little surreal to explore my college town with my three-year-old. She loved the Cuyahoga River.
She took to our friend Maj immediately. This was taken about five minutes after they met (for the first time since she was a baby, that is).
Juliette loves her Grandpa.
And her Aunt Lisa, who was a really good sport about running all over the yard at the end of a long day.
Lisa's hidden talent is natural-materials millinery. Isn't this hat divine?
That was right before Lisa accused me of having the purse contents of a junior high girl. Who says 30-year-old professionals can't carry Grape Bubblicious and oversized Cherry Lipsmackers in their camera bags?
5. I'm slowly recovering from writing my book, and have published a couple pieces recently. I wrote about a completely inappropriate approach to remembering 9/11 in the Century Blog, and observed the one-year anniversary of having moved to Illinois in Fidelia's Sisters. We flew out of Long Beach to Chicago exactly one year ago today.
6. And finally, the lovely family photo our new friend Adam took.
2. It's currently 54 degrees. It was in the mid 90s yesterday. Whatever, Illinois.
3. I love this picture of my ruggedly handsome husband, taken on the pedestrian bridge between Millennium Park and the Art Institute.
4. We took a quick trip to Ohio last week. One afternoon Juliette and I moseyed around Kent. It was fun and even a little surreal to explore my college town with my three-year-old. She loved the Cuyahoga River.
She took to our friend Maj immediately. This was taken about five minutes after they met (for the first time since she was a baby, that is).
Juliette loves her Grandpa.
And her Aunt Lisa, who was a really good sport about running all over the yard at the end of a long day.
Lisa's hidden talent is natural-materials millinery. Isn't this hat divine?
That was right before Lisa accused me of having the purse contents of a junior high girl. Who says 30-year-old professionals can't carry Grape Bubblicious and oversized Cherry Lipsmackers in their camera bags?
5. I'm slowly recovering from writing my book, and have published a couple pieces recently. I wrote about a completely inappropriate approach to remembering 9/11 in the Century Blog, and observed the one-year anniversary of having moved to Illinois in Fidelia's Sisters. We flew out of Long Beach to Chicago exactly one year ago today.
6. And finally, the lovely family photo our new friend Adam took.
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