Ahh, back to school!

Here are the boys on their first day back to school.

Confirmation

I was reading a post on another blog about someone's church confirmation and it reminded me of my own. The experience was actually quite meaningless to me, which in turn had a bigger effect on who I am now.

Let me back up and tell you that I was not baptized in a church, my parents did it themselves in the ocean. I actually love that, however I grew up thinking I was not "really" baptized like everyone else at church. One time at church I read in the service leaflet, "All baptized Christians are welcome to join us for communion." Having taken communion for several months I was a bit scared that I wasn't supposed to have done it and worriedly showed my mother, who reassured me I was fine. At our church (Episcopal), most people are baptized as babies, only very rarely would an adult be baptized. As a girl, my mom told me that if I wanted to I could participate in the church ceremony. I declined, but had thoughts of doing it someday in the future.

Once a year the older teens would participate in a confirmation ceremony. I was never really sure what that was for, but watched it for several years growing up. The teens would be dressed up in even nicer than church clothes, and would receive small gifts, (usually a bible) afterwards. It turns out, it is sort of a renewing of the baptismal vows, a more mature statement of faith. When I was probably around 15 it was decided by the church that I would be confirmed. Unlike the writer of the above blog, I had no studying to do or preparation, other than shopping for an outfit to wear. In our church, a bishop was the one who did the confirmations and it was a really big deal when any of the "higher ups" came to the local church. I don't think I had to say anything during the ceremony. There were a series of statements that the bishop read and the congregation had set answers that they replied. That was it. There was no one else being confirmed that day, so unlike the ceremonies I had seen in the past, I was standing alone, not with a group of my peers.

Afterwards my mother simply gushed about how wonderful the bishop was and how magical it was when he looked at me.
"Do you feel different?" she asked me.
"No." I said, feeling rather disappointed "Should I?"
She said something like "That's up to you."
I thought about it. It seemed ridiculous to me that the bishop could be so special that he could change a person just by looking at or touching them. After all, he was just a regular man, just like everyone else.

As we were getting ready to leave, a few of the church leaders came over and spoke to us. Apparently one of them had told the bishop after the ceremony about my special situation of not being baptized at church. It was told to me rather casually something like, "by the way, he baptized you too." Yes that's right, apparently even though the ceremony was over, and even though it was only a confirmation ceremony, and even though I was already baptized, and even though I did not consent, the bishop still was able to baptize me. Now that really is magic!

You know what sucks?

David: "It sucks to be cold."
Shannon: "It sucks to be hot too."
David: "You know what doesn't suck? Just right."
Shannon: "Yeah, just right is the best."

Scary Bed - part 3

Recurring nightmares! When I was little I had the same few nightmares over and over. There was one in particular that stuck with me though. It involved a puppet-like character, sort of like the characters on Sesame Street. In my dream, just like on Sesame Street, it was perfectly normal for puppets to talk to people. This puppet was sort of horse-like, with a long face/nose, the way a horse is. In each dream this horse puppet would come over to my house and ask if I could play. I didn't want to, but my mom would always tell me to anyway, to be polite. So I would go, and in each dream we would start to play but then the puppet would eat me. The way he would eat me would be the way Cookie Monster eats a cookie; loudly grunting and pieces flying all over the place. The pieces flying about looked like bits of styrofoam and that's when I would wake up. To this day when I see horses or anything else with a long face like that (some dogs have it, cartoon characters, etc.) it gives me a weird irrational feeling.

Another dream I had frequently had a few variations but it always involved any weird creatures that I had seen that week on Star Trek (the original). One time they were flying pancake-like things; another time large balls of hair. The story was this: I would be at my school in my pajamas and the Star Trek creature would be there attacking me and the other children. Most of the time I would startle awake, but I distinctly remember one time that the paramedics from the TV show Emergency! came and rescued us. So I guess my nightmares were not all bad after all!

Anti-circus, anti-zoo

I didn't used to feel this way. Not so very long ago I used to love both of these places, especially the circus. When I was little we visited the LA Zoo all the time. Sometimes there would be people outside picketing. They would shout, "Boycott the zoo!" over and over as we went past. "What weirdos!" I would think to myself. Now I wish I could join them.

My feelings began after a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo about 2 years ago. It's actually a very nice zoo - one of the better ones I've been to. They have a very large gorilla exhibit. The gorillas have a place where they can play outside or come inside. Zoo guests can see them in both places too. On this visit the gorillas were inside. One of them was sitting right up against the glass. A lot of people were gathered around, all pointing, shouting and knocking on the glass. The gorilla looked sad to me (I know, they always look like that), but I felt so bad for him. The gorillas humanoid features got to me. I started to wonder if he was really happy living at the zoo.

A few weeks later we visited the circus. I have many happy memories of going there as a child and I wanted to share that with my kids. We had already been when Tommy was a baby, and I loved it, but the other kids were too young to remember. I was so excited to take them there. The tickets were about $25 each, and as it turned out they were for balcony seats. I was disappointed we were up so high, but the kids didn't seem to mind. Before the show started, I went to get cotton candy - it was $10! So with $30 worth of cotton candy we started to watch "the greatest show on earth". I started to see the show with different eyes. Did the elephants really want to be here? Did they want to be dressed up and hold each others tails? Many of the acts are animal acts. One of the acts involved horses running in one of the rings. They ran faster and faster and made their circle smaller. Then, one of the horses fell to the ground and we all gasped. The trainer cracked his whip and the horse got up and the act continued. I noticed some of the horses wobbling a bit, as clearly they aren't meant to be running so tightly. I started to feel sad again. I was ashamed that I had spent money to support such a place. As we left David commented that we should wait a few years before going again to which I replied, "I wouldn't be sad if we never went again!"

Tie-dye!

We tie-dyed shirts as a summer project. As I learned, the dying part doesn't take that long. Waiting overnight to see how they would turn out was difficult, but it was worth it!

Disney dilemma

Every once in awhile I get this urge to go to Disneyland. Sometimes the urge is so strong that I feel like if I don't go soon I will die! I am in the middle of one of those times now. I spend some part of each day trying to figure out how I can get there. I fantasize about my ultimate Disney vacation and how great it will be. I discuss plans with David about retiring near Disneyland in the future. Yesterday I did some calculations on how much it would cost to live at one of the Disney hotels and go to the park 365 days a year. I presented the number to David. He told me that going there everyday would get old after awhile and suggested that when we retire we can go once a quarter for a week each time. My first reaction was "Wh-what?? Disneyland... get OLD?? Does not compute!!" But when I pondered it further I suppose he is right. It would be a bit like Christmas everyday, and in all the cartoon shows I've seen on that subject, it never works out.

I see London, I see France...

I am so sick of looking at underpants. This trend of ladies having their underwear sticking out of their pants is driving me crazy. I used to see it all the time last summer, but not so much anymore. I would especially notice it at restaurants or other places where people were sitting. Once Ada and I were walking through the mall and a lady was in a shoe store near the window. As she crouched down to try on some shoes we had full view of her underwear. I was glad that the boys were not with me! What is wrong with these ladies? Can't they feel that their butt is sticking out? I realized I hadn't seen that in awhile but a few nights ago at Wal-Mart there was a lady wearing some sort of wrap around skirt. As she passed me I could see that she had the skirt tied in the back - just below her underpants.

4 cute kids

Scary Bed - part 2

"My bed tipped last night!" That is what I would say to my parents when I was very small when I was sick. I still sort of remember what it felt like. It seemed that one of the legs on the bed frame was shorter or broken and that the bed was constantly shaking or tipping. I'm not quite sure what made me feel that way. Was I just dizzy? Feverish? Have some sort of inner ear problem? I know it wasn't the bed because one time the "tipping" was really bothering me and I got up to tell my parents. On the way to their room I felt the whole house tipping and I fell down in the hallway.

Orange juice connoisseur

Growing up I drank orange juice every single day with breakfast. It was the frozen kind that has to be mixed with water. We often would go camping during my youth and during those trips my mom would pack small cans of orange juice with a pull-top lid, (the kind they don't make anymore). The canned orange juice tasted a lot different; so sour, horrible really. As a kid I was so used to having oj with my breakfast that I got used to the taste. When I grew up I still had such fond memories of those camping trips. I started college right after high school and I was delighted to find that the cafeteria sold orange juice in cans. The taste of it transported me back to a happier time and place. I would buy a can on my class break and bring it back to the room.
"Eww, how can you drink that?" the other students would ask me. "It's so sour!"
"I like it." I would say.
Now I have moved several times in my life, and every state or city has different stores with different brands. I have tasted many kinds of orange juice and the kind I like the best come in cans. The juice itself tastes bad, but the memories are good.

Wipe hands on pants.

Hand dryers are loud and take too long to dry your hands. In a crowded bathroom ladies sometimes have to wait to use the dryer. Using paper towels is faster and works better.

Once I was using a hand dryer that had directions printed on a metal plate on the top. The directions read:

1. Press button.
2. Place hands under dryer.
3. Rub hands briskly.

Underneath, someone had scratched into the metal:

4. Wipe hands on pants.

That was a long time ago but I still laugh when I think of it. I don't think I have ever seen a more appropriate piece of graffiti.

The pendulum - 10 years later.

My comments have requested to see the "advice" from Abe's doctor. Let me start by saying that even the doctor visits for Abe are different than they were for Ada. Now it feels more like an interrogation. These "check-ups" are actually just a barrage of questions to make sure I'm following all the current parenting rules. He begins with reminding me that Abe has to sit in a carseat and it has to be rear facing. Nevermind the fact that Abe is sitting in said carseat while he's telling me this. Then he goes on with things like:

"Does anyone smoke in your house?"
"Do you have any guns?"
"How many smoke alarms do you have?"

I've been going to this doctor for 5 years and he asks me this each time. Write it down for Pete's sake!

Then on to more personal questions that seem to try to judge my mental state.

"How do the other kids like the baby?"
"Do they help you out?"
"Are you getting any sleep?"
"How often do you get out alone with your husband?"

Then the questions actually about Abe:

"He is sleeping on his back?"
"How often does he eat?"
"How many diapers does he go through?"
"You're not feeding him any solid food, right?"

Abe's infant care sheets are actually very general compared to Ada's. There's nothing on there about not giving your baby water, however I had heard of it before he was born. It has just recently become taboo to do so. Weird how something that was recommended less than 2 years ago is now considered poison. Double weird since your body is made mostly of water. Apparently the baby could get water intoxication from having too much water and possibly die. Well so can adults! A little water never hurt anyone, and I mean that literally, 1 ounce of water!

Abe's sheet does say: "Sleeping on the back or side only, not on the stomach. However, this is a good time to work on 'tummy time', putting your child on the stomach for 5-10 minutes twice a day while awake in preparation for rolling and crawling."
I simply hate the phrase "tummy time". So you can't put your baby on it's tummy to sleep, even though it is obviously more comfortable that way. But now twice a day you have to put it on it's tummy while awake. Some babies hate "tummy time" and who could blame them? But now there are a whole line of mats and other products to get babies to tolerate "tummy time". Ridiculous. What ever happened to trusting your instinct?

There is nothing on Abe's sheet about staying out of the sun, which seems to be common knowledge now. I don't think anyone in their right mind would give a baby a sunbath nowadays.

Although I disagree with some of these new rules, all these changes are done with safety in mind and that I can support. I feel kids these days are safer now than in the past. I sometimes think I go overboard in trying to protect my kids. I don't allow them to do some of the things their friends can do and I don't feel guilty about it.

When Tommy was a baby we visited some relatives. While eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast with them one of them asked me, "Did he have some cinnamon roll?"
I looked around, "He who? You mean Tommy? He's only 4 months old!"
"Well he could gum it." was her reply. She laughed and said, "Mothers these days! So cautious!"

Indeed.

And the pendulum swings.

The following are direct quotes from information sheets given to me by Ada's doctor at her infant checkups 11 years ago.

1. Warm tap water may be offered between feedings if the baby is awake.

2. Juice may be offered if the infant does not like water.

3. Let the baby sleep on it's abdomen, back or side as it prefers.

4. Baby may sleep outdoors if weather permits.

5. Sun baths may be started at 6 weeks of age. Expose front and back each one minute and, if tolerated, increase one minute a day up to 15 minutes each back and front.

6. Do not let strangers handle your baby.

Before I became a skeptic.

When I was about 5 years old, my sister and I would play with a boy named Jeremy who lived at the corner of our street. He was the same age as my sister (about 7 years old) so they played together more often. Jeremy had a swing in his front yard, and a treehouse in the back. One day we were all playing together and I think we were playing hide and seek. I was looking for my sister and Jeremy and I was pretty sure they were in the treehouse. I climbed up the ladder and tried to push the door up, but someone was holding it closed. I could hear them laughing inside. My sister shouted "We're not in the treehouse! We're by Jeremy's swing!" I stopped pushing on the door. All logic told me they were in the treehouse, however, I listened to my sister and pictured in my mind that they really were by the swing. I happily ran to the front yard and was shocked to see the swing empty, with no one around. I ran back to the treehouse and this time they were looking over the side, laughing at me. I couldn't believe it! I went to bed that night a little wiser.

4 kids

2nd generation.

My sea monkeys had babies! I started a sea monkey kit just after Christmas and have been faithfully feeding them and aerating their water. There were a lot of monkeys that hatched originally. When they got bigger, pairs of sea monkeys seemed to be "mating" all the time. I waited and waited for babies to come but none ever did. Occasionally, one or two of the sea monkeys would die. Last week I counted only 5 left. I was hoping they would have babies before they all died out. A few days ago I saw three of the sea monkeys stuck together, instead of the usual two. I guess that did the trick!

I am a ruler.

Here is a note that Ben gave me for Mother's Day. I love it.

What the...?

This picture hangs at the Dallas Zoo. They don't have the actual animal there. I looked it up and it turns out that it is not a cross between a turkey and chicken as the name would imply. I'd like to see a real one someday.

My religion comes from a coloring book

Recently, David has been doing a lot of research. He is working on defining his beliefs and putting those beliefs into a religion. He has spent countless hours reading, discussing, defining and redefining these beliefs. All the work he is doing is exhausting to me. Every variation in beliefs has a different definition and a different name: Agnostics, Atheists, Existentialists, Extropians, Freethinkers, Humanists, Igtheists, Materialists, Naturalists, Objectivists, Optihumanists, Positivists, Rationalists, Secularists, Skeptics, Transhumanists, Universal Immortalists, Universists and more! It's too much for me to absorb.

I told him I don't think it should be that hard. How I want to live my life is quite simple. I showed David a coloring book that I purchased two years ago to celebrate HumanLight. It has simple statements and illustrations on each page describing good ways to live, like the above "Hurting people is wrong and helping people is good.", and "Be nice and fair to everyone, including people who are different from you." and "Be kind and careful with animals." It also has reminders of the importance of Art and Science.

I don't know the name for what I believe, but I believe everything in this book.

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/colorbook.html