Saint Aidan

Did you know there was a Saint Aidan? I found out when I attended church on Sunday that they had just celebrated Saint Aidan's Day not long ago. So, since my son shares the same name, I felt a bit curious. Here's some information that I found on Saint Aidan. He sounds like a really great man who was full of generosity.

Saint Aidan

A Deviation from Couch Church

Well, we deviated from our couch church last Sunday. I feel as though we've tried so many different churches in our town. I didn't think there was much left to try. But after a recommendation of a friend, we tried the church that she attends.

We went to the local Anglican church. Now let me say that a year ago, I would've said that I'd never consider attending a "catholic" church and going to mass. However, last Sunday off we went to the Anglican church. Yes, they are catholic, but not in the sense that immediately comes to my mind. I think some things that immediately come to mind have more to do with Roman Catholicism. Anglicans are not Roman Catholics. No, they do not pray to Mary or believe that she is someone holy and to be idolized. This would be a deal breaker for me as I would consider that to fall under idolatry. They do not believe in purgatory.

Their beliefs are based on the Nicene Creed, Apostle's Creed, and Athanasian Creed. It goes without saying that the scriptures of the Holy Bible are of course also what the Anglican church bases its belief on. But I figure I should add that in case anyone is in doubt of that fact.

Coming from an evangelical Protestant background and baptist for many years, it is very much a switch to attend a service that is overflowing with liturgy. I will say that on first attendance, there seemed to be a simplicity to be found by focusing on liturgy. There wasn't the usual concern on whether or not the praise band was "together" when they played that last number, if the song they were playing was modern enough, how much of a pastor's opinion was inserted into the sermon, and various other things that tend to draw my mind away from why I'm there. Please don't misinterpret me as saying that it is this way for all people. I'm sure that it's not. God wired us all differently and I believe that part of finding a church, aside from congruence of beliefs, soundness of doctrine, and all the more serious aspects, is finding a "fit". A fit for one person will not be a fit for someone else.

The liturgy in the service really focuses very much on God and his holiness and on what Christ did for us. I felt that over and over again in the service we were led back to the simplicity of the gospel message. It is this message that is at the heart of my faith as a christian.

I will say that there was one part of the mass that caused me to lose focus a bit. Luckily, I had read up a bit on it so I didn't fall to the floor in shock. That would've been quite the site. "Oh, that Protestant girl is down for the count!" Anyways, they share the communion chalice. Yes...everyone drinks from the same cup. Those who know me well know that this certainly would be an ultimately huge act of faith for me to drink after another. So, the first mass I just watched. I will say that they wipe the cup after each person. Yes, I was watching for those details and admittedly not much focused on God and Christ at that point. It's said that there's little risk of infection due to the alcohol content of the wine, the properties of the silver in the chalice, and so forth. I don't know - once again, this will be a big step for me. Or I may just be pushing everyone out of the way so that I can be first and not have to worry about this!

Anyways, back to my more serious thoughts. T and I both enjoyed the liturgical approach on first attendance. And we were both very surprised by that fact. We're not ready to jump up and down and join the church yet. These things take time. And we have definitely learned as a family not to rush into a church decision. However we are excited to begin attending their "Inquirers" class starting this Wednesday evening. That'll be a great place to learn about the Anglican faith and get our questions answered.

Boo enjoyed the nursery as several of his friends were there. So that was nice. We always take the nursery into account in any church decision. Being parents it's important to us to have a safe option for our child.

So it was nice to get off the couch for a change. And the service starts at 10:00am, so that's good timing for us. We really have wanted somewhere to attend other than our couch church. But we're the type of people that do not attend church merely for the sake of attending and doing the "right" thing. We must be true to ourselves and will not attend somewhere that doesn't fit. To me, this would be inauthentic. I'd rather have church on the couch than be anything less than genuine!

So I guess we'll see where this leads us!

Couch Church

Well, it's been awhile since I've been on this blog. So I've been wanting to get back into the swing of things. And I'm doing this for the second time around because my stupid browser somehow backed me out of writing this and erased everything I wrote. Ugh!

Anyways, T and I have not found a church that really fits us here in the Burg. We attended one church regularly for awhile and there were definitely some positives. We really liked the people and the church overall. However, they have two styles of services. The one at 11:00am doesn't seem to really fit us at all. We like the service that they offer at 8:30am. However, Sunday is the one day of the week that we don't have to get up early for anything. That may sound lazy to some, but oh well. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. The reality is that rushing around like mad to get their on time just causes us to bite each other's heads off. So for a day that's supposed to honor God, that doesn't seem very God honoring to me. What better way to honor God than to be home with my family and have time to love and appreciate them? I know some will not see it that way, but oh well.

We are looking for ways to incorporate God into our Sunday in a formal sense. What we've finally decided on is couch church. We tried it this past Sunday and it was kind of nice. I had my cup of joe and we sat and listened to a podcast that we found. Even Boo joined in for prayer time. Of course, he can never wait until the end of the prayer to say "Amen." He usually says it all throughout the prayer...lol!

Anyways, so we'll be looking for podcasts that resonate with us and encourage good theological conversation. I'm looking forward to more of our Couch Church days!

Crazy Paper Lady

I was at Staples today picking up Turbotax (yes, we waited until the last minute) so that we can file our taxes. Anyways, I decided to pick up some printer paper while there. I was happy to find 100% recycled paper. I buy recycled when I can find it because otherwise it's just a nasty waste of paper. Granted, not everyone will feel that way about it. But that's not the point of this post. I was standing in the checkout line and this lady ahead of me points out the circular for the week and asks if I saw the special on paper. She shows me a deal that's about half price what I'm paying for my paper. I politely thank her and state the paper on sale is not recycled paper. No harm done - I figure she's just trying to be helpful. So then she proceeds to ask me how much I'm paying for my chosen paper. Of course, rather than tell her to mind her own business as I should have done, I answer her question. She then goes on about how I shouldn't have to pay more money to recycle. That I can help the environment by encouraging others to recycle. To which I reply that I'm okay spending a little more money in order to help the environment. I don't even remember what she said about that. But my jaw must've been somewhere near the floor by this point. I mean, seriously? This lady is arguing with me about my choice of purchase. Weird. I mean, I get that someone might feel the way she does. And to each his own as far as the actual issue. But I just can't believe some random stranger felt the need to argue with me about my paper choice. I think I ended the conversation by saying, "Well, to each his own," and then turned my head away. Of course then she proceeded to argue with the cashiers about some sort of coupon that clearly said online/phone purchase only. She insisted that she be allowed to use the coupon in the store. Good grief!

Bank Draft Fees

I found this interesting article on Consumerist.com. It's about bank overdraft fees. Check it out as apparently, according to this article, bank overdraft fees are coming up for review in an upcoming bill.

Choice on Overdraft Fees

I have to say that I agree with some of the commenters. I'd rather my check bounce than for the bank to cash it and tack on all of its fees. I was interested to learn that banks process checks largest to smallest instead of order received. This makes sense, as sometimes I've looked at my online banking and wondered why this or that went through instead of something else. Makes sense. If you bounce a bunch of little charges instead of one big charge you owe more bank fees. Granted, the obvious solution is to never write a bad check. But people do make mistakes and I do think that the overdraft fee thing is definitely "kicking you while you're down."

When I was looking for work once we had gotten ourselves into a hole due to miscalculating a couple of checks. That ONE mistake led to fees and more checks bouncing. Before we knew it we were so negative that every check that my husband made brought us less negative and we couldn't get our account positive. So we had no access to any of his paychecks and our account was negative for a month. We knew that our tax return was due in our account soon and that would bring us positive. Also, I had found a job and had just started training. That's when something wonky happened with our online banking. It suddenly showed a $0 balance. I called the bank to find out they had shut our account down...yeah...a day or two before our tax return was due to deposit into that very account!!! My hubby had to make all kinds of calls to get them to open our account back up. And I might add that the bank people were very snotty and high and mighty. Anyways, that's just one story to show how the bank system can really screw someone.

What do you think? Would you rather the bank reject your check or cash it and pass on overdraft fees to you?

Gentle choices in toy buying?

Ever since we had Boo I've tried really hard to make conscientious choices for his playthings. For example, I prefer to buy something lovingly handmade as opposed to mass produced. This isn't always possible because of the expense, but I try really hard.

To me it's about my values. When I buy the cheapo toy from the store I'm probably putting a lot of money in a corporation who exploits workers in some other country. Not to mention, there's the concern with all of the toxins that are to be found in the toy market - that's downright frightening. However, it is expensive to buy from WAHMs - as it should be - they put their time into making their goods and we all know what a precious commodity time is! So it comes down to quality over quantity. Some may gasp at spending $20 for a wooden truck made by someone who stays home with their children when they can go to the local discount store and buy one for $5. However, often the gasping person has several such trucks, which being cheapo plastic usually break and need replacing. So...I guess that's one point to consider.

I would love to have every toy in this house lovingly made by a WAHM or if not handmade, at least made by a responsible company that specializes in natural toys. However, I have to balance this desire with the fact that I do home daycare. Because I do home daycare quantity is a bit more of a necessity than it would be if I was just caring for my own little one. So I guess I pick and choose. Items that I'm getting primarily for daycare and not as much for my little one I tend to go with lower quality. However, I do try to buy from garage sales, which is a bit gentler of a choice as the item is getting reused. Things that I want to last through all of our children and for years to come I'd rather buy handmade. For example, we're getting Boo a kitchen set for his birthday. Part of the reason we don't have one yet is that we're going to get a nice, handmade, wooden set that will last for years and years to come. It's going to be an investment that will last through all of our children.

There are a lot of great options out there for gentle choices in purchasing.

Etsy

Hyena Cart

Nova Naturals

I've ordered from all of these. Nova is not all WAHM stuff, but they are responsible in the selection they offer. I've ordered from Nova several times and have been happy with them. Hyena cart has a lot of wonderful WAHMs who make cloth diapers, clothing, toys, candles, you name it. Etsy is similar to Hyena cart - you can find just about anything!

Another baby...hmmm....

Okay...it hit me today that there's going to be another child in this house. Specifically, to start out with, a baby. Wow. Don't know why it hit me all of a sudden. I was out gathering some things for daycare at Tarjay and it just kind of hit me. And I feel so incredibly lucky! Honestly, those who have children and/or want children probably know what I mean. After having one I can't imagine how life was before him. Weird how that happens. We spent lots of years without a child. But now my child is crucial to my very existence.

I'm so looking forward to seeing Boo as a big brother. Part of me wants a boy so that I can do the children's room in a really fun, boy design as opposed to gender neutral. And I think brothers have a special bond. I think it'd be neat to have two boys pretty close in age. BUT I have lots of reasons for wanting a girl too. So, in the end, I'll be happy with what I get!

You know, I'm glad to be a work at home mom. There's days when I'm frustrated with it and I tend to get down about the fact that my college degree is no more useful to me than a roll of toilet paper. But I have to keeep in mind, that's for the moment. Years from now when my kids are grown I'll still have my Bachelor's degree to build on. I remember watching a show - I believe it was Oprah (speak of the devil, see below...lol) and she had women on there who had chosen to pursue careers and then have children. What happened with these women is that they waited and when they were ready to try for children, their bodies wouldn't do it. Fertility isn't an exact science. Some women can have children into their forties and for some women mid 30's was too late (as on the show that I saw). It made me sad to watch. And you know, every single woman on the show said she'd give up her career in a heartbeat if she could have children. That show always kind of stuck with me. I guess it's because it was clear how painful this felt to these women and I didn't want to make that mistake.

Many of you know that I started a PsyD program (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology). I left the program after a year. That was a very, very hard thing for me to do. I loved the program and was doing well in it (4.0 if I can toot my own horn for a second). But I felt conflicted the entire time. I was taking on sooo much student debt (and it was a 5 year program) that I knew I'd have to work nonstop when I was done in order to pay back my student loans. I knew that this would probably conflict with my desire to be home with my children. So, after a year in the program, I left. I don't regret the choice to go to school. I would've had a huge regret if I hadn't enrolled in the program. I guess I needed that experience. I do absolutely want a career someday. The crazy part? I've realized that absolutely, no way in hell do I want to sit and listen to people's problems all day long for a job. I've got enough crap in my own life to deal with...lol!

I've got an idea or two on the backburner for when our children are older (all of them at least late elementary) and I decide to pursue more education. My biggest idea is Certified Professional Midwife. Not all states license them - the one I live in currently doesn't. It could change by then, but we plan to move anyways at some point. So, that's a requirement for me for wherever we move - that it must be a state that allows CPMs to practice.

Anyways, just something I was thinking about while shopping at Target. Yes, this is what the inside of my head is like. It's nonstop all day long - just contemplating crap. This is why I need so many blogs!

Your Thoughts?

A friend posted this on my facebook wall awhile back. I'm curious what others think of this video. Here's my initial impressions.

I disagree with Oprah's religious views. I am a christian and for that reason believing in Jesus Christ is central to my faith. I do believe that God is with me, ie...I have a relationship with God, etc...However, I do not believe that I am a part of God - as in deity myself. It's a fine line, but for me it's an important one.

However, I do think this video is bordering on fear mongering a bit. I think that christian organizations have a tendency to find popular people, beliefs, ideas to villianize and then make a crusade out of it. I think we'd all be better off if we promoted what Jesus was about instead of attacking what he's not. Does anyone see the point I'm trying to make? Yes, Oprah is influential. But if weren't Oprah, it'd be someone else. And we as individuals are responsible for choosing what we believe. So I guess it seems inappropriate to me to dump on someone because others choose to follow them. To me that seems similar to blaming a particular music or genre for a teenager going on a shooting spree at his high school. Clearly, that teenager's choice was a bit more complex than that. In the same way I don't believe we can blame a popular figure because people choose to follow them. And Oprah is a person with the right to believe what she wants to believe also. So...I guess I'm just not understanding where this video is coming from in making her out to be the villian.

Okay...that's my two cents. Anyone else?

Welcome

I now have a blog that is more of an appropriate place for some of my more "rambly" posts. And yes, I'm allowed to make up words here! I feel that my original blog is getting weighed down by random stuff that doesn't fit the intent of the initial blog. My hope for this blog is to have a place where discussion can happen in a respectful manner. I have all kinds of philosophical, spiritual, and downright silly thoughts floating around in my head that I'd like to get out. So this will be the place for that.

I want people to comment here. But hopefully if there's disagreement on something, points can be made respectfully.