Public restrooms - North Carolina and Target are wrong

So here's my thoughts on public restrooms...
North Carolina should not have passed any laws stating people must use the bathroom corresponding to their birth sex and Target should have never passed an open door policy -both are wrong in my opinion! If someone is born a woman or is truly transgender identifying as a woman, then there should be no problem with them using the women's restroom, and I doubt that anyone would question it. I'm not going to ask someone that looks like a woman (even if they just kinda look like a woman) why they are in the women's restroom. I could care less what they were born that is their life, not mine. However, an open door policy allows someone that is a man, with perverse intentions, to enter the women's restroom no questions asked - no objections permitted. This is a problem. This has nothing to do with transgender people. This has everything to do with regulations that are in place to protect citizens - including transgender whom could also be subject to abuse from predators. I'm sure we have all used restrooms when transgender people have also been in there, and we never knew it. We never knew or questioned because they looked like the sex that the restroom was for. But when I do walk into a restroom, I want to have the right to be able to tell a burly bearded man (or anyone looking like a man) that they are not in the correct facility. I realize that a sign on a wall won't stop all predators, and some are of the same sex, but that sign does give me the right to question a man in the women's restroom. That sign gives me the right to call management to remove that person. Without the sign, and regulations that sign represents, I cannot do either of these things. I'm not sure this will make sense to anyone else, but I wanted to share my thoughts. I'm sure some of you will agree and some will not, and I'm open to any civil discussion anyone may want to have. Also, if you do agree, please feel free to share this, as I hope it can shine a light on it for those that don't understand this viewpoint. The greatest part about living in this country is that we all have the right to disagree and express our thoughts freely without fear of punishment from our government. May God bless America and all of you!

Lenten Season Preparation

Crown of thorns our 4 kids made. Each day of Lent, they will remove one thorn/toothpick.

Fat Tuesday is here, and it is time to prepare my family and myself for the glory that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Today we rejoice and reflect in what it means to be ready to partake in the celebration of the resurrection. We have always known the Lenten Season to be a time of sacrifice, but do we truly understand what that means? How do we make sure that we are aware of what it means to sacrifice and prepare?

Reconciliation
Going to reconciliation is scary. I even stopped going for several years as an adult because I was worried about what the priest would think of me. How could I face him on Sunday morning after he has heard the things that I have done, said, or thought about doing? Thankfully, we have had wonderful priests that have reminded me that everyone sins and everyone can be cleansed of their sins if they are truly sorry. What a powerful thing! To know that God loves us all so much that he knows we will sin and yet continues to love us. All we have to do is say that we are sorry and truly feel that way and we will be forgiven! How amazing is that! Our priest we have now has also told me that it is humbling for him to listen to the confessions of the parishioners. He has also felt like a failure for sinning and listening to confessions reminds him that he is not alone in this journey to follow the Lord. We, too, must realize that we are not alone in this adventure and that we are not the only ones that step off the path on the journey. Please remember that going to reconciliation helps free you from the guilt and weight of carrying your sins with you forever...even our older kids have commented on how they feel better about themselves after going to reconciliation. The personal reflection that is done to prepare for reconciliation helps us to become more aware of changes we need to make to better follow the Word of God.

Discuss Sacrifice
Too often we think of sacrifice in the terms of giving up candy, soda pop, sweets, or other junk food. We need to realize that sacrifice is also in giving up nontangible things such as gossiping, yelling, lying, pouting, and just being negative, etc... Think about that. Which is harder to do: go 40 days without candy or go 40 days without gossiping?  Which of these is more of a sacrifice for you? This year we decided to do a family activity that involved each of us to pick something to give up and something to take up. The give up fell within the parameters that one would assume we would all pick: pop, candy, ice cream, playing on electronic video games. The take up had to be something that was a behavior in which we would become a more positive person: no fighting with siblings, no yelling (that one is mine), making the bed every morning without being asked, and no whining when asked to help with chores. I'm really excited to see where this will take us!

Take Up & Give Up craft made by our 8 year old.

Inside of her Take Up and Give Up craft

Do For Others
We have really strived to our kids how important it is to be a good family member, friend, neighbor, and nothing makes me happier than seeing the kids do those random acts of kindness. During the Lenten season, we have made it our mission to do at least one act of kindness for others...something extra that we aren't already doing. The kids have already started making a list of things: walk the elderly neighbor's dog on cold days, help clean up the neighbors' yards once the snow melts, spend an hour one afternoon helping people carry their groceries to their cars, their lists go on and on in this fashion. Our 12 year old just added help Miss Mary (our 84 year old widowed neighbor) take care of Carver (her dog that has gotten sick and needs daily meds which Mary isn't able to administer on her own).

Forgive
Far too often we carry not only our own sins with us as baggage, but we also refuse to let go of any sin that has been done to us. Remember when praying the Our Father we ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. Think about that. We want God to forgive us, and we must also be willing to forgive others. This is hard. It is easier to say that we are sorry for something we have done than it is for us to give forgiveness to those that have wronged us. The act of forgiveness not only benefits the person that we are forgiving, but it also helps us to let go of any feelings of injustice or hatred that we may be harboring because of the wrong that was done. Remember that we are all sinners, and we must be willing offer the forgiveness to others that we seek for our own sins. I have found that sometimes it is hard for me to call someone and let them know that I forgive them or ask for their forgiveness, so I have started writing letters. I am able to get all of my thoughts out without the worry of something coming out wrong. Usually I will receive a phone call from whomever I sent the letter to, and others times I will receive a letter back. It is wonderful to get something besides a bill in the mail, and it is wonderful to know that I have given forgiveness to someone or been able to apologize for something that I have done.

In the end, the one thing we want is to get ourselves to the point where we realize that we aren't worthy of the love that God and Jesus have shown for us yet we know that we have done our best to acknowledge our unworthiness and appreciation for it all. Remember God giving us his son, Jesus, and Jesus being willing to give of himself, is the reason that we celebrate this season. And if God and Jesus could give so much of themselves, it is only fitting that we should also give of ourselves more than what we may feel comfortable giving.

What are some of the ways that your family prepares during the Lenten season?

God bless all of you and your family!

6 Cures For Your Family's Winter Blues

Are you starting to feel like the winter blues are pulling you down? I know that I was. I kept telling myself that in just a matter of 4-6 weeks, the sun will be out, the snow will be melted (at least for the most part); we will be able to enjoy being outside once again. These reassurances, although nice to think about, were not pulling me through the rest of the winter. So, I decided that some changes needed to be made to for my sake and the sake of my family. Here's what we have been doing that is actually working to raise our spirits.

1. Do one thing every day for someone besides yourself
     Nothing has worked better to keep us upbeat this winter than to do for others. My two eldest have loved scooping the sidewalks for our 84 year old neighbor, and more than just the act of doing it, they relish telling her that the only payment they will accept is an invitation to come over and play cards with her. But, it doesn't snow every day, so what else do we do? Some days we bake cookies to share with neighbors, and other days we write a letter to a friend or relative to tell them how much they mean to us. The act itself is not what's important. What is important is the fact that we do the act of kindness. Spreading joy to others is contagious; once we see that we have uplifted the spirits of someone else, we immediately start to feel a sense of happiness that is indescribable.

2. Turn off the television
     It is ever so tempting to sit around and watch movies and t.v. shows all day when the weather is crappy, but we have discovered that turning off the television and interacting with each other brings more delight than any show or movie ever could. We enjoy playing board games, but we adore cards. A good deck of cards, a notebook, and a pen gives you and your family unlimited amounts of entertainment. Some games are children's classics like crazy 8's, kings on the corners, and go fish; other games are ones that I used to play when I visited my great granny like: rummy, golf, and  pish-posh (a game I'm quite certain my great granny made up completely on her own).

3. Turn on the radio

My not so graceful finish!

    We take turns picking out which station of playlist we will listen to. Yet, it makes no difference which one of us picks out the music; as soon as the songs start, we all start smiling, laughing, and dancing. I know that you all know what I'm talking about. When your favorite song comes on, you automatically smile, and when a song from your youth comes on, it makes you feel like you are that age again. Music is indeed the one constant that brings happiness, joy, and memories!

Snow dog sculpture

4. Go outside
   Unless there is a cold advisory in effect and it is unsafe to be outside. Get out there! Bundle up and find a hill to go sledding down. And don't just stand there to watch; actually get on the sled and go down the hill! I know at first this doesn't sound like the best idea...we aren't kids anymore and don't want to hurt ourselves. However, I assure you that you will have so much more fun if you actually partake in the sledding! You will remember why it is that kids love snow and winter, and you will start to love it again, too. If you don't have a hill, don't worry; just go out with the kids and build a snowman or have a snowball fight, and don't forget to bring some snow in with you when you get done playing so you can make snow ice cream. Whatever you do, just get out there and do it!

SNOW ICE CREAM

              4 eggs         2 c. milk     pinch of salt          

                 3/4 c. sugar     1 tsp vanilla      Snow                

Beat eggs. Stir in sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Add enough snow to make

consistency of ice cream.

5. Read

    Find a good book and read. Our local library has

Who else remembers Sweet Pickles books?

book sales that we love; we get to buy an entire shopping
bag filled with books for only $1.00! The kids love when
they find books that were published when their grandparents
were kids, and I love watching them enjoy reading books
from when I was a kid. With all of the new books the kids
have found, it hasn't taken long for them to be off reading
in their rooms for hours at a time. Yet, as wonderful as
this was, I wanted to find a way to make reading more
of a family activity. That is when I decided that we should
make plays out of our books, so once a week we pick a
book to make into a play. My favorite by far has been
when they acted out the stories from the Sweet Pickles books.

6. Break out the picture albums
    It is said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, it is worth even more in the eyes of your children. "Mom, who's this?" "Where was this taken at?" "What did you get for that birthday?" "What was your favorite Christmas present?" "You had a tractor. Did you ever get to drive it?" "What's that dog's name, and why did you name it that?" "Were you sad when your house burnt down?" These are just a few of the questions that have aroused when browsing through photo albums with my kids. We have been known to pass hours just looking through one small album. Not only does this entertain our kids, it also helps me realize how blessed I have been in this lifetime. It also helps our kids feel connected to our childhoods and get a clearer picture of the upbringing that my husband and I have. This is a great way to close that generation gap...especially when the kids are able to talk with their grandparents about things because of something they saw in a picture. Many times kids don't know what to say or ask; the pictures aide in giving children a starting point for the conversation to begin.

My childhood home after our house fire.

Yes, my parents did agree to letting us paint the house pink!

Me at 5 years old with my favorite

toy - Pammy Panda.

            
Suddenly, I have begun to enjoy the extra family time that has resulted from the winter weather. I'm not so certain, now, that I am ready to let go of this for a spring and summer filled with countless nights at the ball fields.