Yay! Today was yet another test... this one was on rifle drill, and in spite of being a little nervous, he passed it. A couple more tests later this week, then next week they're out for field exercises. I sent him a care package last week, which arrived today, loaded with energy bars, beef jerky and snacks to take out there with him, plus some odds and ends that I though might come in handy. He got some teasing when a few of the guys saw that I sent along baby wipes - but one of the officers pointed out that baby wipes are a soldier's best friend out in the field.

So there, boys. LOL

Philippians 4:6-7

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Bring your needs to God - don't just sit around and worry or be stressed! God can meet all your needs.

By coming to God with my needs, by coming to Him about everything, I open myself to His peace, which will fill me and keep me from the fear that could otherwise grip my heart and mind.

Philippians 3:12-14

Philippians 3:12-14

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

- I'm NOT there yet!
- Don't get hung up on the PAST
- "Strain toward", "Press on toward" = actively pursuing the goal, not sitting back waiting for something to happen!


Philippians 3:16

Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Does my life reflect salvation, redemption, righteousness, peace, joy, and an active pursuit of Christ and Heaven?


Philippians 3:17

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

Don't do it alone! Find others to join together with, both peers AND mentors.

DH has one more week of classes, then off to another course... we're in week 8 now I think... I've actually started losing track. All I know for sure is, it's less than two calendar months left til Christmas leave!!

Philippians 3:4,7

Philippians 3:4,7

If anyone thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more... but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Don't put your confidence in yourself, your talents, your gifts, your family line, etc. All of that is worthless compared to what you have in Christ! Seek to serve Him and to walk in the righteousness that He gives, not just to do well in your own strength and ability. You can do good things on your own, but truly you are powerless.

Philippians 2:12-16

Philippians 2:12-13

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.

I am to do my part and to work out, live out, act on and demonstrate my salvation, acting in a manner worthy of Christ. But it is only through God working in my that I will be successful, that I will be able to serve his purpose for my life!

Philippians 2:14-16

Do everything withouth complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.

Obedience with a poor attitude is not true obedience. Joyful obedience, with no complaining or arguing, will set me apart and make me stand out in the world around me. A reminder of the power of the tongue here as well - complaining and arguing is a common trait among all of us in our day-to-day conversation, but what is the impact of that?

I’ve started doing some Bible study at night before I go to bed – I decided on Philippians for no particular reason, but it seems to be an appropriate place to be right now. It’s where Paul is writing from jail, and there are some pretty good nuggets to pull out of it. Like making sure that no matter what your circumstances might be, that your conduct is above reproach. And recognizing that even though things might look bad to you, God’s plans are bigger than ours and the very thing you’re suffering through might well be serving to advance the gospel. Or that people will look on you in your troubles, and what you do or say is going to affect their perception of God. I guess I got quite a bit out of the first chapter. :)

A doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from her tumble last night... she fell down a couple of stairs. :( She was quiet and snuggly for about ten minutes then back to her normal self and today she’s trying to go up them again. Yeesh.

C’s cold is yucky today, she’s got a bit of a temperature and took a really long nap this afternoon. Now she’s up and seems content enough but she’s obviously sick. Poor kiddo. Needless to say we didn’t go anywhere today. I’ve got a few things I’d like to get done over the weekend but we’ll play it by ear. I’ve got to bring the nursery stuff in for Sunday, but probably I’ll try to do that tomorrow, then if she’s feeling icky I won’t have to get her up and out early on Sunday.

I hired someone to come build the back steps. He'll be here on Sunday. Once he’s done, then I can finish painting the deck and that project will finally be done. I need to get the rest of that dirt spread out and some grass seed planted asap, too, before it gets cold.

Philippians 1:12 & 27

Philippians 1:12

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

God can use even what looks like a bad situation! In the midst of trial, consider what opportunity there might be to share the gospel, to testify to God's presence and power, or to be a powerful witness through how you deal with your circumstances.

Philippians 1:27

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

In mu situation, be it good or bad, what do my attitudes, actions and words say about Christ? What is my witness when I am put under pressure? Am I conducting myself in a worthy manner, bringing glory to God and walking with Christ, or am I falling, relying on myself and so telling others that the gospel is powerless?

Philippians 1:9-11

Philippians 1:9-11

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

- Seek to GROW in love
- Become MATURE in knowledge and insight
- Develop DISCERNMENT to see what is best
- Live a PURE life, have a clear conscience
- Righteousness comes from CHRIST, not from me
- GOD'S glory, not mine

Growth and maturity will be marked by increased discernment and a closer walk with Christ, resulting in righteousness displayed in a pure and blameless life that brings glory and praise to God.

"Salute to a brave and modest nation"

Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires
Salute to a brave and modest nation
Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph

LONDON - Until the deaths last week of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a U. S. warplane in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops were deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will now bury its dead, just as the rest of the world as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.

Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British." The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and film makers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British. It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This week, four more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

A little time to slumber

It's too true...

This poem is from here - Great website, great writer!

A little time to slumber
All my days spent in the sun,
My idle hands were folded,
My daily chores not done.
I wasn’t at all rebellious,
As into the sky I’d gaze,
I just left my daily duties
As in the sun I bathed.
I read my book for hours,
Dishes soaking in the sink,
The meat still in the freezer
For I didn’t stop to think
What I needed for dinner,
It lay frozen in a lump;
I’d serve meat of something,
Be it chops or steak or rump.
Just a minute of my surfing
Turned to hours of my day,
As I sat online chatting
To people far away.
Imagine then my panic
As at last I looked around,
To see the clock now telling
My man was homeward bound.
What a rush of my adrenaline,
Making me quickly scamper
To launder clothes still waiting
In the dirty laundry hamper.
The bed was pulled up in a hurry,
The dishes washed and left to dry,
As I boiled up some veggies
And set the meat to fry.
Which would likely take forever
For it hadn’t completely thawed
And I so wanted dinner ready
As soon as my man hit the door.
I felt so really guilty
as I served our dinner late,
That I decided my many forums
Would henceforth have to wait.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Book Reviews

Diary of a Fat Housewife
I'm currently in the middle of reading this. It's a no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled, gut-wrenchingly honest look at life from the inside of a woman's struggle with weight. Being pregnant and hormonal, I'm surprised this book hasn't had me in tears already. It's definitely had me chuckling several times. I can't relate to all of it - I've been overweight for years but not to the extent of the author, and I haven't had to battle the overwhelming compulsions she talks about. But I love her honesty and her willingness to share her entire story (not just the successful parts). Written with sincerity, and at times very real, very raw emotion, this diary is a bit of a roller coaster, and I'd call it a must read for anyone who is struggling to lose weight and feels like they're alone in their plight.

The Surrendered Wife
It's challenging, it's controversial, and boy, do eyebrows go up when you start talking about this author's approach to a successful marriage! Setting aside the need to control, to be in charge, to take care of everything - it's a tall order, especially in this day and age when we have been raised to embrace the "do it all" dream. It's difficult to step away from years of one way of thinking and start embracing what feels like the opposite. To stop nagging, controlling, and micro-managing when you've been in that place long enough that it just comes out unconsciously, to hand over the reins to your husband and let him take the lead, it can feel so foreign, but yet so refreshing! Highly recommended.

Hush, Little Ones
Quite possibly a perfect bedtime story. Very soothing, rhythmic and repetitive, this book goes along softly saying goodnight to animals around the world. Also a great book for teaching some animal lessons, as each animal family is pictured in its natural habitat - nests, dens, burrows, fields. My two year old loves it but I think it would be a keeper for several years.

Down by the Station
This must be C's favorite book right now. A great little rhyme laid out beautifully in a book where each turn of the page reveals something new through peek-a-boo holes in the pages. On the right is a picture of the station and on the left appear all the sounds of the various trains, buses, tractors etc. C has been walking around the house "reading" this one to herself for days now, "chug chug chug, off we go!

Canadian soldiers seize Taliban weapons, supplies

Canadian soldiers seize Taliban weapons, supplies
The Canadian Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan have seized a series of major Taliban supply depots containing everything from winter clothing and medical supplies to bomb-making equipment and anti-tank weapons.

The discoveries came after three days of patrolling in a village long believed to be an important staging point for insurgents.

The operation was intended to increase security in Kandahar City by disrupting the flow of Taliban fighters into the region.

Together with soldiers from the Afghan National Army, the Canadians found dozens of homemade explosives, mines, mortars, radios and an 82-millimetre recoilless rifle -- a weapon capable of taking out an armoured vehicle.

The soldiers also found what appeared to be a Taliban infirmary, complete with IV bottles, bloodstained clothes and two 50-kilogram sacks of dried peas from the United Nations, originally donated by Canada.

Insurgents declined to tangle directly with the heavily-armed battle group from the Royal Canadian Regiment, although the operation did encounter several improvised explosive devices.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081010/Afghan_bomb_20081010/20081010?hub=Canada

The BEST Play Dough Recipe!

Traditional Play Dough

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time.

This recipe is from here: http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdoughrecipes/traditional.html



Personal notes:

I used a medium-size pot to make this and it was about the perfect size. When it's done cooking, it will be quite thick and starting to stick to the bottom of the pot. I do not add the food coloring until afterward because I only want to make a small amount of each color at any given time. So I cook it and cool it as above, but I knead the color in by hand during the last step.

I have found that empty used Play-Doh containers make great storage (and we have plenty of them since Play-Doh dries out so quickly!). You could also use small Tupperware-type containers, or even Ziplock-type plastic bags as long as they have a good seal. Check flea markets for old Play-Doh playsets - most of them will be pretty cheap (and will probably include several tubs of dried-out dough if your experience is like mine!).

We left this dough out on the table overnight once by accident and I was VERY pleased to see that it didn't dry out. It got just a little crusty on the top, but a few seconds of kneading with warm hands and it was as good as new!

Thankfully my car checked out okay and doesn't need to be replaced. It does need new brake lines, but we're talking about a few hundred dollars tops. HUGE load off. (One guy told me I needed to get a new car in the next year, another that I was looking at $800+ just to fix my brake lines.)

So I'm going to town with mom this morning, picking up my car, then running errands. Two big boxes of books to take to the used book store, a few groceries to pick up, that kind of stuff.

DH talked to his clerk and found out our paycheck next week should be a normal one, no more dinky partial paycheques.

SO happy it's Friday, looking forward to the long weekend and being able to chat with honey. No holiday plans yet...

Recipe: Amish White Bread (for bread machine)

I came across this one day and filed it away... well, today I tried it and it is SO good!

Amish White Bread (bread machine version)

2-3/4 c flour
1/4 c oil
1 tsp yeast
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c + 2 tbsp warm water

Add to machine in order according to manufacturer's directions. Settings: 1-1/2 lb loaf, light crust.

The recipe noted that it needs to have two full rising cycles, so if your machine doesn't raise the dough twice, stop it and restart the cycle after the first rising is finished.

C has been a little off lately. Yesterday she was saying “I want all the leaves to be gone!” I asked her why, and she said “So it will be winter.” I asked why she wanted it to be winter, and her answer was “Because then Daddy will be home for a visit.” Oh.

She thinks a lot, you know? I think people don’t realize how much goes on in those little brains… but she’s analyzing things and coming up with her own conclusions, not always good ones. Like the other day when she figured that no one was going to buy the house and we were going to have to stay here without Daddy. She came to that on her own, from me saying we needed someone to buy the house before we could move to a new one, and then the people who came over didn’t buy it, so this is where she ended up. Scary.

Speaking of scary… apparently the world banks are getting together and starting to argue the benefits of a global currency. Eep.

We've been sending Daddy some of C’s school work. She is doing REALLY well… this week she decided we needed to be doing school again, I think because her cousin was doing homework at Grammie’s house. And she dove right in, finishing two of her half-finished workbooks in two days. LOL

Part of me wishes we’d made the effort to get together this weekend, but it’s a little late now. Besides, it still stands that it would have been really, REALLY hard to put him back on a plane after only a couple of days. It’ll be hard enough to do it after Christmas. Although I am hoping and praying and pleading that it won’t happen, that we’ll sell the house and things will work out that we can move after Christmas. We’ll see, though. Whatever will be, will be...and out of it will come whatever it is that God wants us to get out of it. I just hope He wants us to do it together. This long-distance thing… well, it’s manageable, but it’s certainly no fun. And the crazy part is, we’re signing on to a career that will make this a commonplace occurrence. We should both have our heads examined. LOL

Quotes of the Day

"You can't make Socialists out of individualists - children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent." - John Dewey, considered the founder of public education in America
(http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2001/sept01/socialism.shtml)

"Some say it takes a village to raise a child. I've seen the village... and allowing it to raise my child is not an option."- Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s18yj57iwU

52 days left til graduation, but still more than 60 til Christmas leave. That’s what I’m more looking forward to.

The kids’ colds are on the mend. They’ve still got a little bit – A still has a runny nose and C still has a cough – but it’s way better than it was a few days ago. We stayed away from Baby & Me today, though. Next week we’ll resume our social calendar. :)

C was all dejected today. I asked her why and she was like, “We’re NEVER going to move to a new house. I miss our new house. We’re going to have to stay in our old house for EVER. So I’m sad.” Poor kid. I had to laugh, but I hid it from her. She was pretty serious about it. So I explained that no, we won’t be here forever, we have to wait til the right person comes and wants to buy it, and even then we won’t be moving until after Christmas, or maybe even longer, that we can’t move until Daddy is ready for us. I don’t know if that helped or not. I guess yet again I didn't give her little brain enough credit... we were on a cleaning frenzy the other day to show the house to someone, and then they didn't have any interest, so she took that quite to heart.

I got rid of another trunk full of stuff today, four boxes off to the Tabitha Center and the little wooden table & chairs given to a friend. I’m getting there… I’m at the point now where I have to think about what I’m looking at before deciding whether it’s clutter or useful. We still have a ton of stuff here, but what’s here now is harder to part with.

I was reading an interesting blog entry today… the girl who wrote it thinks we might be in the beginnings of the 7 year tribulation period, or that if we’re not, we’re at least in the birth pangs for it. She has a theory that the first seal may have been broken last year when the EU and Israel signed a peace treaty. I’m not sure about all of what she wrote, mostly because I’m not half the bible scholar I would need to be to follow what she writes about. But she did make an interesting point about the Mark of the Beast. She said it will follow after the Rapture. And she was sketching out a possible scenario… you have hundreds of thousands of people suddenly go missing. Planes crash, cars crash, utter chaos ensues. The government steps in with this little implantable gizmo about the size of a grain of rice that can be traced from anywhere, everyone has to have one, it’s for your safety, there won’t be any more of these mysterious disappearances. I thought that was interesting.

Scary stuff today… I was listening to Glenn Beck… talk about fanatical support for a politician. I am seriously a little scared of what the outcome of the US election will be. Whoever wins. If Obama wins, then these freak people are going to be the ones running the show. If he loses, these freak people very well might be dangerous! He played a couple of clips. One was of a group of teen boys, dressed in camo pants and green t-shirts, doing a chant that started “Alpha Omega Alpha Omega” over and over as they marched into the room. They all one by one gave their “Because of Obama, I … “ testimony. They did a chant. Then they left. All very militaristic. Glenn was like, how would people react if supporters of a right-wing candidate did this? I found the video on YouTube. Apparently it’s been pulled down repeatedly, but people are making copies and reposting it because it’s so freaky. View it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxJ7t3U3TDg

But it’s not as bad as the second one. The second one… well, Glenn played a clip from an audio track from the Nazi children’s camp that sounded eerily similar. It’s of children, singing a song about "Obama's gonna lead us" and “we’re gonna change the world”. That one was just plain frightening. It's on YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdPSqL9_mfM&feature=rec-fresh

This, I think, is powerful... watch them both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH-2Fwx5RU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANn-1LpBZTQ

We're almost halfway through basic!!

DH gets his C7 this week, he's looking forward to that... and looking forward to seeing how their platoon does this week. They had 5 VRs last week under the increased pressure and higher demands.

I’ve been working on advertising the house for sale… finding places online that I can advertise it for free. Sometime this week I’ll probably make up a flyer, too, that I can post around town. Free first, cheap next, expensive as a last resort :)

C seems much better this morning. They’ve both still got snotty noses, but at least no one is dragging around. Her appetite is much better, too… she’s sitting here eating a snack of fruit loops, applesauce, chocolate pudding, baby cookies and a candy necklace. LOL I’m keeping her home from dance class, though, just because I don't know that she's really better.

C was SO tickled to get a letter of her own today from Daddy. She just held it and looked at it and tried to read it… then took it in to show Grammie. It totally made her day. LOL

I am so looking forward to seeing hubby again… knowing that we’re almost half done this run, and knowing that there’s even a slim chance we can move before the July date I was expecting… I’ve been given a real morale boost this last few days. A very timely one, too, because I was starting to get a little down. Not terribly so, but a bit. Just enough that I was struggling with motivation. Now I’ve got that back and then some. :)

In spite of my fears and moments of negativity, I am recognizing more and more that there can and likely will be several positive changes in us both that will benefit all of us in the long run. This is a time to embrace the good, try to avoid the bad, to learn much and to grow.

I talked to DH last night for a long chat... that was nice. 10 minute calls during the week are all right, but it's much better having a chance to just kind of talk about the trivialities of life. And he had a chance to talk to C, too, which was good. She's missing him quite a lot lately and all she's talking about is moving to a new house with him, and what we're going to pack, and how she thinks our moving truck must be stuck in its garage somewhere. LOL



I have to say, crockpot oatmeal is REALLY convenient. It is nice to just come down stairs and grab bowls for breakfast, and still know it's healthy. Here's the recipe:

Apple Oatmeal with Wheat Berries

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 cup wheat berries
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup cranberry or apple juice

First, grease the slow cooker stoneware with butter, margarine or oil. In the cooker, combine the steel-cut oats, wheat berries, apples, cinnamon and vanilla. Add water and juice. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, stir well, spoon into bowls and top with fruit, nuts or sugar of your choice.

Thoughts on Job

During a recent discussion about God's will and suffering in our lives, of course the story of Job came up. Afterward I got to thinking a little about that story and what it's really all about. I never considered before just what that story does. It shows me every perspective on a time of trial. There's much more to it than just a really "patient" man enduring a struggle.

There's God's perspective - He chose to allow Job to endure the trials he was afflicted with, but He still had His hand on Job's life, He still remained in control, and He never left Job's side.
There's Satan's perspective - He asked for and received permission to test Job. This tells me that for one thing, he doesn't have that much power, if he had to go and ask God first before he could give Job any real trouble. It also reminds me that when trouble comes, it's not coming from God.

There's Job's perspective - In the middle of everything, he could have just fallen down and denied God, he could have decided that God wasn't real after all, or that he'd been forsaken. But he didn't - he still believed and he waited to see what God's grand design was for him through all of it.

And then there is the perspective of all those around him, those who should have been supportive and encouraging but instead were negative, even hateful. They didn't see the truth, that God was using the trials to teach Job, to accomplish something for His greater good, because they were too wrapped up in themselves and couldn't see the big picture.

C has totally latched onto the idea of moving. She brings it up at least twice a day now in some way or another. I hope we do manage to sell the house and move sooner rather than later… she could be pretty disappointed otherwise. I’m trying hard to avoid talking about it around her, and when she brings it up I’m being somewhat noncommittal… I don’t want to get her hopes up too high about things working out just the way she thinks they will. Hmm. Perhaps there’s a lesson for both of us there.

I think we’ll be missing church on Sunday… maybe not, but right now it doesn’t look like C’s cold will be gone by then. Hopefully it is, though, because we’re supposed to be having a meeting after the service with all the toddler teachers. If necessary, I guess I could just go for the meeting and ask mom to take the girls for an hour. At any rate, I’ve got to get the lessons finished up and dropped off at the church before then! I had planned to do it mid-week, but one of the girls has been sick every day this week and that is not conducive to spending long periods standing at a photocopier! I think this time around I’ll just run them off here at home, it will be simpler.

I think I’ll have another yardsale tomorrow when I get home from Weight Watchers. But I think I’ll drag it out to the front yard instead of keeping it all in the barn. I need to get the barn cleaned up a bit if I’m going to start showing the house; right now it doesn’t show so well because it’s full of junk.

Well, that’s about all I have to say for tonight. The kids are both in bed, A’s asleep and C’s on her way there, and it’s only quarter to eight. I love it! LOL Might be a good night for a bath and a book… or maybe I’ll go paint the porch for a while.

It’s pretty dismal here today. Hoping that it does clear up on the weekend, they’re forecasting sun. That will be nice. It’s been wet and/or rainy all week so far except for a little bit of sun on Monday. *sigh*

The 'girl' in me is starting to have a hard time with this separation, with the lack of just having hubby here to make me feel special. Phone calls and letters are nice, but the day to day contact is something I’m starting to really miss. I’m glad I have the kids and the house and stuff to look after, though, because that’s keeping me busy enough that I’m not really having time to dwell on the things I miss. It’s becoming ever more tempting to think about moving to Angus or Alliston while he's in Borden for training after Christmas. I’ve been warned that even if we did live together we still wouldn’t see much of him between classes and study time – but I’m thinking that would be pretty close to what we had before. LOL

Anyway, we’ll just wait and see what happens, I guess. There are still the remaining weeks of basic to get through before we can really think about what we want to do afterward. There are so many “maybes” right now that if I start thinking about them too much they’ll drive me crazy. So mostly I’m not. Mostly I’m just thinking about each day as it comes and doing what needs to be done until bedtime, then doing it all again the next day.


DH has one more milestone under his belt - he passed his first aid course. That's one of the mandatory ones that can get you re-coursed if you don't pass it. So that's one more check-mark. :)

The course is tough, but it will get better. Or if it doesn’t get better, then at least we know that it will be over eventually. It strikes me as just a bit odd that this is a career training path, which generally is something one would be looking forward to, and yet we keep talking about it in terms of how soon it will be over… it’s like all of a sudden he's a masochist and I’m party to it.

I talked to him for a bit last night. Part of their platoon is dragging the rest of them down and not pulling their weight. Stupid stuff like leaving pee on the toilet seat just before an inspection, meaning the four guys who spent an hour cleaning the bathroom all get penalized. Poor quality inspections, etc. As a result the whole platoon is severely limited this week. 20 minute break in the evening, the rest of the time they're to be doing something productive. No electronics. No free weekend this week. etc. etc. etc. He's doing all right with it all but judging by the cursing in the background there are a few who are more than a little upset by it. Hopefully those are the ones who are causing the problem and they'll shape up or ship out. I figure it won't be long before they'll feel the sharp end of the platoon's combined wrath.

I'm just hoping he'll be able to call home this weekend; he doesn't figure on being able to make any other calls this week.


Fall is definitely setting in. It’s windy tonight. And cold. I’ve got a fire going downstairs and the kids tucked in with quilts. I heard that Petawawa had hail today. Not quite snow, but close. It’s still cold and white. Brr.

It was kind of funny… C and I have been talking all along about the progression of events. Daddy will come home for Christmas, then go back to school, and when he's all done school and ready for his new army job then he will come and get us and we’ll move to a new house. Then today she writes about moving to a new house next to his school. Weird. Funny kid, she is. Sometimes it’s almost like she picks up on things before I even say them.

The kids still both have colds. A’s is improving and C’s is just getting bad (guess who had it first). She had a rough afternoon, very sooky and whiny and so on, didn’t eat much of her supper, then fell asleep on the couch about 5:30. I woke her up at 6:00, put her in a warm tub, got her into her jammies with Nyquil and Vaporub and put her to bed at 7:00. She was out like a light. A went soon after, which meant a nice quiet evening.

A is doing a little better at sleeping in her bed. She just woke up here a few minutes ago, but all she wanted was a cuddle and her teddy bear then she laid back down and was back to sleep in under ten minutes. We’re getting there. Now, last night she was in our bed for a good part of the night but mostly because I was WAY too tired to want to stand by her crib to get her settled.

Today I took a bit of a break from the world. We didn’t leave the house except when I went outside to put the garbage in the barn. Stayed home, and CLEANED. Put stuff away, tidied, vacuumed, wiped up the kitchen floor… all the stuff I’ve been neglecting the last few days while wrapping up a work project. I’ve got some other projects I still need to tidy up… then I’ll be all caught up, I think, and able to get back to work on the house. I still haven’t finished my painting projects, and I really do need to get them done. I’d like to have an open house or two through October if I can possibly get the place into shape for it.


DH is doing okay but frustrated that part of the platoon isn’t getting it together. I suppose what will start to happen is the platoon will turn against those who really aren’t pulling their own weight, and they’ll end up getting out or getting kicked out. Sounds kind of brutal but I guess that’s what tends to happen. Unfortunately it will mean the rest of the team taking some extra heat for their failures. Sometimes I wish there was some career path we could have picked that didn’t involve all this game-playing and manipulation. Ah, well… it’s less than two months left, less than 60 days. A few more weeks and there will be less time left than has already passed. I’m seriously counting the days until Christmas break.

DH apparently got mentioned in the Vanguard last week... I’m going to try to get my hands on a copy. The orchestra is looking for a new trumpet player, since he up and abandoned them. The big meanie. LOL I guess it's nice to know that you're appreciated, though. :)

C started with a runny nose today. I guess it was inevitable since A’s had one for several days.  It doesn’t seem to be a serious bug though, just a typical cold, so I don’t think we’ve got too much to worry about.

Her prayers have taken a new turn… it’s sweet… she’s started listing all the things she’s thankful for. “Thank you God for houses, and clouds, and rain, and trees, and plants, and flowers, and foxes, and giraffes…” a ton of stuff. Tucked her in, said good night. A few minutes later she came running into our room – “Mommy, does God make volcanoes?” “Yes.” “Here?” “No, far away.” “In Africa?” “No, other places, across the ocean.” “Oh. OK.” “Good Night.” “Good Night!” (trotting back to her room) :)

Evenings just aren’t quite the same when I’m here by myself and the kids are in bed. Not that I want them to be up, mind you. The breathing space is quite nice, actually. But it would be nicer if I had hubby to share it with. 59 days til graduation. Then two more weeks til Christmas leave. *sigh* Not that long. But still, soooooo long. It’s a good thing I’ve found things to focus on, like losing weight, and getting some stuff done around the house… otherwise I think I’d go batty.

I took the kids to the mall today to get winter boots. Failed miserably – A’s feet are just not made for boots, they’re too chunky. C’s old boots still fit so I’m not really worried about getting her new ones, but if there had been a set at a good price then I might have. I did, however, get them each a new pair of sneakers for like $5.00 each at Zellers off the clearance rack. Nice ones, too, with the sparkly lights on them. And I got myself a pair of boots for 30% off :) I’ll start checking Frenchy’s – that’s where I got C’s boots when she was a baby, I had lucked out and found a pair that opened up wide enough to get her foot into.

Oh, I measured and weighed A today, she’s 31 inches and 28 lbs 3 ounces. She’s down over a pound in the last two months, but really hasn’t grown much at all. (Unless I was measuring her wrong before.) She’s getting the hang of this walking thing pretty quickly, although Gram says she walks like an old lady who’s had two hip replacements. LOL Very stiff and straight-legged, it’s funny to watch her. It won’t be long and she’ll be cruising around here. She’s already trying to pick up speed a little bit. What’s cute is when she walks to C with her arms out and they both tumble to the floor – they love it.

C’s talking a lot lately about moving to a new house and wishing winter would get here… today she made a comment about Daddy not living with us anymore, and I quickly reminded her that he's just at school and WILL be living with us again as soon as it's finished. She says she reeeaaaally misses Daddy. But it’s short-lived moments when she’s like that. Mostly she is still accepting things the way they are and coping quite well. Of course I have no idea what goes on inside that little head of hers. A lot, I suspect. Which is why I give her things to think about, like winter comes after fall, and that’s when Christmastime comes, and Christmastime is when Daddy will be home for a nice long visit. And reminding her that he's at school, not moved away.

I bumped into someone today who didn't realize DH had gone to basic training and asked what he was up to since closing the store. He said, “The Army?!?! Isn’t he a little OLD to be starting something like that?” ROFL

I had the first of the inevitable phone calls today asking whether we’d consider renting. I said “No. That’s just not an option for us, we’re relocating and we HAVE to sell it.” Sorry. I kind of wish we could... if we were in a better position then I'd love to be able to give someone else a hand-up like that and do a rent-to-own. But it's just too risky.

Recipe: 100% Whole Wheat Bread

http://www.preparedpantry.com/wholewheatbreadrecipe.htm

This is by far the BEST whole wheat bread I have ever eaten.


100% Whole Wheat Bread

The key to really great 100% whole wheat bread is to extract the best flavors from the whole wheat and temper the harsh tones that sometimes accompany whole wheat flour. Good whole wheat bread has an almost nutty taste without a bitter aftertaste. A long fermentation gives the yeast a chance to produce its own flavors and convert the starch to sugar. By refrigerating the dough overnight, you can make excellent 100% whole wheat bread.

This is one of our favorite bread recipes. Yeasts perform differently at low temperatures. In this recipe, the dough is mixed the day before and refrigerated. The acids and enzymes produced by the yeast at lower temperatures temper the harshness of the whole wheat and develop wonderfully complex bread flavors. It’s no more work than other recipes; you just mix the dough the day before.

Bakers note: This bread should be very light and fluffy, not dense. The secret of making it so is to make sure that the dough rises fully both in the first rise and in the pans. The dough will fill two 5 x 9-inch loaf pans and should be very soft and puffy before baking. If you let it over-rise, you may see a blister or two in the dough. Poke the blisters with the point of a knife and hurry the bread into the hot oven.

Ingredients

5 to 6 cups fine-ground whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten (optional)
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 seven gram packet of instant yeast (or two teaspoons)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled butter


Directions

1. Place about three cups of the flour in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the yeast. Carefully measure 2 cups room temperature (80 degrees) water. The water should feel cool to the touch. Mix the water with the flour with a dough hook for 30 seconds or until the yeast is dissolved and the ingredients begin to combine.

2. Add the salt, sugar, and butter and continue mixing. Add most of the remaining flour, the wheat gluten, and dough conditioner and continue mixing at a medium speed for at least four minutes adding more flour as needed to reach a soft dough consistency. (It is important that the dough be mixed for at least four minutes to develop the gluten.) The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but will be soft, not firm, to the touch.

3. Once the dough is mixed, place it in a large greased bowl, turning once to coat both sides, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for up to three days.

4. On the day that you would like to bake your bread, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm to room temperature--about three hours. The dough should rise to nearly double in size.

5. Once the dough has risen, form the loaves. Coat your hands with flour and gently form a loaf by pulling the dough around itself to create a slightly stretched skin. You may need to coat your hands several times if the dough is sticky. If necessary, pinch the seams together on the bottom of the loaf. Lay the loaf gently in a well-greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the second loaf. Let double again in size, about 11/2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the dough has doubled (the loaf should be very puffy), place the two loaves on a shelf in the top half of the oven, well-spaced so that air can circulate between the loaves. Bake for thirty minutes or until done. The interior of the loaves should register at least 185 degrees when an insta-read thermometer is inserted through the bottom crust. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on wire racks. Let it cool completely before cutting.

Today was full. This morning A had her one-year checkup and shots. The doctor didn’t have much to say, he laughed and said he wasn’t going to answer me when I asked (rather tongue in cheek) whether he was concerned about her losing some weight. LOL Picked up lunch at Wendy’s then home to finish up some work. Waiting on client confirmation.

C had dance class at 4:15, we were borderline late getting there, all my own fault, I was dawdling on Facebook. Whoops. Anyway… hoping she doesn’t catch whatever bug this other little girl was carrying. The teacher has a policy that anyone arriving sick will be sent home. Apparently this other mom didn’t read that, or didn’t care, or figured her kid could stay under the radar. When we were back to pick the kids up she was asking her daughter if she felt better enough for so and so to come over, and the girl was saying maybe if she went home and had a nap first, and her legs were tired, and she needed to be carried… then the mom looks at us and says, “I think she might be coming on with something, I don’t know.” Grr. Anyway, I scrubbed C’s hands with sanitizer and I’m hoping for the best.

Then back home, quick supper, and A’s birthday festivities at 6:00. Mom and Dad came over with D, Gram and Gramp came for a while, and DH's mom came later on with B. Mom and I both had little presents for C, but she was much more interested in A’s! A got a baby doll and a set of musical maracas from us, a doll with crinkly bumblebee wings from Mom, a musical night-time Winnie the Pooh “from D”, and an electronic/musical toy phone from MIL, SIL and B. And let me tell you, she KNEW that those toys were HERS. No way was she willingly going to let C cart them off. It was kind of funny, actually. Then we had cake – I gave A a little one to play with while I took some pictures, then cut her off a piece of it to actually munch on. She made a mess, but that was the point. Messy frosting makes cute birthday pictures. :) I had a chocolate swirl cheesecake for the grownups. Yum. And it was just the right size that we each had a little piece and there were no leftovers for me to eat tomorrow. :P

A has a little bit of a cold again – I don’t think it’s going to develop into anything though. Mostly just a runny nose, and a little cough sometimes. But between that and her needles this morning, I gave her a dose of Motrin at bedtime. So far she’s handled all of her shots really well, but at a year they give two so it could be a little more bothersome. Our previous doctor gave three, he gave the chicken pox vaccine as a matter of course. But our current doctor doesn’t. When I booked the appointment the secretary told me that if I wanted that one he’d do it, but it was one that I needed to ask for. I didn’t ask for it. I’m pretty much indifferent to whether she has that shot or not, so I didn’t bring it up.

I'm watching the bailout debate in the US with some interest, and the economic situation as a whole. I have to say, I totally agree with the caller who phoned in the other day, either to Glenn or to Rush, and said he’d rather see the country go through another depression than saddle the coming generations with such a massive debt. I agree with that completely, and with the view that this is making responsible people accountable for the mistakes and poor decision-making of others. Like making us pay the mortgage on a neighbor’s house, but letting them still live there so we don’t get anything from the property we’re stuck paying for. It just seems really wrong.

And then there is the matter of them limiting executive compensation. I’ve heard it tossed around as part of this deal, that they want to limit how much someone can make. That makes me just sick. Talk about tearing the guts out of capitalism and the free market. Now don’t get me wrong, I think there should be something in place to keep people from taking 22 million dollar bonuses out of their company while it’s circling the drain. But I don’t think the government has any business telling executive XYZ that he is only “allowed” to take home this many dollars. Some people are aguing for it, saying, “Why should some guy be making ten times more than you when he’s sitting in an office somewhere and you’re out there working?” And I guess I understand how someone could feel like that's an injustice. But it's part of the deal... if you want to have a free economy, where people are free to pursue their business, set their own prices, etc etc etc, I don't think it's reasonable or even safe to try to impose limits on people's income. Unless, like I said, it's a situation where someone is taking money out of a company that's failing, or in the case of a payroll that is taxpayer-supported.

The "big storm" was pretty much a non-event here. They were giving some bad forecasts, but the storm wobbled westward as it approached and Shelburne ended up taking the brunt of it. Yarmouth lost a couple of trees – one big one on that sharp corner by the hospital, in particular. A couple of signs came down, and a lot of branches. A big old barn up here in Port Maitland blew down, too, but it was abandoned years and years ago from the look of it. Nothing happened here at all except for one little power flicker. The kids were in bed early, then woke up later on. Got them back into bed, Cara was grouchy and A put up a fight, but eventually they both went back to sleep, and they were both in their OWN beds. A slept in her bed til past 4:00. Woohoo! Tonight they were both in bed at a little past 8:00, again in their OWN beds. A’s had a few little bouts of coughing but hasn’t woken up yet.

I realized tonight that in some ways this could be a good experience for me. I’m taking the time to focus more on losing weight and eating healthier, I’m paying a little more attention to what needs to be done around here, I’m trying to be a little more efficient with my time and get routines in place… I miss him like the dickens, but maybe having some time where I’m the only adult will help me to develop a little more discipline. I’m so not looking forward to the next stage of training, though. That longer separation of minimum five months makes me a little queasy.

This was DH's first "leave weekend" where they can actually leave the base. Hopefully things went well and no one on the platoon did anything on the weekend that will reflect poorly on the group as a whole. Apparently there are guys in St Jean who like to to beat up new recruits. So much for my little happy bubble of delusion where I think training is nice and safe. *sigh* I know, “safe” and “military” don’t really go well together. LOL

Oh - and he got his first performance evaluation today :) Everything was acceptable or 'improving' so he's doing well.

I have found an amazing blog.

A Holy Experience

If you visit this site... be prepared to be moved to tears, to have your heart cry out, to be convicted, to feel hope, to be encouraged, and to be spoken to.

This lady has a real gift. Visit her site. Read it. Subscribe to it. Your life will be better for having met her.

What's New?

DH has been gone to basic training now for a full calendar month. Today he had a parade test, earned his cap badge and had a performance evaluation, this weekend is their first "free" weekend so he's out with the boys tonight and looking forward to some extra sleep tomorrow and Sunday. He's also finally shaken off the miserable cold that's been dogging him for going on three weeks.

A is one year old tomorrow. Where did the time go? She treated C and I to her first real steps yesterday, and I happened to have my cell phone handy so I caught it on video :) She's 32.5 inches and 28 pounds, and a adorable bundle of spirit.

C is at a really interesting stage - she's thinking all the time and comes out with things that just amaze me sometimes. She's a ball of energy and loves being outside in the fall weather.

I am doing all right as a temporarily single mom - it has its moments, but thanks be to God that I have two beautiful girls who are accepting Daddy's career choice and going with the flow. Not to mention helpful family and some great friends who are really stepping up when needed.

And hey, we've already got a whole month behind us. Only two and a half more until Christmas vacation!

The house is officially for sale - list price is $135,000 with room for negotiation depending on appliances, oil, taxes, etc etc etc. If you know anyone who's house-hunting in the Port Maitland area, let them know there is a cozy 3br farmhouse with a great barn and ten acres just waiting for a new family!!

That's about it. Oh, and yes, as a matter of fact, I have lost weight. :P Thanks everyone who's noticed and commented, it's a great ego stroking. LOL

Life Cycles - Lesson One completed, Next!!

So "Super Caterpillar" turned out to be a bit of a surprise. Silly mom never considered all the possibilities of what might grow out of a caterpillar. LOL

Anyway. It lived happily in its little box for a while, munching away on grass and leaves fetched almost daily. Then it got slower and quieter, until finally it just kind of stopped. A day or so later, I realized that it hadn't just stopped, but had formed into a furry little blob on the underside of a stick. Hmm. Didn't look much like a cocoon, but whatever. Inside of this little bunch of fur, we could clearly see a little dark casing, and some leftover body parts (ew).

So we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I started to wonder if maybe this was less of a cocoon than a coffin. This was not helped when I went online and looked up caterpillars and cocoons, and discovered that butterfly cocoons are not furry. Hmm.

A little more research and I realized that our fuzzy friend was, in fact, a MOTH caterpillar. Okay, well... okay. So much for dreams of a beautiful butterfly. I figured it would hatch out into one of those brown furry things that flutter around the windows at night. The thing was, I also read that moths can take MONTHS to come out of their pupa. Not so good. So I started making plans to move "Super Cocoon" into the barn for the duration.

Then, a few days ago, we came downstairs and Cara says, "Look, Mommy! It turned into a butterfly!!" I was about to say, "No, honey, it didn't yet," but remembered that she is actually right more often than we expect, so I took a look.

Sure enough! A surprisingly pretty moth was there inside the box, having wiggled its way out of its pupa (leaving the furry blob intact, quite a feat!). It's black with some bright blue, and a vivid orange here and there. I've never seen one like that before.

So we moved it outside, took off the lid and left it to go and find its friends. It took a day and a half before it worked up the energy to leave, but it did.


And now it's on to the next lesson in life cycles. Tadpoles. :) Two little swimmers have taken up residence on the dining room table next to our Betta. I thought it best NOT to take Cara's suggestion and put them in the tank WITH the Betta. LOL

Book Review: 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet

Book Review

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet

This book was written by the sisters behind www.3fatchicks.com which, aside from the really annoying popups, is a great website. Anyway, I have to say, this is probably the first "diet book" that I've read and actually enjoyed. Laughed at, even.

This isn't a book telling you how to lose weight, rather it's a real-life explanation of the options out there for diet plans. Testimonials shared by members of their website, combined with truly witty commentary by the authors make this book a great read. It's very encouraging, positive, upbeat, and so on.

So if you're looking for something to give you a boost on the road to weight loss, visit their website, and check out their book. You won't be sorry.

A Thought Starter

This is an old newspaper clipping I found... no idea when or where it originated but I love the message.

-------------------------------

Energy Unlimited

To be a Christian in name, and not to have the reality of the power of God, is a common plight.

To live out our days in self-power can be a hard and unrewarding struggle. Many are spiritual drop-outs because they are trying to live in their own feeble power and it can't be done.

The Presence of the Lord within us, doing the living, is the only way to fulfillment.

A struggling, impoverished rancher in the West finally gave up and sold out. The new owner found a rich deposit of oil, and became propsperous and debt-free. Of course, the oil was there all the time waiting to gush forth. God's power is always in reach, but may go undiscovered.

Many are slaves to burdens and guilt, when they could be made free through the Cross of Christ. He died to take the penalty of our sin, to release us from its power, and ti give us a new energy to gain the victory over things that would get us down.

This escape won't come until we are unshackled from weak self-power, and filled with the infinite energy of God.

Some may say, "I have tried this, and it doesn't work.: There are two keys to be turned before anyone can have this unusual innser strength for themselves. One is the key of confession of weakness and wrong-doing. Name out the sin, and ask the Lord to give cleansing. The other is the key of faith. Believe that God can do exactly as He promises. Claim the new empowered life and thank Him for it. Ask in confidence, not in doubt.

2 Timothy 1:7, "God hath not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power..."

Thoughts on Bill S-209, Canada's proposed anti-spanking legislation

Bill S-209 proposes to repeal section 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code, which is the section that allows parents and caregivers to use corporal punishment (ie spanking). This bill has very quietly passed through the Senate with little fanfare and needs approval from the House before it will become law.

I feel that this bill does nothing to protect children. Child abuse and beating is a deviant behavior, and already a crime. People who abuse children already know they’re breaking the law, and they don’t care. All this bill will accomplish is criminalizing parents who are caring for their kids and trying to raise them to be good citizens.

In my opinion, the senator who introduced this bill has little credibility. She was defeated in three consecutive elections, and I feel that she has no business in the Canadian government, proposing legislation that will affect the lives of the citizens who voted her out because they did not want her representation.

(Not to mention, she researched this bill by interviewing children, and was pleased to note they agreed with her. Of course they did! Children do not know what is best for them, that’s why they have parents.)

I am appalled that this bill has made it as far as it has, and I hope our MPs have more sense than our senators. The government does not know best when it comes to child-rearing; if they did, then institutions would be utopia.

Whether you spank your own kids or not is up to you. But you must agree that this is a case where the government has gone too far, stepped too deeply into our personal lives, and needs to back off.

-----------------------------------------------------

Letter I sent to the senator who proposed this (and who intends to keep re-introducing it if it is defeated, wasting yet MORE taxpayer dollars)

Senator Hervieux-Payette
hervic@sen.parl.gc.ca

I am sure you are getting many letters regarding this bill, so I will keep my comments brief. I am dismayed by the introduction of this bill and by its quiet passage through the Senate. I only hope our elected members in the House will show more common sense when the bill is brought before them for a vote.

I see nothing in this bill that will protect children in any way. Abuse and beating of children is already a crime; it is a deviant behavior and those who engage in it already know they are breaking the law. This is a completely different matter than that of caring parents who are correcting their children's behavior with the aim of disciplining (training) them to be good citizens and responsible adults. What I do see in this bill is an attempt to control the home life of Canadians, and to strip parents of their right to raise their children as they see fit. What this most reminds me of is the past criminalization of homeschoolers. Thankfully, we seem to have put that era behind us.

I fear for Canada's future if parents continue to be micromanaged and undermined by external forces. It doesn't take long to realize that the current generation has little respect for laws, for other people, or for government. When they in turn start raising children, we will be faced with the consequences of naively embracing "positive parenting." Children are not little adults, they require training and correction. Sometimes it is unpleasant. But a little punishment today is preferable to a life without having learned limits and self-control.

As a mother, I'm sure you meant well bringing this matter before the Senate. Children do need protection from abusers. But I hope that as a mother, you also realize that parents need to have their rights respected, and that sometimes being a parent means not being your child's buddy.

-------------------------------

Government members who have opposed this bill - write to them with your support!

Karen Redman: Redman.K@parl.gc.ca
Daryl Kramp: krampd1@parl.gc.ca
Anne Cools: coolsa@sen.parl.gc.ca

Yes, Breastfeeding is a Human Right

Yes, this even applies in a little town called Yarmouth.

Today I heard a story that left me a little bit speechless. I assumed that business owners would be aware of human rights law, and that they wouldn't want to leave themselves open to potential discrimination suits.

There is no gain to be had in naming the business or individual involved, but let's just say, it seems some re-education is required.

While I'm sure no one would tell someone who is (insert ethnicity, handicap, etc) that they need to leave their establishment, apparently it's still acceptable to tell a breastfeeding mother that she needs to leave the premises.

Now, it's one thing to ask a mom to cover up. Most moms do anyway. (Although I wish you luck in getting the baby to cooperate - do YOU like to eat with your head under a blanket?) But to tell her she needs to leave the area, to go to the bathroom, to her car, to another room - well, that's where you're going to get into trouble.

I can see how it might make you uncomfortable to see someone feeding her baby. I suppose some people are unable to separate the feeding function of breasts from their sexual function. Although frankly, I don't think that's the baby's fault.

I saw a delightful slogan a few days ago: "If my breastfeeding offends you, feel free to put a blanket over your head." I might just have to get it printed on t-shirts and hand them out to local moms.

But I digress.

For those business owners who are interested in staying within the bounds of Nova Scotia law, here are the nitty gritty details in short and sweet form: IT'S A PROTECTED RIGHT. As in, it's allowed. Everywhere.

"The policy states that women can't be told to move to a more discreet area to breastfeed or feel compelled to do so. The policy also states that women who need to breastfeed while working should be accommodated to do so
up to the point of undue hardship on the employer."
(http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20000601002)



On February 18, 2000 the Nova Scotia's Human Rights Act clarified the law regarding discrimination based on sex and family status.

2.19 Under the Human Rights Act women are protected from discrimination and harassment because of sex, which includes pregnancy, and family status, which means being in a parent-child relationship. In Nova Scotia it is illegal to discriminate because a women is or was pregnant, because she may become pregnant or because she has had a baby. This includes a woman's right to breast-feed her baby.

2.19.1 The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the area of "the provision of or access to services and facilities". Woman have the right to breast-feed a child in public areas, including restaurants, retail stores and shopping centres, theatres and so forth. Women shall not be prevented from nursing a child in a public area, nor asked to move to another area that is more "discreet".

2.19.2 The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the area of employment against women who are breastfeeding. Employers have a duty to accommodate employees who are breastfeeding. This duty is limited only if the accommodation would create undue hardship. Accommodation could include allowing the employee to have the baby brought into the workplace by a caregiver for feeding, and arranging a quiet place to breast-feed. The onus is on the employer to show an undue hardship if a request for accommodation related to breastfeeding is refused.

2.19.3 The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission will accept complaints of discrimination based on sex and/or family status related to breastfeeding, and will deal with them in accordance with the above policies.

(http://www.infactcanada.ca/humanright.htm)




Breastfeeding Policy
Approved by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission

Under the Human Rights Act women are protected from
discrimination and harassment because of sex, which includes pregnancy, and family status, which means being in a parent-child relationship. In Nova Scotia it is illegal to discriminate because a woman is or was pregnant, because she may become pregnant or because she has had a baby. This includes a woman's right to breastfeed her child.

(1) The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the area of "the provision of or access to services and facilities." Women have the right to breastfeed a child in public areas, including restaurants, retail stores and shopping centres, theatres and so forth. Women should not be prevented from nursing a child in a public area, nor asked to move to another area that is more "discreet."

(2) The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the area of employment against women who are breastfeeding. Employers have a duty to accommodate employees who are breastfeeding. This duty is
limited only if the accommodation would create an undue hardship. Accommodation could include allowing the employee to have the baby brought into the workplace by a care-giver for feeding, and arranging a quiet place to breastfeed. The onus is on the employer to show an undue hardship if a request for accommodation related to breastfeeding is refused.

(3) The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission will accept
complaints of discrimination based on sex and/or family status related to breastfeeding, and will deal with them in accordance with the above policies.

(http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20000601002)

This week has made me just embarrassed to be Canadian. Well no, that's not it. I like the country. I'm just embarrassed of what the citizens and leaders are turning it into.

Canada Day was marked by Henry Morgantaler being named to the Order of Canada. Highest honors go to a doctor who admits to repeatedly breaking the law in the pursuit of his abortion goals.

This week the senate passed a bill that will see parents charged with assault for using corporal punishment. God help us if it gets passed into law.

And they just announced that Nova Scotia high school students are making great strides in math... last year 39% of graduating students passed math, this year it was up to a whopping 51%. Woohoo.


Urgh.

Today is a Sad Day for Canada

"Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who single-handedly brought abortion rights to the national agenda when he opened an illegal abortion clinic in Montreal in 1969, was named a member of the Order of Canada yesterday."

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=6fe61cef-fb82-4c21-bd6e-d88626944851


My heart is broken for my country. Have we indeed fallen so far as to give our highest honor to a murderer?

It is so sad that this man would survive the Holocaust, only to spend his life on a campaign for the creation of another one.

Reflections on Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:10-31

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.


I love this passage. It is a beautiful picture of all that a woman can be... I don't think we should hold it up as a standard of what we should be doing all at once, but I do think it is a picture of what our lives should be.

Some people say it's just a fable, some think it's a list of things that would be nice to do, some think we should try to do some of what's included.

I think, rather, that we should take it quite literally! If you read the entire chapter, you will find that this is "The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him" It's a chapter of advice from mother to son on what he should do with his life (be sober, take care of the poor, be a just ruler) and what he should look for in a wife!

She is good to her husband, she is productive, she is a smart shopper and doesn't waste their money, she contributes financially to their household, she is wise, she is joyful, and she is attentive to her home and family. And as a result she is respected, her husband is respected, and her family adores her.

She really does have it all, doesn't she? LOL

The but that's on my mind today is "watching over the affairs of her household" or "looking well to the ways of her household". This tells me she is paying attention. She knows what's going on. She knows where her kids are, what they're doing, who they're with. She knows what she's making for dinner and what needs to go on the shopping list. She knows where her laundry is. She knows that things are taken care of, because she has taken care of them. She knows the balance of her checking account and where the money goes.

We (I) could learn a lot from this sage momma's advice to her boy.

"But what about socialization?"

The most common question I get asked when I tell people we're going to homeschool is "but what about socialization?" Well, actually the first thing most people say is something like, "Wow, I couldn't do that, I like having time to myself". LOL

But it does seem to be something that worries a lot of people. Thinking that because my kids will miss out on the public school environment, that somehow they willl miss out on a crucial part of their development.

Personally, I don't think so.

First, let's address the most practical point. The fear is that by not being placed in a class of similar-aged peers, that homeschooled kids miss out on something. I would like to propose that it is in fact that classroom setting which is the artificial environment. In a homeschool setting, kids are continually interacting with people of all ages - parents, younger/older siblings, family friends, extended family, people at the store, etc - and learn how to relate to all of these people. In contrast, the school setting puts them together with 20-30 children of the same age, and one or two adults. While it works for some kids (I survived relatively unscathed), I don't believe it is the best option.

Then there is the whole matter of whether kids actually DO get "socialized" in school. I don't personally believe that there are many positive lessons for one five year old to teach another. Perhaps even less so for ten year olds. When kids are put together in a large group setting, it's not what I would consider an environment where mutual benefit and edification is a high priority. Kids naturally tend more toward the "me, my, mine" attitude, and the "greater good" is not something given much consideration. I believe that kids stand a better chance of learning the lessons necessary for becoming considerate, helpful and contributing members of society if they are actually trained within society (to some extent).

Then, finally, there is the not-so-simple matter of personal beliefs. I do not want my children to be taught from a humanist, evolutionist, anti-God viewpoint. Of course I want my children to learn the lessons they will need to succeed in this world. But I want them to understand that evolution is a THEORY, and that no, we do not believe that they developed from pond scum and monkeys, but that some people don't believe in God so they had to come up with another story to explain where we came from. I want them to learn about the great heroes of the past without the stories being edited for political correctness. I want them to be free to move at their own pace of learning and not be left behind or dragged down to the average within a class of thirty. I could go on, but you get my point.

I don't want them growing up feeling like they are just another cog in the system, that their responsibility is just to learn, to get a job, to work, and to pay taxes. I don't want them surrounded by the defeatist mentality that many of our generation suffer from. Instead, I want them to be inspired, to be creative, to discover their interests and be free to pursue them, and to fully develop their own little personalities.

I want them to learn to live in this world, but in no way do I want them to become a part of it. We're not going to be here forever, and there are more important things they need to learn than stories about pond scum and how to be 'PC'.

June 23, 2008

To Adapt:

to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly
to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc
to make suitable to or fit for a specific use or situation.

To Conform:

to act in accordance or harmony; comply
to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group
to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
to be in harmony or accord.
to make similar in form, nature, or character.
to bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony.


Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ezekiel 11:12 And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you."

James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?

John 17:15-16 "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world”


Lately I've been thinking. (Big surprise, huh) And I've talked to people. Christian people. And in the process I've realized that as a whole, we're becoming pretty invisible in the world. Instead of adapting to the world and figuring out how to live in it, I think, sadly, most of us have conformed. We might go to church, we might even get the Bible out once in a while, but what is there about us that makes us different? Is there anything that makes us stand out? If you pass me on the street, is there anything about me that would make you say - hey, she's different. Is there anything that would make you want to ask me what it is that gives me that "something different"?

Paul told us not to give offense, and to become "all things to all people" in order to win them. That tells me pretty clearly that I'm not supposed to stand on a street corner with a sign that says "You're Going to Hell" and beating people with a Bible. ;)

But we are, I am, supposed to stand out. Not offensively, not judgmentally, but with the aim to lovingly inspire people. To make them want to know what it is that makes me different. WHY am I joyful (am I?) - WHY am I content (am I?) - WHY do the trials of life not overwhelm me (do they?)

1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.


A closing thought:

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

June 11, 2008

We have acquired two new additions to our family this week...

"Super Fishie" - a red male betta who has taken up decorative residence on our dining room table. He doesn't seem to care much for the flake betta food we bought, so I think we may be picking up an alternate food tomorrow. He's nibbling at it, but not with what I would call healthy gusto.

"Super Caterpillar" - a little friend we found in the driveway today while outside and who we're watching in a plastic mini-habitat for a few days to see what happens. He/She seems to be quite content to have an endless supply of bite-size grass and leaves.

The caterpillar will be part of our nature study habit... we're still working on the nature book as well. So far:

A - Alders
B - Buds
C - Clover
D -
E -
F - Feather
G - Grass
H -
I -
J -
K -
L - Leaves
M - Moss
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S - Sticks
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -

It's kind of an ongoing project... and some of those letters are going to be tough!



Very cool news on this particular subject! This project is going to be included in the Nature Study E-book being published by The Old Schoolhouse, a homeschool magazine I subscribe to. (Highly Recommended!!!!!!)

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com

The great (lack of) TV experiment

Today officially marks the start of our foray into the world of no satellite TV. We'll see how it goes. My logic goes like this...

C is the only one who watches TV, except for a weekly episode of Truth Duty Valour, and some nightly so-called entertainment in the form of Family Guy and Futurama.

Most of C's programs are reruns anyway, and all the shows she enjoys are available on DVD.

If I buy her two DVDs a month, I'm ahead about $40 a month, and she can watch the shows she likes as often as she wants with no commercial interruption.

So far, so good, although by the end of today I admit to being pretty tired of the Hello Kitty theme music.

Book Review: The Wonder Weeks

Book Review: The Wonder Weeks

I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. Every time C hit a rough spot as a baby, I found the explanations here.

The Wonder Weeks breaks down the baby's first year or so according to the developmental leaps that occur. Understanding what was going on inside her brain and body helped me to be more sympathetic when she was whining and clingy, or waking up through the night, or just seemed to turn into a different child overnight.

Offering suggestions on how to work through each developmental leap and turn it into an opportunity for learning and for growth, the authors also help to foster a better relationship between parent and child. It is much easier to make it through a particularly difficult week when you realize that your child has suddenly become aware of things like "mommy can leave and I can't stop her" or "I am a distinct person and not just a part of my mommy". Learning new things like motor skills, size & shape relationships, etc changes the baby's perception of the world and leads to a time of confusion - and it takes a little while for everything to settle again. Patience and encouragement from a loving caregiver will help the baby to get through each stage more smoothly and with the best results for everyone.

I highly recommend this book to all new parents, and to anyone going to a baby shower. It honestly made my life SO much better.

A quick update on the family

I guess we can say that A is crawling, as of today. It's a little clumsy, but she is definitely moving forward using both hands and both knees in a semi-coordinated fashion. When she gets close to her goal, she takes a lunge forward... hopefully she doesn't keep this up when she starts walking! LOL

C's sick with another cold. Honestly, the way kids pass around colds and flus is almost enough to make me want to become a hermit for the next five years. She was an insanely healthy kid for the first two years of her life, didn't even have a sniffle until she was over a year old. But since we started going to things like playgroups, classes and birthday parties, she's been sick probably once a month. *sigh* I know we can't really just lock ourselves away, because we'd ALL go crazy, but sometimes it's tempting.

We lost a family member this week, when Princess decided to yet again place herself in harm's way by bolting across in front of a car. I swear, I don't know why cats and birds have this kamikaze thing going on. Thankfully, I discovered her before C did and quickly removed the evidence. It was just another reminder that living on a blind crest in the middle of this particular road is a hazardous thing. Cars, trucks and bikes go through here at some pretty crazy speeds.



And as for the rest of our life...

Hubby's announcement is out, and the world is discovering that yes, we really are closing up the store, and yes, he really does want to join the military. Not the Army, as some have heard, and not the RCMP, but the Air Force. We're looking forward to it. I won't say I'm excited about the prospect of being a single parent for the better part of a year while he's in training - that would be just crazy. But I am looking forward to the opportunities, to the community activities that will be available to the kids, and oddly enough I'm looking forward to moving. Weird, I know. In the meantime, though... what a lot of work needs to be done!!

I've started an album on my facebook page where I'm posting pictures in and around the house as I get my various projects finished. There are many that I want to do, but I guess only time will tell how many of them actually get done. Currently I'm working on landscaping when the weather is good, and painting when it's not so nice. The master bedroom is halfway through having the plaster repaired, and the bathroom will soon have new wainscotting installed. When these are done, there are more things waiting... the big debate is, which things are necessary and which are pointless. Some things are obvious... the water system needed to be installed, the oil tank needed to be replaced, the plaster needed to be repaired. But others are a little less clear... do I really need to paint over this, or take that paper down? And which projects will I reap a reward from when we agree on a selling price, vs those which will turn out to be money down the drain?

For now, I'm just moving forward a baby step at a time, doing projects as I can afford them, and wondering whether anyone out there would like to trade with me. Come mow my lawn and I'll make business cards for you! :) Paint my house and I'll make you a website!! :)

I'm about fed up

Listening to the news this morning, Nova Scotia Power has put in a request for a 12% rate increase. This just after the gov't removed an 8% rebate they were giving people as a bit of a break on power costs. So if it goes through, we're basically getting a whopping 20% increase in power rates.

Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm not really 100% green. I recycle, I separate organics, but I was motivated by municipal bylaw. I use the least toxic stuff I can find in my house, because I want to keep the kids safe, I don't like the chemical smells, and I don't want to poison my back yard. I'm not at all convinced that there's manmade global warming, and I think a lot of corporations are jumping on the green bandwagon just because there's money to be made.

But this is crazy. Between the escalating costs of gas, oil and electricity, I think we're spending more now on heat, lights and transportation than we are on our mortgage!

So anyway... all venting aside... I want to find some ways to cut the electric bill.

I already use the fluorescent bulbs. Hate them, but I use them. I haven't seen any decrease in the power bill, and two have burned out in the last six months, so I don't know if I'm actually ahead or not.

I wash most of our clothes in cold water, I use warm for towels, sheets and kids' light colored clothes. I have a high efficiency washer and dryer that use less water and less power.

I stopped running the dehumidifier once I realized they burn through about $50/month.

As of today I'm going to do most of the dishwashing by hand instead of running the dishwasher.

I switched to a laptop which goes on standby overnight, removing the always-on desktop from our power consumption.

I'm going to look for some of those LED nightlights and thus eliminate the two lamps we leave on for C all night.

I'm going to go down and turn down the temperature on the hot water heater when I get a chance.

And other ideas as they come to me...

Quick update...

Busy busy with websites, lots of new clients. Very exciting. :-)

The girls are doing great, C is active and bright, and making huge strides of independence. Latest accomplishments are putting on her own shoes, getting dressed with minimal help, putting on her own jacket and actually she can do the zippers about half the time on her own! She has all her letters down and is starting to learn to print some of them, can type her name and is working on learning to print it... she gets so proud :-)

A is an adorable ball of baby chub. She's got two bottom teeth, is starting to get around on the floor, and is sitting up really well on her own. She is still nursing and also starting on some baby foods... so far we've tried and liked rice, oatmeal, wheat, peaches, applesauce, pears, banana, peas, green beans, yellow beens, sweet potato, white potato, and tastes of broccoli and watermelon. Yesterday she had a Farley's biscuit and was utterly enthralled.

Since it's springtime we put out a birdfeeder and have been seeing a lot of activity. We're starting a bird book this week, a little scrapbook where we're going to do a page on every kind of bird we can think of. Art meets science. C already loves doing 'school' work, I think she might take after me just a bit. :-)

I guess we're a breastfeeding success story

Yesterday was Baby A's 4 month checkup.


Him: Wow, you're a chubby one, aren't you?

Her: grin, drool

Him: What are you feeding her?

Me: Just breastfeeding.

Him: Are you serious? How many times a day?

Me: Too many.


LOL

They grow up so fast...

C is three now. And all of a sudden it's like she's decided to grow up. We're almost fully confident now with daytime toilet training (as long as there's a step handy), she's starting to dress/undress herself, likes to sit and play games on the computer, can change her own DVDs and CDs... where does the time go?

And today marked a new milestone for the baby - she had her first taste of cereal today. She took to it just as well as her older sister did - which means she'd probably have eaten half a cup if I'd let her. LOL I kept her to a couple of tablespoons though for the first feeding. I made it myself; actually I'm planning to make more of her food than I did with C. It was surprisingly easy, actually. I ran some long-grain rice through the coffee grinder, put it in a pot with some bottled spring water, cooked it til the water was absorbed, added more water a few times til finally it had the consistency of cream of wheat. Then I mixed in a couple of scoops of formula powder and a bit of cold water. It made a small cereal bowl full, so I fed her some at lunch today and there will be enough left for maybe a bit at supper tonight and then tomorrow's lunch.

School the last few days has mostly been C helping me around the house - we've been painting her bedroom so we've been talking a bit about before (primer) and after (paint). We made sourdough bread the other day (unsuccessfully...) And she's hooked on her latest leapfrog video - The Storybook Factory. Love that series.

Also, we've been working on memorizing family facts - mommy and daddy's real names, grandparents' real names, where we live, where daddy works. Next comes learning our phone number but that one is taking more work.

This is gonna be some crazy year...

We've decided to get out of the owning-your-own-business psycho life and pursue a different path. The tricky bit is, in order to pursue a different line of work, DH would need further education. (He wants OUT of the office.) Difficult to manage an education when you've got kids, a house, a car, a debtload...

So the next question is, how can you get training and get paid for it?

The answer is, take a job with the military. You get paid during training, then you have a commitment to work for the military for something like three years, before deciding whether to stay in or to go back to civvie life.

During the 13 weeks of training we'll be at home and he'll be on his own, but after that, depending what trade he gets into and where he goes, we can move to the base with him. The only part I'm dreading is that 13 weeks of single parenting... but my mom and dad live just down the road so that will help. As for the actual time living on the military base, I'm kind of looking forward to it. I've been checking out the most likely base online and there are a LOT of facilities we will be able to take advantage of, moms' groups, kids' groups, a preschool, even a private school if we decided not to homeschool. But there's also a homeschooling support group there.

He's shooting for fall to start basic training, so it looks like we'll be looking at early next year to be moving with him. He's done his aptitude testing and did really well, so well that they'd have liked to have him start the end of next month (ACK). But he can't do it that fast, he has to wrap things up with the store first.

Here's to the future...