Parenting Tips

Here's a link to a post with FABULOUS parenting tips . After being in youth ministry and substitute teaching for a (short) while, I can attest that there are plenty of parents who subscribe to this style of parenting. I like to think a lot of it is done unwittingly and with the best intentions, but kids have to live with the effects nonetheless. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Smile!

Leave Room for God

I often read "My Utmost for His Highest" in the mornings and they almost always speak something that I need to hear. Today's reading is no exception, and I thought I'd share it.
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LEAVE ROOM FOR GOD
"But when it pleased God. . ." Galatians 1:15

As workers for God we have to learn to make room for God - to give God "elbow room." We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never looked for Him to come? Do not look for God to come in any particular way, but look for Him. That is the way to make room for Him. Expect Him to come, but do not expect Him only in a certain way. However much we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that at any minute He may break in. We are apt to over look this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. All of a sudden God meets the life - "When it was the good pleasure of God. . ."
Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left. Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.
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As a person who likes to "be in control", this message is a hard one, but this journey is not guaranteed to be easy, is it?

It's Wild and Woolly

You have probably heard about the video of Tom Cruise discussing Scientology that was put on the web, supposedly without the authorization of the Church of Scientology. Here's a link to it, and as a Christian, I've always thought that what I knew of Scientology made it seem a little "out there", but this confirms my suspicions. It is not a short video, but if you have ten minutes, watch it. Warning: It is weird.

Update:
This is pretty funny. Jerry O'Connell's parody of the video. (sorry the link was bad earlier, it is fixed now).

Mom Jeans

The qaulity of this video isn't spectacular, but it is one my all time favorite Saturday Night Live "commercials".

Problem Child

Jeff and I were laughing last night after dinner about the two "problems" we had with Caroline that evening. First, when it was time for her to come to dinner, she said "No, I need to clean up first" and proceeded to pick up all her toys before coming to the dinner table. Then during dinner, we had to encourage her to eat her chicken because she kept asking for more green beans. It is amazing to watch as she grows into her own little person, taking more initiative to do things (like clean up after herself) and decide which foods she'd rather eat. Of course this was all Thursday night, while on Wednesday night the "little person" she is becoming decided that she didn't want to sleep and was awake practically all night, but all joking aside, she is a blessing and it is a humbling and joyful for us to be her parents!

Time flies

I know, it's a cliche, but I can't believe that these pictures were taken one year ago:

Election 2008: Another One for the Undecided

Here's another helpful link for those like me who are still not sure which team join in the Big '08 election. Well, it's a link, I'll let you decide whether it's helpful for you, but I found it helpful. I thought it was a good and fresh way to look at the candidates; because I just can't put my finger on why I wouldn't vote for some of them. If I follow her method though, I guess I don't really need to articulate a reason, and that suits me just fine. If you missed it before, you can still play the candidate match game here .

Phrase of the year

I agree. When I first heard that Hillary said "No woman is illegal" I thought, "That was such a weird thing to say. What does she mean by that anyway?" Click the link and check out the pretty funny round-up of the bloggers takes on Hill's quote of the year.

Swiss Family Robinson, eat your heart out

Check out these amazing treehouses . Note to Neal: You may have thought yourself too old, but apparently you could still re-enter the treehouse building business. (H/T: Evangelical Outpost )

National Champions!

Geaux Tigers!

Update:

Happy New Year

This past Saturday we went to New Orleans in the morning. We spent time on Magazine Street (which was somewhat depressing because there are so few people down there now) at a few shops and a french bakery and then went over to City Park to let Caroline play at the Storyland Village. Caroline had a great time and Jeff and I enjoyed it too; it is such a joy to watch Caroline play and laugh.










On Sunday we went to the levee in Baton Rouge to let Caroline ride her trike. She has an aversion to pedaling for some reason though and the trike ride quickly turned into Papa carrying the trike and Mama pushing Caroline in the stroller. We also ran down the levee to the batture where there was a huge flock of birds. Caroline was intrigued and we spent some time alternating between just watching them and chasing them around (as you can see from one of pictures below, Jeff had just as much fun as Caroline with the birds).








For New Year's Eve we went to the Northshore and enjoyed a night with friends at Hunter and Jacelyn's and Caroline spent time with a friend of her own and the babysitter at Laura and Seamus' house. On New Year's Day morning we went to Slidell and visited Jeff's parents and then Bobby and Christina. It was good to see everyone and Caroline was seriously worn out after an afternoon of playing with her cousins.

All in all, we are ready to start 2008 on a better note than we left 2007 and pray the same for all of you!

Geaux Tigers

Play the candidate match game

I honestly haven't been wooed by any presidential candidate yet, and I'm sure this little game was designed for people like me. Here it is.