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Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category

I love Sliders…not the mini-hamburgers.

Posted in Family, October Challenge, Parenting, T.V. on October 3, 2011| 4 Comments »

We do this thing at our house that we call “Leader of the Day.” Each of the kids is the leader 2 days a week. The leader is responsible for loading and emptying the dishwasher, and setting the table for meals. They also get to be first in line and assist in making important life-changing decision like which movie we’ll watch as a family, or what veggie to have with supper. The best reward for the leader? At least an hour of one on one time with me.

Today was Max’s turn and we decided we’d find an old TV show on Netflix that we can watch together and discuss. Lucky for me, my son loves Sci-Fi as much as I do. After watching half an episode of Kyle XY, we decided it was inappropriate and did some more searching. Up pops a picture of Sliders. YES!

“What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds — where it’s the same year, and you’re the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can’t find your way home?”

Sliders aired on FOX from 1995-1998 until it was cancelled, but received a second chance on the Sci-Fi channel in 1999-2000. It follows a group of travelers as they “slide” through wormholes to parallel universes trying to get back to the earth they are from. A hand-held timer device determines how long they are in each world, and if they miss their window, they’ll be stuck for 29.7 years. I think Max is going to love it and I’m already predicting that he’ll have created his own timer by the end of the week.

Hooray for Mommy/Max time, Sliders, and Netflix!

What show would you watch and discuss with your tween?

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How I delivered a baby with my iPhone

Posted in Big Announcements, Miracles, Parenting, tagged , , on July 20, 2011| 6 Comments »

  • I used Google Maps to find the house where my friend was in labor.
  • I timed contractions using the timer function.
  • I played soothing music on my iPod to keep my friend as calm as possible.
  • I checked the weather to see how long the rain would last.
  • I played Words with Friends while my friend sat in the tub for a bit.
  • I texted with my husband for moral support.
  • I chatted with my midwife friend for general information.
  • I updated Twitter/Facebook to tell everyone I had just delivered a baby.
  • I took lots of pictures.

So I got your attention with the title of the post, now let me share more about the experience itself. My friend, who prefers the term “houseless” to being called “homeless”, told me back in January that she was expecting. For the past several months we’ve been talking and planning what would happen on the big day when it arrived. Being the hippie that she is – and I use that term with love – she wanted to deliver at the campsite she and her boyfriend were staying at, and I begged her to let me be a part of it. Instead she was staying with a friend when the baby decided it was time. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)A week ago today, I got the phone call I had been waiting for and made the drive to be with her as she labored. This being my first experience with a home birth, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been a doula (care person for the mother) for two of my friends, but it had been in a hospital. I was a little out of my element this time, but tried my best to be prepared for anything. Little did I know that I would be catching a baby.

The dad, a friend we’ve known for a couple of years, was a great support person. I was so proud of him. We passed the day chatting, timing contractions, and doing everything we could to make my friend comfortable as she did all the hard work. Labor and delivery are fascinating! The body knows what to do and my friend had to pay attention and figure it out as she went along with the cues her body was giving her. I tried to make suggestions when I could, but it was up to her, and she was a trooper.

A midwife friend coached me through delivering the baby and the placenta, taking care of the umbilical cord, everything. It was amazing! 9 hours after I arrived, little Christopher took his first breath. I whispered a quick blessing over him as I laid him on his mommy and began cleaning him up and looking him over. I was nervous but had been praying all day for wisdom, guidance, and peace and felt all of those things. God is so good! My friends gained 6 lbs. and 14 oz. of blessing, and I will never be the same for having been a part of it all. There is so much more I could say, but some things seem too sacred to share on the internet. My friends are now learning how to parent and be a family, and I’m honored that I can speak truth, love, and hope into their lives.

Yes, my iPhone came in pretty handy, but it was nothing compared to God’s calming presence as heaven touched earth and I experienced the miracle of new life with my friends.

         

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Gratituesday: The Denver Public Library

Posted in Gratituesday, Parenting on April 12, 2011| 8 Comments »

Today I’m blogging about my love for the Denver Public Library. It. Is. Awesome.

The central library is a 540,000 square foot monstrosity of “public happiness.” Designed by world-renowned architect Michael Graves, the library opened its doors in 1995. The building is a work of art, but nothing compared to the beauty it houses. Just for fun, here’s the Lego version, which we’ve seen in person. Click on the picture to visit the page where the creator posted detailed pictures:

My children and I love spending lazy afternoons perusing the shelves for our next treasured book, and reading in the pavilion. Even though the children’s wing is on the first floor, we always visit the upper floors so they can ride on the escalators. Visiting the library has been a regular occurrence since they were born, but as they grow into independent readers, our library trips have taken on a whole new dimension of fun. They love having their own library cards and checking out their own books. What do I love?

  • They have almost everything I want to read, and if they don’t, they will order it from another library for me.
  • The staff is always friendly and helpful.
  • Their online catalog system makes it easy to put items on hold and pick up at my convenience.
  • They email me a few days before my books are due back so I can avoid overdue fines, and they have a grace period of about a week before assessing fines, which I would never need. Ahem. 😉
  • They have a huge selection of audio and e-books.
  • They have a great summer reading program for my kids. Last summer over 31,000 Denver area children and teens participated in the summer reading program. That doesn’t include the other library districts in the metro area.
  • Their kid’s site offers everything from homework help to book reviews on the latest new titles.

And so much more…

My library card is the key to a vault of treasure, my passport to free adventures, and one of many tools I’m using to shape the young minds in my care. The Denver Public Library partners with me to pull it off, and for that I am so grateful!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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