Raising Baby Green / FuzziBunz

I recently discovered the book Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care and had to pick it up and see what else about our home I could reasonably expect to make changes to. Previously I reviewed Squeaky Green and mentioned how I appreciated that the authors of that book offered suggestions to the reader about how they could make their home more green. The authors laid out the information in their book in such a way as to encourage you, the reader, to do as much or as little as you like when it comes to "living green." I felt like the author of Raising Baby Green did the exact same thing - he leaves you with options.

Written by a physician, author Alan Green, M.D., offers practical advice and solutions as to how you can raise happy kids in a more healthy manner. He does not present any information in a frightening way (I hate books on parenting that are made to scare the living daylights out of you.) but rather offers a "better" way to provide your babies with greener alternatives. He acknowledges that budgets and family life styles might not allow you to live "perfectly" green, but he does present better alternatives than the norm. (To give one example, he suggests that if you do use plastics bottles, that you find the healthiest type. He avoids saying that the only way to truly love your baby is to use a glass bottle.)

Greene hits on topics that concern parents from the time when the baby is still in the womb, through toddlerhood. What I ultimately concluded from his book was that the best way to take care of baby and make sure that baby is green, is to take care of yourself! By paying attention to the food that we (as adults) eat, checking to make sure our water is clean, that our house is cleaned with earth/people friendly cleaners, etc., helps to raise healthier children. It starts with the adults -- and then the children reap the benefits of hard research and implementation of "new" lifestyles.

I like this book and found it valuable and practical since it offered suggestions and a variety of choices for me to consider for my family.

One thing that this book did help to "convince" me in was switching from "disposable" diapers (Dr. Greene refers to them as "landfill" diapers) to cloth diapers. Oh yes, my friends. You heard correctly. I've ditched the life of relative ease in favor of the cloth. (He caught me with the cost comparison which I'll detail for you in a sec!)

This book was a helpful motivator but in actuality, this was something I had wanted to do for a long time. However, Jonathan's family had favored the cloth diaper approach when his youngest sister was born and he remembers things being dirty, stinky and complicated. Sooooo.....I needed to find something cleaner and more convenient before I knew we would go the cloth diaper route. Browsing around online I "discovered" FuzziBunz (I find their name hilarious. Great marketing!) and I was sent two diapers to try out. We tried a cloth diaper that was just in Bookworm1's size and we tried out one of their adjustable diapers that fit infants through toddlers. (A one size fits all diaper?! With snaps!? Even Jonathan was impressed! Heh heh.)

Motivating factors for me to try FuzziBunz:

1. An inordinate amount of diaper rashes that we were beginning to experience.

2. The cost of buying disposable diapers. We figured out that we spent, on average, $70 a month on diapers. Over a 2 1/2 year time period that works out to $1260. (And since he steadfastly refuses to use the toilet, we're still buying diapers!) We're in the process of completing an adoption which means we're about to have another little bottom join our family who will be in need of diapers. If our two children were both in diapers until the age of 3, that's an estimated cost of $5,040. IN DIAPERS! OR I could front some of the cost and pay for a couple dozen FuzziBunz, spending around $430.80 more or less. (If you buy in bulk, you get a discount on FuzziBunz.) The adjustable diapers would fit both children, and any additional children we would have, which averages out to . . . a significant savings!!!

3. I'm not filling landfills.

(Ok, truthfully, the cost is more motivating to me than the landfill. The landfill part is just a perk.)

The FuzziBunz snap system is exactly that - a snap - and they are extraordinarily easy to clean. You can dispose of certain eliminations in the toilet, and then you just pop the whole diaper into the washing machine. I'm convinced. It's hardly any trouble at all to keep it up and I'm only sorry that I didn't start sooner.

After the initial two diapers, I went out and purchased an additional a dozen FuzziBunz diapers and have plans to buy a few more once kidlet number two makes his appearance.

(Disclaimer: I have every intention of continuing to use disposable diapers when traveling, but it's FuzziBunz for at home and errand running. I'm just trying to see how many times I can type the word FuzziBunz. . . . Fuzzibunz.)

I enjoy reading and learning more about how to be a good homemaker and whether or not I'm "green" while doing my homemaking is not really my ultimate concern here. Reading to learn, and reading to know how to better care for my family is the concern. I do find the "green" alternative the healthier and better but, as Dr. Greene points out, budget and lifestyle are significant issues. In this particular case, I do think that my reading as led me to the better solution for our family.

I highly recommend Raising Baby Green and would encourage any mothers who are frightened of the cloth diaper idea to check out FuzziBunz. (Turns out they aren't scary at all!) Whether or not you are doing it for the environment or for health or financial reasons is not really my concern. I just think they are cool, convenient, and healthy and it's an easy and happy way for me to serve my little ones as they are developing and growing up!

If you have any further book recommendations to this end, I'd love to hear them!

Children's Classics - Pinocchio

Time for another Children's Classics carnival at 5 Minutes for Books! This month the theme is "Book Trips." We're wanting to know if you've ever read a book that inspired a vacation, field trip or outing surrounding a book that you've read with your children. At first I couldn't think of any book in particular that has inspired a trip. (Other than Anne of Green Gables which did prompt me to take a vacation with my best friend to Prince Edward Island several years back. But that clearly did not involve my 2 1/2 year old son!)

Then I thought of one of our best family vacations -- to Disneyland earlier this year. We've read a LOT of books that made the unfamiliar place appealing to us! Winnie-the-Pooh? We've covered that delightfully little bear in stories. But I hope to make my son more aware of the books behind Disney's stories so I've been picking them up as I find them. (I recently read 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. Awhile back I also read Pollyanna and Toby Tyler. Click on the links there to see my reviews.)

Recently I found a 1932 edition of Pinocchio by C. Collodi which grabbed my attention. I picked it up quicker than a wink, anxious to read the original story of one of these great Disney cartoon classics. I fully expected that Disney would have taken some liberties with this story. He always did. What I didn't expect was to finish the book and wonder how on earth Walt Disney ever got away with calling this particular film "Pinocchio"!!! Sure, the name of the main character was the same and there is a wooden craftsman named Geppetto. There is even a "talking cricket" but he met a rather violent end when Pinocchio, in a fit of rage, threw the handle of a hammer at him so that the cricket "remained dried up and flattened against the wall." (The ghost voice of the cricket appears a few times during the story but he's not whistling and he's not "Lord High Keeper" of anything.

Neither is Geppetto all that lovable an old man. There is some conflict within this character. Pinocchio would seem to come by his violent temper (displayed throughout the book) from his "father". I do, however, absolutely love the hilarious way that the author introduces the character of Geppetto as coming to inquire after a piece of wood from his friend in order to make a puppet. The piece of wood in question was a rather feisty thing in its own right, clubbing Geppetto on the leg and sparking a war between friends based on a misunderstanding of who and what hit who and when.

"I want a little wood to make my puppet; will you give me some?"

Master Antonio was delighted, and he immediately went to the bench and fetched the piece of wood that caused him so much fear. But just as he was going to give it to his friend the piece of wood gave a shake, and wriggling violently out of his hands struck with all its force against the dried-up shins of poor Gepetto.

"Ah! Is that the courteous way in which you make your presents, Master Antonio? You have almost lamed me! . . ."

"I swear to you that it was not I! . . ."

"Then you would have it that it was I?. . ."

"The wood is entirely to blame!. . ."

"I know that it was the wood; but it was you that hit my lets with it! . . ."

. . .

When the battle was over, Master Antonio had two more scratches on his nose, and his adversary [Gepetto] had two buttons too little on his waistcoat. Their accounts being thus squared, they shook hands, and swore to remain good friends for the rest of their lives. (pages 11-13)

It's so much more calm and peaceful when in the Disney movie, Gepetto wishes on a star that his puppet will become a real boy. It's more beautiful when the blue fairy appears, tapping dear, sweet little Pinocchio on the head saying, "Little puppet made of pine, wake! The gift of life is thine!"

However, the intent of both the Disney version, and the original story remains the same - Pinocchio was only to become a real boy once he proved himself brave, true, honorable and a hard worker who loved his father. They just went down different paths to portray that little life lesson.

The original story was published in 1883. At this point in time, young men who had nothing better to do that goof off all day being useless were called "boobies" and children apparently were not as put off by characters, in fits of rage, biting body parts off of one another. (Sound Mike Tyson-ish to you? It's kinda bizarre.) I personally found this story rather hilarious in light of what Disney made of it. I grew up thinking Pinocchio was a charming and lovable little puppet that everyone liked and easily took advantage of. When I rode the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland (just this year, mind you) I screamed when Monstro the whale was suddenly upon me! Geppeto was to be loved and adored. The blue fairy was angelic (as opposed to what she is in the book - which is a dead girl . . . seriously). I LIKE the Disneyfied version. A lot. The book? Well, I do like it but in a completely different way.

The actual and true story of Pinocchio, I think, is a good moral lesson. Collodi makes a very clear distinction between right behavior and wrong behavior. He paints a very blunt picture over character traits that are desirable and those that clearly are not. This is a great book for boys. I'm a big fan, truly. The culture of the (1883) day can be a bit put offish at times. Language has changed a bit and definitions have shifted since then. (Thankfully, Disney made "The Land of Boobies" into "Pleasure Island." Still, that's something that the modern reader has to deal with in the book and something I think parents should be aware of when reading the story.) Regardless of the differences in words and definitions, the desire to have young boys grow up to be responsible, honorable men has not changed and that gives this story a timeless quality to it.

Pinocchio of the Book drove me crazy with his disobedience. At the same time, Collodi was so straightforward in his condemnation of bad behavior that I could tolerate this book quite well and feel excited about having "discovered" it. I anticipate we'll be enjoying both the book AND the Disney movie version in our household.

And when we get the chance to go back to Disneyland, you'll find me on the Pinocchio ride once again, with deeper appreciation for what it stands for.

For your amusement/enjoyment, here is the video of the original trailor of Disney's 1940 Cartoon Classic:

The Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge

This is the last week for the Narnia Reading Challenge. How are you all doing?

I confess to not doing well! I'm finally getting around to reading for me. Most of the time I've spent introducing my two year old to Narnia. This has looked a little different than I thought it would, but I have enjoyed it through the eyes of my son! We've used Youtube and various children's book adaptations and have had a lot of fun with it!

Some of you have been busy, busy reading through Narnia. It's fun to hear your thoughts and get your perspectives on this classic series.

If you want to begin checking out with others have to say, here are some posts to enjoy:

AlleluiaLu has watched the movies and read some of the books. She has a really fun post which is a collection of her thoughts on the stories she focused on.

Calon Lan has been reading through the series and posting "quick reviews" on the books she has read. Click here to go to her site and scroll down through her posts!

Amy @ Hope is in the Word has declared this week "Narnia Week" on her site. Stay tuned for the giveaway she has planned for the Narnia Reading Challenge!

Of course, don't forget to come back on Friday when I will have a Mr. Linky up for you all to come and link up all the Narnia posts that you've written in the prior month of the challenge. I look forward to reading your posts!

(Don't forget - there is still time to enter my last Narnia giveaway!)

Lastly, here's another Youtube video that I'm a particular fan of. I should say that I don't really care for the presence of the band singing in the video, but listen to the words. I hope in your reading of Narnia, you too have discovered that you can't go back. This is home.

At the Scent of Water

In general, I am not a fan of Christian fiction because it's very poorly written. Just because I might agree with someone's world view or theology does not mean that I'm going to automatically love their writing style. I am a Christian and I would LOVE to be able to fully support Christian writers. However, I also expect them to write well. In fact, I'd say that they should write better than their counterparts because they should want to do all things (very) well. Sadly, that's frequently not the case. (The flip side of these arguments are that you don't have to be a Christian to be thought a poor writer. Many people - more non-Christians than Christians - are published today that just shouldn't be.)

That all said, I have yet to meet up with a Linda Nichols book I haven't liked. When I heard about At the Scent of Water I knew I had to read it.

I was mad (in a good way) about In Search of Eden. Loved it. I went on to read If I Gained the World and enjoyed that as well.

Now, if you know me (at all) you know that I also have a bone to pick with modern romance novels, Christian or otherwise. They are just so cheesy and hard to believe. Real life is so much more interesting. I don't really care to have my emotions swayed improperly. Romantic jaunts in book land are questionable and, again, unrealistic which bothers me when I think of young women picking up books and thinking that good men only exist in books. (Pet peeve.) So imagine my husband's surprise when we were in a bookstore the other day and I picked up At the Scent of Water and declared that I "HAD TO HAVE" this book! My husband took the book from my hands and began to read the back cover:

"Life was rewarding for Samuel Truelove."

Jonathan didn't even bother reading any further. He was aghast with disbelief.

His reaction did not sway me for I DID "HAVE TO HAVE" this book. He bought it (lovely real-life good man that he is) and I devoured it.

Once again I'm here to declare how much I love and appreciate Linda Nichols for telling a fantastic story. She weaves her stories well and frequently catches me off guard with how she connects dots between characters in an unsuspecting way. Furthermore, she writes excellent conversations between her characters. Her conversations do not feel forced or contrived and so it's easy to just get lost in the story. Never am I jarred out of the book except for when meals have to be cooked and served. I really can't indulge my Nichols passion too frequently or else I really wouldn't get anything done around the house!

In this particular story we DO meet a heart surgeon by the name of Truelove. His marriage is on the rocks due to a tragic event and . . . only God can bring the grieving couple back together again!!! (I'm laughing at how melodramatic this all sounds. No wonder Jonathan was concerned about me!)

I really don't want to explain the story because 1.) I want you to read it for yourself and 2.) I can't. I cannot do justice to Ms. Nichols' ability to weave a story together. She's a marvelous writer and I'll read anything by her that I find. Anytime and anyplace! Lovely women and I'm grateful for writers like her who pursue excellence and graciously manage to achieve it in a way that is entertaining and uplifting at the same time.

I do realize that this is rather a "nothing" review of this book. I'm not telling you very much about it other than, "I really (really, really) liked this book." But that's about all I feel I can say, reasonably.

Thank you once again, Ms. Nichols, for a few hours of reading pleasure. I'm positively delighted!

Puerto Rico Board Game

guest review by Carrie's brother, Christopher

As I've said before, Jonathan likes games and I do not. However, as I've also said, I'm particularly fond of all the games I've played (so far) by Rio Grande Games. I had a few to try out so I asked my brother, Christopher, and his wife if they'd like to play Puerto Rico "for" us and see what they thought of it. They gladly obliged and here is Christopher's review:

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Puerto Rico is an engaging game that really can become quite addictive. It is designed for 3-5 players, of ages 12 and up. Once you have learned the rules, playing time averages 90 to 150 minuets.

My wife and I have now played Puerto Rico with two completely different sets of friends, and in both cases our friends have become hooked and are now looking for their own copies of the game to purchase. Part of what makes Puerto Rico a great game is that there is no one way to win. Everyone who has played board games knows that in most cases, there is a single path that the winner must take to achieve victory, and whoever is most successful in accomplishing that one predetermined set of goals will be the ultimate winner. Not so with Puerto Rico.

The way to win Puerto Rico is to come to the end of the game with the most victory points – which doesn't sound terribly profound, until you realize that there are three completely independent elements in the game that can bring it to an end. Moreover there are two different ways to earn victory points, and at least a dozen different ways to manipulate the amount of points earned by purchasing various privileges during the game

Another positive element in Puerto Rico is that every player has the opportunity to play the various roles that are offered in the game (e.g. Mayor, Builder, Captain, etc.) and to enjoy the privileges that come with playing those roles. This keeps game play fluid and intriguing.

Puerto Rico is a game of strategy and economics. There is just enough chance in the game to keep you on your toes and from knowing what will happen, but the goal of winning will ultimately be achieved by the player who has thought ahead and planned their moves accordingly. You have to keep your thinking cap on for this one, folks.

The only difficulty my friends and I experienced in playing Puerto Rico was in understanding from the directions how game play was to begin. The game was originally developed in Germany and I think that perhaps the difficulty was due in some part to translation issues which made the directions somewhat opaque when starting out. However, I have to say that once we figured out how to begin playing, the directions became very helpful as they do clearly answer questions that arise without having to dig through a lot of useless data.

Overall, I would give Puerto Rico 9 out of 10.

If you would like to play the game, I would also recommend going to the website Board Games with Scott and watching Scott's video on Puerto Rico to learn more.

***

Carrie here again: I guess we can safely say that Rio Grande Games are a hit with our family. So far, no strike outs!

A Little House Traveler

I hadn't heard of A Little House Traveler: Writings from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Journeys Across America until recently. (Then again, I hadn't read the Little House series until recently either!) Perhaps you've heard of this particular book, and perhaps not.

What is contained in A Little House Traveler is Laura's diary of her travels with Manly and Rose from South Dakota to Missouri in 1894. It also contains the letters which she wrote to her husband when she was visiting Rose in San Francisco back in 1915. Lastly, it contains her diary/notes during her 1931 road trip with Manly back to DeSmet (on a little mini vacation).

Truthfully, I found the diary from the 1894 trip rather dull. I really don't quite know what to make of the adult Laura. I rather prefer the adult which was portrayed in the television series to the real thing. I just don't seem to identify with her very much. She seems too stressed and unhappy and I don't know why she'd want to take the pains to document hardships. Then again, I really don't understand the mindset that people would have in traveling west in covered wagons (wouldn't catch me doing it!) and that might be part of the problem in my truly being able to appreciate these particular notes that she made on their family's journey. (I am a wimp when it comes to travel and I freely admit it! I need Starbucks to contemplate airplane rides, ok!? Travel does not work without speed, comfort and caffeine.)

I very much enjoyed Laura's letters home to Manly when she traveled further west, to California, to visit Rose. In these letters we find out how she felt about seeing the ocean and sights and sounds of the World's Fair which was in San Francisco at the time. It's hard to imagine that any American would marvel at a great body of water- having not seen one until they were advanced in age. It just goes to show how much times have changed and how far the industrial age took us. Americans today cannot fathom what it would be like to only know one area of the country's geography. Laura seems childlike as she explores the delights which San Francisco has to offer and it is fun to read her perspective on train rides, boat rides and streetcars.

I also found her notes from her road trip with Manly in 1931 to be of interest because she carefully accounted for all of their expenses. When I started driving, gas was $0.89 a gallon. One day, Laura and Manley spent $3.03 on SIXTEEN GALLONS of gas! Isn't that just wild! Their total amount of spending for one day of travel, gas, meals and a special treat of bread and doughnuts, came to $4.33. It's hard for the modern mind to grasp and that makes the third section of this book rather remarkable.

This book was different than her Little House series. It definitely has a more piecemeal feel to it. It doesn't flow as well (excepting the letters from San Francisco). It sheds little light onto Laura and Manly's marriage relationship, which I think is a very curious thing. Apparently it is to remain so. (I guess I don't really need to understand it.) All in all, this book makes for a nice companion to the Little House series and if you find a copy and are a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I heartily recommend this addition to your collection!

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Also, are you a fan of the Little House television series? Check out this amazing story that Jama Rattigan shared on her blog awhile back AND her interview of Sidney Greenbush who played the character of Carrie on the series! Pretty fun stuff! (I thought the interview was esp. cool since I was named after Carrie from the LH books. My mom read the books when she was in 6th grade and decided that if she ever had a daughter, she would name her Carrie. Walla! A piece of personal history for you.)

Booking Through Thursday

I haven't participated in a Booking Through Thursday in awhile so I thought I'd do it today.

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks the following question:

“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’

In pictures, these are the books that are "haunting" me. (However, I have never once had the thought, "Don't give me another book to read!" These books just plague me in the back of my mind. I know I should get around to them - well, maybe - but I just haven't for whatever reason.)

This book has been sitting on my shelf FOREVER! Lots of ladies I know are Francine Rivers fans and so I kinda gave in and bought this one because they all rave about her. I'm not quite there yet and, obviously, given the dust that has collected on this one, I'm not all together convinced. Yet.



Sarah at Library Hospital talked about the Dr. Doolittle stories awhile back which prompted me to purchase a copy. And I have every intention of reading it. Really, I do!



Many years ago I thought I would read something a little bit outside of my usual reading comfort zone. Many years later I'm still staring at it thinking I should read it sometime.



Lastly, I picked up a copy of the following at our library's booksale, oh, two years ago. I like Bombeck and I KNOW I will enjoy this book. I just haven't picked it up yet.



And my goodness - the covers on all of the above books are OLD ones. Which makes me feel like I've wasted even more time in not getting to them in a timely manner! ha!

Happy Booking Through Thursday to you!

I Have Problems. Real Problems.

I need this book that was just highlighted on the Canon Press blog. Bake Until Bubbly looks like a real winner in the casserole department and I could use some help. (Here's my public plea: It's even ON SALE, Jonathan!!! Yummy, yummy casseroles that I never make except for when I do you say you like! Ha!) Well, I need ideas. One dish dinner are not exactly my specialty. Neither are salads. (Any know of a good book on PRACTICAL salads? In the meantime, I have to learn from my friend SD who makes the best salads and encourages me to believe that salads can be edible AND exciting.)

Speaking of Canon Press -- while browsing their website I noticed that they have copies of The Book Tree (which I reviewed at 5 Minutes for Books) on sale for $8 which is a really good deal, if you were thinkin' of it. And if you weren't thinking of it, maybe you should have. (See, I like to spread the book buying problem around a wee bit!)

The second part of my problem is not that I spend too much on books (because I actually spend much less than I used to) but that I have too many now to reasonably read and review on my blog. Now, I know this causes you great tears and anxiety (it does me!) because I find myself reading books less thoroughly if I'm not going to be forced to think through them after I'm done reading. So consider this post a compliation of "mini reviews" on books I've read on whims (or otherwise) that I just didn't get around to posting a lengthy review on.

Years ago - which is to say awhile back but not so very long ago - the nation faced a horrific "moral dilemna" in deciding the value that we would place on human life. Does the name Terri Shiavo ring any bells for you? The attorney who fought for this disabled woman's life in the courtroom wrote a book about Terri and his legal experiences following the conclusion of Terri's life. In case you are unfamiliar with the case of Terri Schiavo, to bring it down to nutshell sized portions, there was a legal battle over whether or not she was in a persistant vegetative state following her inexplicable collapse in 1990, or whether she was just mentally handicapped (more or less). Her husband, Michael Shiavo argued that she was PVS and that her feeding tube should be removed to cause her to die. Her parents fought for her life.

The world would say her husband won. Perhaps for the moment I will concede that's what it looks like. In Fighting for Dear Life, attorney David Gibbs makes a pretty good argument for why Terri should still be alive today. He talks about the importance of valueing human life in any state or stage. When we start devaluing human life we'll be in a world of hurt.

Really, I COULD write up a very long review of this book. In short though, I thought Gibbs did an excellent job being both concise and relevant. (I'm sure he's a smashing attorney!) I was familiar with Terri Shiavo's case but the more intimate details, if you will, elluded me. Fighting for Dear Life is a book every American should read. That's the simple fact of the matter. Life is precious and we SHOULD fight for it. This book throws itself into the battle for life with a vengence and it is a welcome warrior. Loved this book.

I won a copy of In-N-Out Burger from Book Psmith. (I never win anything but managed to win two things from her in a very short period of time - this book included!) I really can't add anything to her great review of it so I'd encourage you to click here and read the original review. She made me want to read this book and I enjoyed doing so. Having only recently experienced my first In-N-Out Burger (and being rather surprised by the very limited menu!!) I found this book to be a curious read. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why In-N-Out was such a smashing success after tasting their burgers. (Ducking to avoid flying objects.) That said, the owners of the establishment, Harry and Esther Snyder seem like people worthy of respect.

Curious fact: The business was launched with $5,000.

Best quote (from Harry Snyder): "Keep it real simple," he always said. "Do one thing and do it the best you can."

I think he did just that! (I wouldn't have any great objection to eating at In-N-Out Burger again, but I'm more of a Chick-fil-A kinda girl, myself.)

Thanks, Book Psmith, for the treat! Now here's a treat of my own to share:



(This video makes me laugh and/or smile every. single. time. I watch it! Everything he says is true of me!)

Lastly, I finally got around to reading Boundaries- When To Say Yes, When To Say No, To Take Control Of Your Life which has been on my TBR Wish List for....forever. I didn't want to read it to find out how to set boundaries or how to break the one's I've set. Mostly, I confess, I was looking for justifications. I found them too so naturally I think this is a perfectly marvelous book!

Ok, honestly, I did think it was a fabulous book. I do like respecting people's boundaries and I think it's healthy to have them. Boundaries preserve and even foster relationships. Boundaries can make or break people. What is important to discover about people is where their boundaries are so that you can respect them. What is important to realize is when people don't have boundaries but should and to respect those lines as well. To put it another way - I'm a strong willed individual and I'm also a fairly decent manipulator when I want to be. I can know that someone either has or needs a boundary and I can cross that boundary line almost without thinking. What *I* need to focus on is observing limitations and respecting individuals for the boundaries that they have and the boundaries that they need.

I think, whether or not you think you have a reason to, this book is a worthy read. I'm happy to have finally gotten around to it and I enjoyed hearing what the good doctors Townsend and Cloud had to say.

So with this post I've relieved myself a bit. However, the disease seems permanent and if there's a book you think I should have read or should be reading but haven't yet - well, leave a comment and start the guilt complex going. I'm used to it.

Wordless Wednesday

The Wordless part of the post come first. Scroll down further if you want to read more.




No special occassion -- this cake was just for fun!

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And now it's time for the rest of the NON-Wordless Wednesday post!

We've learned this year that it's important to make ordinary moments little less so. You really don't know how much time God is going to give you to spend here on earth. You don't know how many opportunities you'll be given to celebrate ordinary (or otherwise!) days with the people you love. So why NOT make special cakes on Tuesday mornings for no "good" reason? Why NOT bake and decorate a cake that will produce such smiles and overwhelming delight in little kids? He'll remember the fun of it and gave us a special treat to look forward to after dinner one night. We baked and decorated the cake and then ate off of pirate plates that we got at the Dollar Store. It was a blast! My son had tons of fun with it and looked at it and talked about it all day long. It was just FUN!

After the year we've had, I've really wanted to concentrate on making a point to find fun things to throw into random days. We shouldn't need a birthday or a special outing or out-of-town guests to make us look for ways to enjoy our days. Time is too short or the year is too long for that - however you want to look at it! So I've been hunting for good books on celebrations. I browsed our library bookshelves and discovered the book Celebrate! which seemed to be just the thing for what I was looking for! (It came as no surprise to me to discover it was a Workman publication. They produce quality books.) I like this book so much I really think I need to own my own copy. Amazon to the rescue! I need to keep a constant reminder around for me to keep pushing on and creating little celebrations all throughout the year.

Celebrate! is quite comprehensive, covering all the major holidays throughout the year. From a New Year's Eve party through Christmas, author Sheila Lukins offers menus, decoration ideas, music suggestions and wine tips to see you through the big events. She lays everything out in an easy-to-understand way that should help the overwhelmed party thrower to organize themselves a little better and be able to throw a practical and yet extremely fun celebratory gathering.

But Celebrate! is more than just about recognized government holidays.

Lukins opens the book with this introduction:

"I'm in the mood to celebrate! It's the kind of joyous mood that makes me happy to phone friends and family and invite them over for good food, good conversation, and good cheer! It's the kind of mood that makes needing a reason to celebrate unnecessary . . . Well, almost.

Actually I like having a reason, and I'm never at a loss to find one. There are so many occasions to choose from -- big and small, traditional and quirky -- that selecting the right one is easy."

Lukins goes beyond Valentine's Day and the 4th of July and offers menu and party plans for a "Cozy Dinner for Two", to how to "Celebrate a Ripe Tomato", to how to "Celebrate Morocco." In other words, she makes ordinary days extraordinary.

Sure, it takes a little extra planning. But in the end, a happy celebration can plaster smiles on faces in the middle of a busy work week when everyone needs something to smile about! Little celebrations on Friday nights welcome in restful weekends. Sunday lunches can afford the opportunity to relax with your immediate family of 5 to enjoying fellowship with church friends. Barbecue for no good reason. Pull out the china and light some candles just because. Lukins handily avoids her celebrations in to two topics which I think help make her point. The first half of the book offers suggestions for "A Year of Celebrations" and the second half is labeled "Celebrate Our Lives."

Celebrating our lives - all the little details - is what we need to start doing more of. From raises at work, to "left over nights" where the kids can pile anything and everything, whatever THEY want, on their fun Dollar Store plates, to movie nights with those special popcorn boxes that make you feel like you are at a carnival to whatever you can come up with!

Sometimes it's best to put diets aside and be ok with the idea of filling the sink full of dishes. A true celebration which is fun and enjoyable for all, that produces not just smiles but sincerely happy memories, is worth a few extra calories and a few dirty dishes. Why do it? Just because it's FUN. And again - you don't know how long you have to celebrate so make the party last as long as you can!

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Ok, now I would positively LOVE to introduce you all to my friend Cacey Klein who just started up her own website. If anyone knows how to make extraordinary memories for her family - it's Cacey. She's a consultant for Tastefully Simple products and while I typically don't go for buying into special food lines - Cacey has served my family a few Tastefully Simple products that have won me over! They have yummy spices and mixes and their products do and taste like everything they are advertised as.



I highly recommend their beer bread (Divine! I've made it three times and it always comes out perfectly.) and for special summer treats, check out their Strawberry Sundae Chiller drink mix. (Mix it with fresh strawberries and oh. my. word.)

Do check out Cacey's site for more ideas on how to celebrate life.

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What do you do to make your ordinary days extraordinary? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment with a thought or a suggestion! I just might take you up on something.

Reading as a Ministry (Part 2)

I talked about how I view Reading as a Minstry a few weeks back as it's been something that has been on my mind for awhile. I originally meant it to be a one-post deal, but then you all started leaving comments and sharing your thoughts and so I relabeled that post "Part 1." I have no idea how many times I'll talk about it. It might depend on how much you decide to talk about it.


To reiterate what I said the first time, I think that reading is a ministry in two ways:


1. As you read you should be discerning what is truth and what is untruth and applying it to your life. As you make practical applications of what you've read, you will be changed as will the lives around you. In other words, what goes in must come out. What will be it? Will you read quality or fluff? Whatever goes in, will come out.

2. By reading worthy books, you will be able to make good recommendations to others. Theoretically speaking, the person you've spoken to will take the book of your suggestion, read it, and make his or her own applications (see the #1 reason to view reading as a ministry). It's a circuluar concept.

In response to the first post, Barbara H. left a good comment worthy of some consideration and before I go any further in discussing this particular form of ministry, I want to address what she said.

Barbara said, "I have seen, though, on Christian message boards where someone will say they talked to so-an-so about a problem and "all they wanted to do was throw books at me." I was shocked. I never feel that way when someone recommends a book. I know sometimes we need a more immediate answer, but usually in such a conversation I'll share whatever the Lord lays on my heart to say and then recommend a good book that goes further on the subject." (She did go on to summarize her comments to also say, "But whether we recommend a specific book or share what we learned by reading one, what we read does make up the thoughts and illustrations we can share with others. I hadn't thought of it in terms of ministry, either, but it is that."

I was so glad you said that, Barbara, because I think it is easy for avid readers to want to push books all over people. I mean, we know the glories of reading, right? So naturally we want to share. It IS, as another commentor said, "our bent." I know that there are so many times where I want to tell someone, "Oh, if you'll just read this one book . . . !" I'm sure they'd find the answers that they'd need and then they would hear "my" advice through the words of another author - someone they don't know - and I get off scott free (essentially)!

Not everyone is a reader. (And that is an entirely different discussion that I'm going to desperately try to make myself avoid! Ha!) When we know that someone is not a reader, it does us little to no good to try to tell them about any particular book. The chances of them actually sitting down and spending time in the company of a wise (or otherwise!) author is slim to none. If we recommend a book instead of taking the time to communicate face-to-face then we may have lost the ability to truly minister to the person all together. We have to know the audience to whom we are speaking. We must listen to their needs and address them as accurately as possible. I totally agree with Barbara on this.

Women like to talk, right (as is pictured so accurately in the cartoon below!):




We need to be ready to TALK and not just "throw books" as one person complained. Still, we should be reading for ourselves, tucking away nuggets of truth, so that we can share what we have learned for ourselves. (In other words, you wouldn't have a conversation with someone and constantly be saying, "Well, as C.S. Lewis said..." or "as Jane Austen pointed out...." or "as Jules Verne handily illustrated..." although you can say all of those things. However, if your entire conversation was pieces of OTHER people's thoughts and conversations, then you make a boring conversationalist and an ineffective minster of any sort at all!) What goes in, comes out. Take truth in and make it your own in thought, word and deed. Learn to share from your heart, not just the quotes in your head!

And even this leads me back to my original statement: in order to minister well one must be discerning. You must know why you are reading what you are reading. You must be thinking about what you read. You must hold books up and examine them in the light of scripture. You must discern what is truth and what is not. Particularly as a Christian reader, you have no right or excuse to NOT pursue truth because someone died in order to give it to you. The price of truth is high. The journey is difficult. But it is something to find great joy in.

It is a job, a responsibility and a delight to be a discerning reader. To be discerning, to develop that ability, is something to strive towards.

As you discern and sort through books, distinguishing the worthy from the unworthy, you will grow in wisdom and knowledge. With practice and study you will grow to learn what has merit and what does not. Some books ARE worthy to be read. Some books are not worthy at all. Do you right to make the call as to what is worhty and what is not? That sounds so arrogant, doesn't it? But I would suggest that you not only have the right but the responbility. Again, what will be helpful (as a Christian) to figure out which books are worth the time and which are not? Scripture. (Note: I'm not saying that books are "bad" or "good" because I think if I used those terms we'd start focusing on reading personalities and likes and dislikes and those things must be factored in. But even after the factoring has been done, you should still be left with a list of books that are worth people's time and those which are not.)

Reading is a priviledge. It is a responsibility. And by and through it you can find new and exciting ways to minister to other people whether you think you can or not. You never know what God will use to touch another person's heart. It could be a book, directly read. Or it could be you, someone who has read and can relate truth on a personal level - straight to the heart of the matter.