I Want my Gurl Edicated

Some day I want my little girl to be educated. Yes, I want her to know how to cook, bake, clean the house, and all that good stuff (though, personally, I find it all a little overrated - am I allowed to say that?). But I would love for Jules to also go to college or university some day. Why? What if Juliet doesn't get married? What if Juliet does get married and doesn't have children? Do you spend your days cleaning and fussing in the house? What if Juliet does marry and there are financial problems? (Is your head ringing yet?) I want her to be able to provide for herself if she has to. I would hate to have my daughter panic because let's say, she's thirty, unmarried, and knows how to care for a house and bake and cook, etc, and that's about it. I don't have anything against parents wanting to "train" their daughters to be housewives and homemakers (I think my mom trained us girls in my family, more or less, to be able to care for a house, etc., but I think I learned by default, which was perfectly fine by me). But if being a "homemaker" is the only option for a young girl, I have a problem with that. Saying that every woman has to find fulfillment ONLY at home is...limiting. I understand why so many people are against the "career women." We picture a woman getting up at five in the morning, rushing her kids off to daycare, racing back to the daycare at five o'clock, throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, putting the kids in bed, and then being too tired to pay a whit of attention to the ole' hubby. Yeah, it's not a pretty picture. And I am not endorsing it. But there are other "pictures" out there, too. But I do think there can be fabulous reasons for the working gal as well! I am thankful (most days) for the opportunity to get out of the house, dabble in teaching, make a little money, and come back home to my little girl! Reading this little post, I'm afraid I sound a little on the defensive side, but it's what I think I believe.... Am I crazy? And, before someone jumps down my throat, of course I do believe that you do not have to have a college degree to be "educated." That said, having a college education can open up doors that would be otherwise closed. And now that I am done with all this disclaimer business, I shall quietly shut down my computer, and pay attention to this little girl who has been bugging me since I started typing!!!!

Kitchen Floors and Pizza

Does anyone else have a mental block when it comes to making dinner on Friday night? I do. It's 5:30 on a Friday afternoon and I don't know what I'm going to make. However, there are three slices of pizza in the fridge, and it just might be one of those days... I rarely actually make dinner on Friday. For some reason, it's perfectly fine to cook any other time in the week, but by Friday, I'M DONE! Other news in my not-so-dramatic life? We had a leak under our sink in the kitchen and the water seeped under our wood floor in our kitchen and it has...readjusted the floor somewhat. There now is a small hill right next to the kitchen table. When Jules saw the "hill" this morning, she delightedly proclaimed: "It's a mountain!" and proceeded to push her trains up and down it. I just heard a large "crack" in the kitchen and I'm scared to look. Me thinks Mike isn't going to be so pleased when he gets home....

Autumn

Well, Mike is out playing volleyball, Juliet is in bed (though not sleeping yet), and I am sitting in my living room with one of my windows open. There is a breeze coming through the window, and I can hear the sound of the town's highschool band practicing. They sound pretty good to my untrained ear. I love the feeling of fall in the air - the air is so crisp at night, the mums are blooming everywhere, it's time to wear your coat in the morning and then wonder what in the world you thinking when it's hot in the afternoon - except it means that summer is ending. I went to the park with Juliet tonight and we could only spend an half hour there - it got dark so quickly. On a side note, isn't it funny who you end up talking to at a park because of your kid(s)? Well, I read Dr. Murray's blog tonight (HeadHeartHand) and loved the post on leadership (not something I would generally be interested in, but I love his point on how being optimistic is a GOOD thing. And I think it is important that the reasons given for being positive are not just the typical jargon you hear today about "positive thinking" and the like. Rather, biblical reasons are provided. Don't you get so sick of criticizing people, even if it's "only" in your head? I do. And then you slip into bad habits and before you know it, you are the only person who knows how to do anything "right" in life! So I'm going to think of the top five people on my "criticizing list" and think of the positives! (Don't worry, YOU aren't on the list - and I don't really have a list). It's time to count the blessings!

September Ramblings

Well, folks, I haven't as much time to post lately because I'm a workin' woman. Yep, I'm one of them liberated sorts. Okay, I'm kidding, but I am teaching a half day every day and that cuts down on the time to do fun things like blog. My thoughts on teaching? I'm really enjoying it. It's fun to be around students. I'm teaching all sorts of different subjects to varying age levels and am enjoying the challenge. My life has to be way more organized now, otherwise my house would be upside down and I can handle some mess but not tooooooo crazy. But being busy has always been a good thing for me. Gone are the days when I would stay up till after midnight, get up at...(never mind - I'll keep this one a secret), and take a nap while Juliet napped. Nope, I'm up at seven o'clock almost every morning and quite proud of it! So far, Juliet is behaving admirably for "Nonny", my mother-in-law, and for her babysitter. My biggest worry has not been a worry at all! What has been going on with Juliet lately? Well, as my mother-in-law says, "There are no flies on her!" The other day Juliet held up a DVD that was much too scary for her (I think it was Charlotte's Web) and I told her (firmly) that she wasn't allowed to watch it. I told her she could "when she was older." Mike came home, and Juliet thought she ought to see what Dad has to say about the matter. She was disappointed when Mike said "no" as well. The next day, Jules held up the video and declared, "I'm older, Mom!" I couldn't help laughing.... And what has Mike been up to? I had to laugh this morning when he told me a dream he had recently.... He was in Best Buy, and his cart was loaded to the gills with electronic gadgets: computers, computer games, flat screen TV, all the works. He was like a kid in a candy store! He was waiting in line to buy his merchandise but the line was moving sooo slowly. Lo and behold, it was almost his turn to pay for the stuff when in marched his wife (me), and said one word: "MIKE!!!" Apparently I ruin his dreams even in his sleep.

Sunday School Lessons

Teaching Sunday school can be humbling. One of the main lessons in my bible story today was that God sees everything. We were talking about Achan, and how he stole some treasures from Jericho, hid them in his tent, probably thinking he had gotten away with the whole thing. But, of course, God saw him, and he was severly punished. In class we talked about the application and discussed what we should do if we have sinned and "gotten away with it" (in our own eyes). We said we should ask forgiveness of the one we have wronged AND ask God to forgive us. Then I came home from Sunday school, saw Mike reading his book while the breakfast dishes sat on the counter, and the dishwasher sat chock full of dishes yearning to be put away, and proceeded to have a FIT (I am too ashamed to admit how annoyed and angry I became). Later, the words that I had said so seriously about forgiveness to my students came back to me. Sometimes the "teacher" needs to be the one to learn the lesson....

On Teaching

It's that time of year when I crack open the books and start reading. Yep, it's a new school year, and I'm teaching some classes I've never taught before. I've been reading church history, typing questions out as fast as I can and thourougly enjoying it all. I've hit the age of thirty, and guess what, I enjoy LEARNING! I wish I did while I was in school, even university. I think if I went back to university (no immediate plans, mind you), I would immensely enjoy the whole experience. Although, would I turn into one of those "old" students that I used to become so annoyed with while I was in university? You know, the student that talks to the professor after class, asks for extra help, is always asking questions, and generally has no clue what they are doing technology-wise.... Who knows, I just might some day turn into one of them! (After all, I am there already in the technology-department. However, I am determined to have some idea; after all, with little Jules around, it just wouldn't do to have no idea what's going on out there). I've also been busy preparing for the new sunday school year. I have a lot to look forward to! Here are some quotes from my FRC "Handbook for Teaching the Bible to Children and Youth" that I found thought-provoking and a good reminder for me.

"We need a reason and purpose for everything we do. Otherwise we simply go through the motions of doing it, without profitting from it. That is also so in religious duties. If our attendance or leading of worship services is not impelled by a goal, it is a lifeless formality. If our prayers and our Scripture reading at home are not with a purpose in view, it becomes an empty ritual. If our Sunday school is not driven by a goal, it also becomes mechanical. When things become mechanical they easily become unwanted burdens."

So, what is the goal?

"In Sunday school, God's Word is central. Let Sunday school never degenrate into playtime or mere craft and activity time. Sunday school is Bible-time - the time when the Bible is taught. Therefore the purpose of Sunday school must agree with the purpose of Scripture. We are doing violence to Scripture, if we teach Scripture for purposes contrary to the purpose of Scripture. What then is the purpose of Scripture? Why does God give Scripture also to children?.... The purpose of the Scriptures is to make those who read them wise unto salvation. The purpose is SALVATION! (emphasis added).