caren

The Rebelution

This is an amazing site for people who are teens or work with teens. It's a challenge to help them rise to higher expectations than are placed on them by society!

Check it out: www.therebelution.com

Lists

I must admit I love a good list. There is nothing like having a "to do" list with little lines crossing through the chores I've already accomplished and seeing the non-crossed-through items become less and less. My husband thinks it's weird, but I've also been known to add things I've already done to my list just to be able to cross them off! I think the main thing about lists is knowing I am in control. How quickly the things get done (and how well I do each thing) is totally up to me. Of course, that is not the case with lists I make for my kids to do or the "honey-do" lists I make for my husband to do. Those are not as fun as lists go. I like to be in control. As a believer, there is another list in which I have no control, and it's my prayer list. I know it's important to realize that in the "big picture of lists" I don't have control. It's a life lesson for me that I have been hard headed in trying to learn. However, the items I "cross off" my prayer list are the most satisfying "crosses" (no pun intended). There was a season in my life when I had a prayer list of about five ladies who were having trouble becoming pregnant. It was such a joy when each of those names were crossed off in God's timing. I guess the joy came in knowing not only that these families would get to enjoy sweet babies, but that when God does a job, he does it perfectly in His perfect timing. Now I am in a different season of my life, and, unfortunately, I have several couples on my list whose marriages are not looking good and a friend who has been diligently searching for a job. Patience is a virtue, and I look forward to the time when I can cross those names off as well. I trust that God will take care of each situation because those names are not just on my list, they are on His.

Wisdom at an Early Age

I am so proud of my 11 year old (almost 12) daughter. She has been very blessed with many gifts and abilities. She is very artistic, very athletic, and very smart. She is also very beautiful inside and out. I know, I know, I am her mother and that's what I am suppose to think! However, this opinion has been affirmed in many different arenas. One place where I worry about her is in her confidence. Even though she has all of this going for her, she sometimes acts shy and very conscience of other people's opinions. She also tries to be "perfect" which was a "red flag" to me because I just want her to please God and not man. I would not have said "wisdom" was one of her strong suits either, but then again, she's eleven! However, she really surprised me the other day! We were in the car and she was filling me in on the latest unit in her PE class. They were learning about cheerleading. She said she was enjoying it, but then she said, "You know Mom, I am really not very good at it." With trepidation, I asked, "How do you feel about that?" She said, "Well, I am actually kind of glad to be 'bad' at something because everyone always says I am perfect at stuff." Wow! I was so proud of her for not bursting into tears because she wasn't the "best!" I really saw wisdom in her statement because she is learning to be herself and not try to please everyone else! It's my blog, and I can brag if I want to!!!

5K

Well, I "ran" my first 5K on Saturday. I put the word "run" in quotation marks on purpose because I have decided there should be three categories on the registration form. When I signed up, I could choose to participate either in the 5K walk or the 5K run. I circled the "run" because I had been running lately and knew I could at least run two miles of the race. I was running with one of my very in-shape, competitive friends, and it only took me about ten steps to realize that I needed to let her just go on ahead of me! SO, my idea for a third category is the 5K jog! That's what I did! We "middle of the road-ers" (literally!) need to be acknowledged for what we can bring to the table! I was proud of myself for not walking, but when my friend finished TEN minutes ahead of me, I thought she should most certainly be in a separate category than myself! Maybe next time I'll do a "write in" registration category. I sure would like to do a "write in " in this year's presidential election!

Memories

I recently attending a writing workshop, and the instructor had us do an activity that, on the surface, seemed pretty benign. We were to write about a room that we remembered as a child. I thought he was going for the "lots of details" angle, but as I wrote, I realized what it was really about. The room I described was the living room in my childhood home. I am sure I did a masterful job of painting the picture of what the room looked like, but what took me by surprise was that my mind went from the aesthetics of the room to the people who often occupied it. Then, that led to memories I had about those people. It was a really sweet time in my life, and I had a special specific memory attached to that room. Who knew? My daddy plays the guitar, and he would often sit in that room and play what my sister and I called, "The Train Song." He would begin to play and yell out, "All Aboard!!!" My sister and I would then start to run in a circle chasing each other and giggling as my father's playing sped up time and time again. Finally, the train ride would "slow down" and be over, and my sister and I would fall into a heap on the floor laughing and gasping for air. When I wrote about that experience at the workshop, and as I write about it now, I get a bit teary. I had not thought about that in so many years, but the time my father spent doing that with us obviously hit a mark. He may have just taken fifteen or so minutes to do that every once in a while, but it meant a lot. I think those moments and others in the pile of memories where my parents took time with us certainly have helped define the women my sister and I have become as adults and as parents. I hope one day, my kids write about a memory or two that I played a small role in that made a difference in their lives.

September Already?

Happy Labor Day! I cannot believe it's already September! September means it's pretty much fall which means CHRISTMAS is around the corner! I knew I was in trouble when my mother-in-law called today and asked for the kids' clothing sizes. She is on the ball for Christmas shopping. Hope my kids don't outgrow what she buys before then!!

Well, before we get to Christmas, we must elect a new president. I won't make this blog a political platform, but I may make comments on both candidates. My 6 year old came in while my husband and I were watching Obama giving his candidacy acceptance speech the other night, and asked, "Is he still alive?" My husband and I were like, "WHAT?" She said, " I thought he was dead, you know, the bring it all together guy, black and white." She thought Obama was Martin Luther King. Wow. I guess she paid attention during social studies in kindergarten!! It was a little eerie that this speech was on the anniversary of MLK's big speech. It never ceases to amaze me what little ones know!

To be fair (equal time to both candidates), I am pretty impressed with McCain's VP's choice. She seems like someone who really has it together. I was looking forward to watching the Republican Convention as I did the Democratic one, but Gustov has moved in on some of that. Thankfully, Gustov's force seems to have lessened, so hopefully, everything can get back to normal. I was sure praying for those in New Orleans who had to evacuate AGAIN!

I know this post was kind of scattered, but we can categorize it as all "fall related!"

Spoilers

I have been LOVING the Olympics. I am so amazed by all of the athletes' dedication, hard work, and raw talent. Even though some events are "tape delayed," I still yell for our USA team members in their various sports at the top of my lungs! I managed to go 11 days without finding out one medal win before I watched the events of the evening UNTIL TODAY! I was listening to my favorite radio station on the way to work, and the DJ blurts out that Shawn Johnson won the gold on the beam. I was telling my husband about my frustration with this, and he said NBC Nightly News reported the same thing! If you don't know, NBC is airing the Olympics! What is wrong with these people? Have they ever heard of giving a "SPOILER ALERT" before announcing something like that? I watched the beam event anyway, but it was much less fun. It got me to thinking, have I ever blurted instead of alerted? I am sure I have--especially with my kids. Like most people, I like to be in the know and share that knowledge (when appropriate, of course, because gossip is not cool). But does my sharing of that knowledge "spoil" the discovery process for the person I tell? Hmmm. Something to think about!

The Olympics Start in THREE Days!

I am a HUGE Olympics fan. I especially enjoy the summer Olympics (probably because I hate to be cold!). I am so excited to watch the awesome athletes from around the world do their thing. My husband makes fun of me for watching all the "background stories" that he thinks the networks put on there just for the women. Hey--I've caught him watching them, too! It's learning what makes these folks tick that so intrigues me! What gets them out of bed each day for that 5am workout? What makes them push through the pain to victory? I LOVE IT! I always want to increase my workouts and better my diet when I watch the Olympics. Ahh, to be as "cut" as those twenty-something runners! Oh--let's not forget that 41 year old sprint swimmer for the United States!! Talk about inspiring!

I just got this video clip from a friend. I may not be an Olympic athlete, but I can sure go the "extra mile" in my life. Take a look--it's well worth the watch!

www.212movie.com

My Apologies!

OK--If you read my very first post, you know I began as quite a skeptic to the whole blogging idea. However, once I decide to do something, I dive in 100%! So, I thought it'd be neat to try an "auto-responder" tool to send people info that they request. However, the service I am using to do that is not really clear on how to get that done. I've never claimed to be a "techie!" SO, if you happen to be one who wanted the "TOP TEN TIPS FOR HEALTHY SKIN FOR LIFE" and you signed up to receive that, I APOLOGIZE! It's got some great info, so I don't want you to miss out! Let's go the "old-fashioned" way. Shoot me an email at carenchristian@sbcglobal.net, and I will send it to your email! Deal? Hopefully, I'll get all the kinks worked out soon! Blessings!

Muzack

I am on hold. Why do I have to listen to muzack while I wait? It's bad enough just waiting! However, being the multi-tasker that I am, I have my head phones plugged into my phone to enable two-handed typing! The annoying thing about listening to muzack while you're on hold is not just that it's TERRIBLE. It is also the fact that you HAVE to listen! Of course the minute you put the phone down to have a moment of rest from the melodious guitar picking would be the moment you'd miss, "How can I help you?" Oh wait, that would assume that a HUMAN answers my call. Gone are the days of customer service! I hope I can strive to be better at interacting with both my social circles and my customers! OH NO! The muzack just cut off, I am hopeful, but since there is no sound whatsoever, I am now sliding into the "What if I got cut off?" zone. My phone still is ticking away the seconds (19:42 to be exact). HAVE I JUST WASTED 20 MINUTES OF MY DAY? No, I got to post something on my blog. Here's to mono-tasking.