I am

This week's topic is to complete the following:  I am...

I am many things, I am a mother of three.  Having three kids is probably the biggest challenge and blessing of my life.  I know that I don't want any more kids, because the three that I have are trying to kill me... no seriously, I probably would have more, but I started too late in life.  I am too tired at this point to manage more!  That said, there are days when I wonder the wisdom of having even one, I think they are all trying to kill me slowly.

I am a knitter.  I knit almost every single day.  This past year I made over 15 pairs of socks, many scarves, toys and dish rags.  I keep emergency knitting in my car.  I always have something with me where ever I am, you never know when you might have to wait!  Knitting keeps me sane and has introduced me to some of the coolest people.  I love my knitting group.

I am a runner.  I know that this is true when I see people out on a really nice day and I am jealous.  When I walk out the door and it is rainy, but not too cold and I decide, what the heck and do my run anyway.  Running is a nice release for me, though I'm not sure I like it yet.  But there is more to me than just running, so perhaps I am an athlete is a better thing to say.

I am strong.  Not only am I physically strong, but I am emotionally strong.  I am strong in my convictions and I stand behind what I believe.  This is great when we are on the same side, not so great when we oppose.

I am many more things that can not be summed up in a sentence.  I appreciate you taking time to read about me, if you have a minute, answer the question I am in the comments!

Let's see what the other ladies are, check them out at:    Froggie, Momarock, and Merrylandgirl

Tramp Stamp?

This week's topic is:  For next week, I'm going off another idea I got from "How I Met Your Mother." There was an episode where they were talking about being a "stamp tramp." This meant putting a seal of approval on anything and everything, even if it wasn't good.

What person (not a close friend or family member), place AND thing would you put your stamp of approval on and stand behind that stamp 100% of the way?

Person

I want to say Mark Harmon, just so I can put a gratuitous picture of Mark up here.  But that isn't really the spirit of the question.  The one person I give my stamp to is Warren Matson.  He has supported our family in ways no one else could.  I will be forever grateful to him.  I'm sure he will help us more as we go along.



Place

Hawaii!  It is the most awesome accessible place on earth.  The weather is amazing.  The water and the scenery is out of this world.  If you have a chance to go, do.  Hawaii is paradise.


Thing

Yoga.  I have recently discovered yoga.  I love it.  I love how peaceful I feel after.  I love how my body feels renewed.  Yoga is really the highlight of my week.  I need to figure out how to work more classes into my schedule.  Give it a try!  No matter where you are with your fitness, yoga is about meeting yourself where you are, not trying to change. 




Check out the other stamps... Froggie, Momarock, and Merrylandgirl

What Are the Kids?

This week's topic is to talk about a book or movie ( if you have more than one, that's OK too) which you feel has changed your life, either for the better (or for the worse).

 

I will be honest, this week is late, not because my life overwhelmed me, but because I seriously could not figure out what to say.  I have been killing myself trying to think about it.  Sure there are books, movies and music that I like, that were important to me a various points in my life.  But I really could not think of any book that has changed my life.

 

Books have always been important to me.  They have always been the source of information.  If you wanted to know how to do something you could find the answer in a book and teach yourself how to do it.  Or at least learn enough to ask intelligent questions.  But, there isn't or at least I couldn't think of one particular book that was influential.  The mass of books as a group, sure they have been influential.  I learned to knit from a book, I learned to fix electrical sockets from a book, I know how to cook because of books, etc.  I think I am a researcher by nature.  This is only exacerbated by the internet.  Now all the answers may or may not be at my finger tips!

 

Then, this morning as I was about to sit down at my desk and type up my post with a bunch of "hey folks, I got nothin'," it hit me, like a ton of books.

 

 

If I am Jewish and You're Christian, What Are the Kids?, by Andrea King is about making a decision about what faith to raise your children in.  While Andrea does not say which religion you have to choose, she says that by not choosing you are essentially creating a life of non-religion for your children.  She offers a great example: 

Despite their parents' adamant claims to the contrary, children raised with both religions are often confused. They absorb very little about religion, tradition, heritage or theology from the four-holiday calendar. One child, Jamie, age six, explained his interfaith family's celebrations this way: "Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas, Easter is the Easter Bunny's birthday and Passover, I don't know what that is." -- Andrea King
 

I wanted to raise my kids as both.  But the paragraph above summarizes nicely why I eventually decided that this was not a good idea.  There was time spent with the Rabbi, talks with my husband and other sources consulted, but this book in particular hit a chord with me.  It helped me see that I would not loose myself in making the choice to raise the kids as Jews.  That I would not be left out.

While many people played a role in helping me make this decision, this book, which I do not even own a copy of, is what eventually tipped the scales in favor of me being able commit my life, my heart and my children to this project.  I have not converted, nor will I.  That is a topic for another day.


If you are curious and want to read more about this topic, check out Andrea King's article on Interfaithfamily.com:  What should the kids be?  But, before you do that, look at what the other ladies have to say on the topic:  Froggie, Momarock, and Merrylandgirl