13 Hours of Rain

Lagorrhea: excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness. (Merriam-Webster On-Line Dictionary) My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV) I am an observer of human behaviour. I think I might have enjoyed a degree in sociology. But alas, my natural science leanings pushed me down a different career path. Nonetheless, people watching (and listening) fascinates me. I've even caught myself eavesdropping on strangers' conversations during my public transit days. It is amazing what you can learn about people through their somewhat random dialogues. A while back I posted on a movie entitled Fight Club . The reason I mention it again is that I've been mulling over a scene between two of the main characters. They were discussing why they enjoyed attending support groups even through they wer...

Hiking with my Eccos My goal was to purchase a pair of comfy shoes to grace my feet during a Canadian west coast trip to celebrate *US*. The result? A lesson in perseverance and grace! And a FABULOUS story of excellent customer service coupled with a sweet I-CAN'T-BELIEVE-IT deal. Frantically searched for a pair of Ecco sandals in a larger urban center. The style that piqued my interested were either too expense for my budget or on sale but unavailable in my size. Settled for a pair of Romika sandals that looked a bit "senior citizenish". Oh well... Donned on the Romikas for a couple of days once I returned home. Threads on the interior of the shoe started to feel like sandpaper. Contacted the manager and negotiated a return of the shoes in the near future. Purchased a cheap sandal at Walmart . Feet HURT! Returned the shoes in spite of some wear and tear. Week before departure, searched Quarks.ca for Ecco ...

I'm losing it! I'm actually losing it! Not my mind, but those last few post-pregnancy pounds that I need to shed before autumn hits. Weight loss was much easier after the birth of my first child. But the second time around has been difficult. I finally got myself to "5 more to go" before summer hit. Then I went to visit family. OH NO! All the desserts and yummy food added two more wretched pounds to the scale. I was discouraged and frustrated. Thus, a couple of weeks ago, I got serious. I started to track my calorie intake via myfitnesspal . I increased the intensity of my weekly exercise by jogging three times a week for 25-30 minutes. And I became more consistent in drinking my daily quota of water. The result? I've lost four pounds in two weeks! :) It is possible!!! There are a few things that I have learned about reducing calories through this process: Watch your condiments . All those little things like salad dressing, jams, mayonnaise, sour cream and bu...

I am exhausted by feeling this way. Somethings gotta change. And soon, before I have to enter another year of life in this place. We are approaching almost one whole year of living in this beautiful little city. And I must admit, I am actually REALLY enjoying my life here. I guess it helps that it is summer! My flowers are in full bloom, my small row of veggies are thriving, and our yard looks pretty darn good thanks to the insightful landscaping of our predecessors. And then I go inside... I do LOVE the house that we have bought. But some days I got overwhelmed by all the renovation projects that need to be accomplished to bring my home to the standard imprinted on my mind. While I have no desire to go bigger, I definitely want things to get better. And at times I get consumed by materialist thoughts. For instance, I've contemplated paint colors ad nauseum as of late. My aesthetic dilemmas have driven me on numerous trips to the hardware store, cushions in hand, to...

As time wears on, I realize more and more how I detest the comedy genre, especially when it comes to movies. Don't get me wrong! I LOVE to laugh. But the comedies out there STINK. Usually the plots involve a bunch of stupid men or shallow women. Eventually someone gets kicked in the groin. And invariably s-e-x becomes the topic of some joke. Makes me want to gag. Sadly, most of the sitcoms out there aren't much better. What ever happened to good old fashion CLEAN comedy? Like The Cosby Show? The other day my husband and I sat down and watched an episode. And we laughed. And laughed. The humor is so simple! Yet brilliant. And as parents, we had a new appreciation of the show. Is it funny when the writers are joking over the fact that it is hard to get an elementary age kid to say "thank you"? Do you want to laugh when Cliff is trying to adjust his daughter's sweater because it is a bit revealing? Can you relate when Cliff and Claire are dizzy with excitement bec...

It started with a comment from a mom in my community. We were talking about Registered Education Saving Plans. And one of the moms mentioned she allocated the entire Universal Child Care Benefit towards her children's RESP accounts. I gulped. And panicked inside. "I'm hardly contributing anything," I thought in horror. My words came out defensive, "We can't give that amount. We need the money as a single income family." The women nodded in understanding. Then my mind started whirling. Are we budgeting appropriately? Or are we spending recklessly? Am I depriving my children of needed savings? I recently came across a helpful document by the Barnabas Foundation which outlined 10 Financial Principles from the Bible . The principles are listed as follows: God owns it all . We are just managers! Giving is essential . This goes beyond money and material possessions to include time and talents. Allow for margin . Do we consciously set aside time (and mon...

Some days I feel like I'm living in a nut house, an insane asylum, or a psychiatric ward. Someone is crying. Someone is screaming. Someone is bouncing off the walls. Someone is mumbling some gibberish I can't understand. And I'm trying to bring order to the chaos. And I only have TWO kids. True, it is really not THAT bad. But when you combine maternal sleep deprivation, an energetic toddler who constantly repeats, "Shall we go outside for a little while?" and a teething one-year-old who has been whining for over a week, then a mild form of insanity results. At one point in the morning I become a fiendish woman whose patience is extremely low and whose mind explodes with unmentionable words. I am a mother in need of GRACE. Becoming a mother is probably one of the most difficult tasks I have ever undertaken in my life. I've studied university calculus and physics. I've resided in the orient. I've taught a room full of students who were challenged...