Respect

I have heard a lot of talk lately on respect in terms of relationships. Yet i am not so sure how to define respect. There are a few definitions which i find intriguing. Webster defines it "to consider worthy of regard" and a Google search turns up this " a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements."

I have heard all my life about earning respect; but lately it seems to me that everyone wants respect without doing anything worthy of respect. Is respect something that we should demonstrate toward everyone for simply being or is it something that must be earned? Are we to respect people or their positions. For example: in marriage are we to respect our husbands simply because they are a man or is it the role that we respect? What if someone does not even demonstrate self respect? I understand respect for life even in the case of death. But living out respect, in a society where it seems no one has self respect they just demand it from others. is getting harder and harder to do.

Moms Can't Be Human

i come from a long line of supermoms. and the expectations i have placed on myself as a result of that super lineage, have led me to this blog. It is undeniable that motherhood is an incredible gift, but the daily realities of what happens in the home and in our hearts maybe isn't always pretty and we don't always feel super but often are much more super than we think. As a new mom of three amazing children 2 and under and stepmom to a sweet 9 year old, i struggle with the fact that i am human but feel like as a mom i am not allowed to be. Expectations are high on women in general, but moms have a whole other standard. We must be able to go without sleep for days or years, and keep a clean house, make home cooked meals, educate our children so they are at a first grade level by the age of 3, attend all school functions, volunteer at school or church or somewhere, have a job, and look like a celebrity while doing it all. My mom did it and my husbands mom did it, so why can't i do it all. I for one find it a huge accomplishment if i am able to brush my teeth before dinner. And well breastfeeding - i know that's a touchy subject. Why do i feel the need to explain to people why i am not breastfeeding? it's none of their business, but with all the supermom's around me, i feel, well, human in a world of superhumans.  My mother is an incredible woman. She did keep a spotless house, raise my brother and i who are 17 months apart, and cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, and when we started school she added a job to her list of many accomplishments. She also found a way to do all of this when we had 1 car and she drove my dad to work and then my brother and i to different schools and then went to work herself clear across town. All of this she did with such grace and joy, i don't know how she did it. And here i am with my guest room looking like a laundry bomb exploded and i can't even get dressed before 2pm if that. Some days are better than others and some days i do have moments of feeling super, but then someone poops in the bathtub and well humanity slaps me in the face. So for all of you mothers out there who are working hard and feel less than, know that we're in this together and we are all human and now and then pretty darn super.

In Praise of Real Books

There is a sense of accomplishment in getting to the end of a chapter and even in turning an actual page of a book. Like when you were a kid and had those read along record books that dinged each time you needed to turn a page. Maybe it's Pavlovian, but i feel like i've really accomplished something when i hear a bell ding even today. And i feel that same sense of accomplishment when i get through a page in a book and on a greater scale through an entire book. So this new obsession with books online and audio books and e-readers seems to me to disconnect us further from the joy of reading. Without pages to turn or a cover to close, where is that sense of productivity and accomplishment in reading?
Real Book readers rejoice and be proud! Feel accomplished with each turn of the page!

Youth & Discoveries

Now that i'm nearly 7 months pregnant and feel 80 years old with my waddle and aches and pains - i find that seeing pictures of just last summer give me hope and a longing for my youth. i think i will regain some youthfulness post baby. i hope!

Dog Parks are the greatest invention for us urban/suburbanites. A playground for dogs. It's pretty relaxing for us puppy owners who for a brief bit of time, get to sit and not have to constantly worry about shoes, carpet, or anything else within reach being chewed up. It really is like a playground with parents all around meeting and discussing doggie schools and tips on training and various other adventures with their dogs. The dogs themselves are completely fascinating with their own code and social standards. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes and they all love each other until one of them hoards all the tennis balls :-).

It's a Dog's Life

Friendship

My little buddy has a big buddy!

Bruster and Ziggy on Jan. 17, 2010

Something's Happened

i feel the need  to communicate my tears for the people in Haiti. i just don't know how. i cry and pray and pray and pray. the disorganization of all the relief efforts and aid workers is so disheartening. the make shift hospitals set up at the airport are fine, but what about the thousands of people who aren't near the airport. they need a clinic set up on every street. and a food and water station set up on every street. i know the Lord is in control and i'm praying fervently for the injured, the lost, the doctors and nurses, the rescue workers, the aid workers, the president and his wife. i can't imagine the pain of seeing your world in ash and rubble and bodies of people you know and love just strewn everywhere. i can't pretend to understand or feel what they are going through. but i pray.
i remember when a major flood hit Houston and my family and i with the dog left our home by boat. it was very surreal, but the strangest part was getting to the higher ground and seeing traffic on the roads and people going on with life like nothing happened. i keep watching the videos and news reports on Haiti, because, i want to remember that something has happened. i don't want to forget and just be that person that goes on as if nothing has changed. i want to go on having been changed by what's happened.

Puppy Power

We got a puppy right before thanksgiving.

Ziggy - named in honor of my grandmother, who for 30 years has been trying to get someone in the family to name their child that. She's now very content to have a grandpuppy by that name :-)

i was very uncertain about this puppy decision with all the work ahead on the house and the baby coming. adding puppy training to that just seemed overwhelming. but like any good dog - he stole my heart. and unlike any dog i've ever had, he is now allowed on the couch. he curls up with me and sleeps while i watch tv. well, he does that after he's tried to chew my hands and feet and then his toys. i love him!

we took a 20+ hour road trip each way over Christmas break with puppy in tow. he did great and we all really bonded as a family.

it was a lot of firsts for Ziggy.
First time out of Texas
First trip to the beach, where he could dig all he wanted.

First trip to a dog park, where he made friends and was put in his place.
First hotel stay - thank you, Lord, for LaQuinta (most of them take pets)


it was brutal coming back to work and having to leave him. i feel like he grows in the 10 hours i don't see him everyday. pretty soon he'll be too big for both of us to fit on the couch together, but i'm going to soak it all up while i can.