No Munchkins Allowed

My husband and I have made a permanent decision to not have children. How freeing! I even tried to talk myself out of our permanent solution to make sure that this is the right decision. The ONLY reason I could think of for having kids is to have someone to take care of us when we're old. But what's to say that our children will outlive us or be available when we need them? To me, that reason in itself is not strong enough to merit a new life!

We are/I am not the "normal" childfree couple. I was looking online to see if others felt like me, and came across some sites that were critical of (bordering on hateful to) parents, Christians, breastfeeding moms, and more. I am not against any of that!!! I think parents are great, and love to see a mom in my office reading a book to her child, or encouraging a mom to breastfeed for her and her baby's health. Heck, I even love to watch 19 Kids and Counting. Their commitment to their family and their faith is admirable. But should we have a child....because they're cute? because everyone else is doing it? it's what we're "supposed" to do? Nah. Some people just cannot fathom why we want to stay childfree, so here is a summary.

• Environmental - the Earth's population is exploding and we are using up our resources too quickly. Babies need diapers and stuff and food for their whole lives. I could use cloth diapers, but if I never have to change diapers, even better!
• Occupational - I love my job. I've never met a mom who wasn't torn between her job and her kids. Why put myself in that situation if I don't have to?
• Emotional - Children are a blessing, but they can also be very stressful!
• Marital - My husband and I can agree to disagree on certain issues that won't ever affect us since we won't have kids. Working out agreements is a good thing, but there are just certain things we won't ever have to worry about (like video games/TV, curfew/bedtime, etc).
• Physical - I never have to be pregnant. Enough said.
• Helpful - As a wife, there is a lot of work to do at home (children or not!). As a Christian, there is a lot of work to do for God's Kingdom. I am seriously not perfect and still improving in this area, but being childfree really is freeing to help other children who are already here and do the other things that God wants me to.

As you can hopefully see, this was not a hasty decision, but a prayed-over, thought-out decision. This is not just a matter of trying to take the easy way out. I do not judge those who have children or want to have children. We all have our own lives. I do wish that people would more carefully consider the decision to have children (or not!) before taking on this monumental, life-long challenge. It is the child who suffers when the parents are not prepared for the responsibility.

There will always be those who say, "You'll change your mind." Well, I know that God is the only one who knows the plans for my life, and the only one with the power to change minds. If He tells us something different in the future, I'll do my best to follow. But for now, I am free.

-- Also see http://childfreechristian.blogspot.com/ --

El Inmortal

Watch this video. Especially if you speak Spanish. It's one of my new favorites by Manny Montes, a Christian Reggaeton artist. His music is as good if not better than mainstream Reggaeton, plus the message is awesome. This particular song is about Jesus's death - how he gave up his life for ALL of us. It's unfortunate how some of the people mentioned in this song are judged by Christians instead of loved as Jesus loves them. Here's part of the song translated (though it flows better in Spanish!)

He died for Pentecostals and for Catholics

He died for addicts, for prostitutes and for alcoholics

He died for believers and for athiests

He died for Americans, Africans, and Europeans

He died for Michael Jordan, Ricky Martin, and for Tyson

He died for Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jackson

He died for Madonna, Christina Aguilera, and Britney

He died for Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and for Hitler

He died for Picasso, for Diana the Princess

He died for Albert Einstein and for the Mother Teresa

He died for Tego, for Hector, for Don Omar, Daddy Yankee

He died for Saddam Hussin, and for Osama Bin Laden

He died for the Pope, for Bush and for Don King

He died for Tito Trinidad, Bill Gates, and for Benny Hinn

He died for homosexuals and for evangelists

He died for missionaries and he died for terrorists

He died for murderers, crooks, and governors

He died for the mafia, pastors, and for rapists

He died for those who reject him and for those who receive him

I accept him, and you? Tell me your decision.

Acts 11:17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?

40 Days of Prayer

...otherwise sometimes known as Lent. I decided instead of fasting in the literal sense that I would give up caffeine for 40 days.

The whole point is that I'm sacrificing something to dedicate myself to God, and relying on him to get me through. Have I been tempted? Yep. Have I been exhausted? Yep. Have I cheated? Nope. But it's definitely not through my own power. I'm not that strong. I know it sounds dumb, but caffeine is a drug, and I was "using " it every day. It's been harder than I thought to give it up.

At a Bible study the other night, the leader said something that I can't get out of my mind. How often do I "cheat" when it comes to things God wants me to do? When I should rely on him? How often does He give me a thought and I think "that's a good idea" and never do it? How often do I use things - caffeine, TV, internet, eating, facebook (the list goes on) to distract myself from what I am missing out on? While it's good that I haven't given in to caffeine for 11 days, that's nothing compared to what I can do through Christ who strengthens me. By not relying on God in ALL things, I'm really cheating myself and others out of the full life that God has for me.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." -Romans 12:1-2

The New Inklings

The New Inklings is a blog about religion, or the lack thereof. Each week, one of the Inklings will post about a particular topic from their perspective, be it Christian or Agnostic. Later in the week, the other will post their viewpoint on the same topic.

Discussion and learning without judgement and arguing - love it!

New Year, New Posts

I stopped blogging for a while because I had nothing to say. Good thing the blog doesn't erase from inactivity, because now I have some things to say again. I was reading old posts and I listed some highlights of 2009 looking forward to 2010. I'm a month late, but whatever, here it is...

*My first nephew, Maddox, was born

*Cleaned and organized all the closets in my house

*Switched jobs from Office Services Specialist to Nutritionist

*Learned more than I ever thought I would about breastfeeding and babies

*Started to learn Arabic, then kinda crapped out because it is HARD. Maybe in 2011 I'll get motivated again with that.

*My best friend, Carissa, moved back here

*Trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary

*Decided for sure we're happy without our own kids

*Got involved with the Spanish Church of the Nazarene which has been amazing all around

Wow, that was more than I expected! Of course not everything was perfect, but those are some majorly awesome things...

Reflection

"Thank you God for using a broken, sometimes rotten, sometimes horrible situation to somehow glorify You. You make everything beautiful and glorious." - My friend Laura S.

Wow. So true. Plenty of examples in my life and situations I've seen or been through. Sometimes God even uses stuff that's not rotten or horrible, but unexpected. Hanging out with my Muslim friends and seeing their dedication to God and their faith has challenged and encouraged me in my own. Reber and I are part of a Spanish-speaking church and God helps us to understand everything that he wants us to - even when the words fail, we get the message. Because of this church, he has surrounded us with friends right here in our community that live and work close to us.

I appreciate all my church experiences in the past - from Mennonite to modern to house church. God has shown me many things in each situation, through both good and not so good experiences. But we're all a work in progress, right?!

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:4

Sugar milk

After all the opposition, the Board of Education tabled the great chocolate milk debate. They await new federal guidelines on child nutrition.

But the discussion in Florida is far from over, Padgett said. "It's the trend of the future. It's the weight of the future."

At Pinellas Central (School), 10-year-old Hong Ho beamed when asked about her choice of white milk.

"Chocolate milk has, like, lots of fats and calories," she explained.

Friend and classmate Linh Le, also 10, shook her head as she sipped from her brown carton.

"I drink chocolate milk at school because I always drink plain milk in the morning," Linh said.

The two lifted their cartons to compare nutritional labels.

White milk: 110 calories, 12 grams of sugar. Chocolate milk: 150 calories, 26 grams of sugar.

"This has a lot of sugar!" Linh exclaimed.

"That," said Ho, "is why I don't drink chocolate milk."

See the rest of this article here.

Viva la revolucion...of food!

Jamie Oliver (the chef) has a show on ABC on Friday nights. He's taking on the American school lunch system and it's totally awesome to watch. Also, check out this blog. It's one of my new favorites - the low down and dirty on school lunches (sorry I couldn't get the link to work).

Gross, right!? Check it out...

fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com

Reber's Blog

My husband started a blog - check it out!

Just For Fun

Borrowed this one from my friend Laura's blog...

1. What would you like to have in your hands right now? Some lotion - they're so dry!

2. What was the last thing you ate? Stovetop (real!) p0pcorn

3. What is your favorite moment on a tv show? The whole show Important Things with Demetri Martin and when the Steelers make an awesome play

4. Have you ever ridden in a limo? yeah! To McDonald's in 4th grade for Accelerated Reader

5. How many pregnant women do you know? Not counting the hundreds of pregnant ladies on the WIC program, 4

6. Three things you did this past weekend. Went to Richmond for the Alice in Chains concert, visited a little with my dad who drove a Uhaul from Florida, visited the OneTribe store.

7. What did your family do for vacations when you were young? Long Beach, NC and Pittsburgh to see extended family

8. Do you mind if guests show up unannounced? no, we have a bunch of cool neighbors who are always stopping by

9. When will you next travel by plane? In May to Puerto Rico woohoo!!

10. What did the last text message you received say? Don't remember - I don't text!

11. When was the last time you got dressed up? Every day I get semi-dressed-up for work (blah)

12. What do you miss when you are away from home? my kitties

13. What are you completely and totally over hearing about, reading about and discussing ad naseum? the Oscars. Who gives a crap?

14. What are three things you are looking forward to? Puerto Rico la isla mas bonita, my new job, hanging out more at Our Community Place

15. What is the newest thing you own? my knee brace and crutches

16. If I do anything well it's: cook

17. Do you use a planner? I always try to at the beginning of the month but then forget to look at it!

18. What is your all time favorite tv comedy? The Cosby Show

19. What is your current obsession? Soapmaking

20. Do you balance your checkbook or wing it? Wing it (don't tell my grandpa!!) I used to balance it but it took a lot of time and I'm really careful with what I spend so it never bounces.

21. What is your favorite store bought cookie? Soft Batch Chocolate Chip

22. High school was: lame

23. Describe your dream kitchen. Don't get me started. Those pull out drawers, a nice pantry, energy efficient appliances...the list could go on.

24. What would you really like to purchase? a new pepper grinder. The fifty cent one I got from the thrift store is no good.

25. What magazines do you read? Siempre Mujer (a women's magazine in Spanish)

Pierogies!!

Here's an easy and delicious dinner!

1 lb. bulk sausage

1 or 2 boxes frozen pierogies

1-2 onions

1-2 bell peppers

Cook sausage and peppers in skillet. Add pierogies and cook until browned. This is a favorite of my house church-goers!!

Napoli and a Birthday

Happy 22nd birthday to my brother today! I loved being 22 so hopefully it's a great year for him too.

If you're ever around Harrisonburg, Napoli is a great restaurant!! It used to be Luigi's on Rt. 42. Their stuff is reasonably priced and consistently delicious! I especially love the Piatto Della Nona and the Steak and Cheese Deluxe. YUM CITY :)

"What the crap are you watching?"

That's what I said to Reber when he turned on the curling competition in the Olympics. He thought it was funny when the American and Japanese women would deliver the stone and I have to admit, it was pretty irresistible. Then we started watching it and trying to figure out what the heck they were doing and it's really interesting!!

I even read the whole Wikipedia article on it. I know, I can't even believe it myself :)

Boo for Silk Soymilk

I hate agribusiness. Don't get me wrong...farmers are great. Just not the politics and giant corporations that stand in our way of eating real food. I recently watched Food, Inc. and it made me want to cry. And now this.

On Getting Kicked Out of Facebook

This weekend, a hacker got into my Facebook account and tried to scam my friends, and Facebook kicked me off. I didn't feel like going through the appeal process and sending them my personal information, so I'm done.

I was initially a little frustrated, but about 2 seconds later, I felt relieved. Facebook is good for some things, but sometimes it can be a complete waste of life. Farmville is especially good at wasting my life. I had been contemplating how much of my time it takes and how I don't really stay that connected with anyone. It's really not that weird being away from my Facebook "friends" (all of whom I like but none of whom I talk to often).

This whole ordeal is really a blessing in disguise. God helped me to do what I couldn't do myself, and the last couple days I've been super productive and thankful for all the things I've been missing here in my real life. Bring it on.

Looking back at 2009

Happy New Year! I love our family tradition of eating Chinese food and watching a season of a TV show on DVD. This year it's Arrested Development (took me a little while to get into that show but now I love it). Seems like everyone's complaining about 2009 but it wasn't THAT bad!! Here are some noteworthy things from this year...

*I learned how to decorate cakes, even with fondant.

*I'm starting to learn Russian

*Reber is excited about his planted aquarium (it really is beautiful).

*Trip to Rochester, NY for a friend's wedding party...enjoyed my first taste of garbage plates and salt potatoes.

*Got to hang out with my brother more this year than I have in a while.

*Got a new petsitting job now and then with some great people and their amazing animals.

*New floor in our kitchen and downstairs bathroom.

*When the economy goes bad, my job gets more secure!

Happy 2010!!

WOW

That's all I have to say about this.

Crockpot refried beans

These are MUCH cheaper than the ones from the can!

Cook a pound of beans with a bunch of water - maybe 10 cups or so - on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours with a tablespoon or two of salt. Optionally, add a chopped onion, green pepper, a little olive oil, and oja de aguacate (avocado leaves - a couple of those. You can buy them in any Mexican grocery store).

Ladle out some of the water and set aside. Remove the avocado leaves (they're like bay leaves). Mash the beans with a potato masher or process in the food processor. That's it! This makes a lot of beans - you can put them in individual containers and freeze. They're just as easy to pull out of the freezer as the cans are easy to pull out of the pantry!

Cake City!

That's what my house has been lately because I've been taking a cake decorating class at Michael's. I started because two friends wanted to sign up and I thought, "What the heck?" Now I'm in level 2 and they didn't continue past level 1 (for school and other reasons). The class is really fun and who knew I could do this stuff?

This is the first layer cake I've ever made and the first time I used a decorating bag.

Yummy...mocha fudge filling.

Here is the final Level 1 cake that required at least 5 roses.

Once I get my colors right (red and black are the hardest...go figure since those are probably the ones I'll use most), I'll make some rock metal cakes and football cakes. Also, I am very unofficially open for business so if you need a cake let me know and we can work something out :)

Kiddie Pool/Sandbox

So I'm not a mom yet, but isn't this the most genius idea ever?

I copied this from the blog Passionate Homemaking. What a great idea to use this plastic bin as a kiddie pool...it's cheap and you can snap on the cover so you don't have to keep changing the water AND when your kids outgrow it, you can use it for storage!! And bonus - you can switch it to a sandbox easily if you feel like it.