A little bit of nothing...

Ryan is away, last night and today, to help chaperone the 5th grade trip to Grand Bear Lodge and indoor waterpark. Sounds like a blast! I'm just here, checking my emails and blogs and other websites that typically fill my cravings for gossip and drama. lol. We ate McD's today for lunch...which we never do, because the boys are wheat-sensitive, and greasy french fries give us tummy aches...but, who feels like cooking a healthy meal when the hubby is away?? Now, I think I'll lay the 2 little kids down for a nap. Yeah. Sounds good. Nothing else to do. Other than laundry. And dishes. Yuck. A nap sounds much better. I'll leave the housework till later. Cuz I know it will keep bugging me till I get it done. That's all. I'm sure I'll have more to report tomorrow. Mother's Day. ;)

Dancing Princesses

Here are Alia, Ava & Marina...aka: Snow White, Cinderella & Lil' Ballerina...May 2, 2008

Yo Soy Dominicana

This week is 'Missions Week' at church. We hold this event twice a year. I think about a hundred missionaries from all over the world come to our church and spend time throughout the week at luncheons, in the various classes and small group homes to share with our church family what it is that they do on the mission field and what their needs are. These times are so inspiring. Not only do they remind us to look beyond our Starbux and salons...to a world in need beyond our borders...it also opens our eyes to see the powerful, very REAL ways that God is at work beyond our 'godless' culture.

Last night, Ryan and I helped in the Kids' Connection room (as usual), which serves 2nd thru 5th graders. The missionaries that were assigned to our service was the de Freitas family. They are from the Dominican Republic. It was amazing to see them captivate their very young audience, and impress on them the burden for missions. They also shared with the kids ways that we can make a difference here in our hometown. Praying. Giving. Going. It was neat. I looked over at my Mark throughout the service to see what his reactions were to all this info. And he looked at me with eyes big as saucers. As if he were fighting back tears. I think it was an awesome eye-opener to him, to see slides and video of kids in that country who live in poverty and desperately need the Lord. He gladly received their card and tucked it into his pocket to bring home, and it is now on our fridge so we can remember to pray for that family and that ministry each week. We plan to spend time at dinner tonight talking about what he learned from the missionary and how it makes him feel about our call as Christians to GO and SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS TO ALL NATIONS. I'm excited for our conversation.

This missionary was especially intriguing to me, because I am half Dominican. My grandmother (abuela) was born and raised under a dictatorship in Santo Domingo, and she worked her way up to a government position in her twenties. She was placed in charge of all Social Services for the entire country. She owned land and multiple homes and had maids and personal landscapers...everything. When she married, she left her position to marry a poor hispanic minister who brought her to the states and started a church in California. But today, even in her old age, she carries those same ties to the Dominican Republic. She visits several times a year and stays in the governor's mansions and is known among the Christian community as an evangelist. She speaks at churches and prayer conferences and has had an impact in many communities that I'm only now realizing in my own adulthood.

As a child, she was just my grandma that my sisters and I found humor in, because she would speak in broken English. She would say cabbage instead of garbage. And she would say kitchen instead of chicken. And she would cook us the strangest food. Rice and beans (arroz y frijoles), chicken stew (sopa de pollo), fried bananas (platanos fritos). And while our friends would receive the popular toys from their grandmas, like Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbie Dolls...we would receive ethnic dolls from Dominican markets, handmade dresses from local seamstresses, and of course, we each were given a copy of the bible in Spanish. With a long note hand-written inside by my abuela, which my mom would have to translate to us. It always spoke of faith and conquering the Enemy with the Word of God. As a child, I always thought she was so strange.

But now, as an adult, I have come to learn these amazing traits about my grandmother. I realize that her notes to us were laced with words about conquering the Enemy, because she comes from a country that shares an island with Haiti, where VooDoo is prevalent, and unlike the US, the spiritual realm is very evident. And spiritual attacks are a reality in those parts. So, she wanted to teach us to guard our hearts and minds with the Word of God, even in this culture where spiritual warfare is less evident, but still very much at work. I am amazed at the legacy she is leaving for her kids and her grandkids and now her great-grandkids. My children call her Bisa (short for bisabuela, which means great-grandmother). And my daughter is named after her first name (Marina). My hope is that my kids will carry on the same legacy she has dedicated her life to...spreading the good news of Jesus to a needing world, and living by incredible faith. Faith that I have been honored to experience as she has prayed with authority (in spanish, of course) over myself and my family. En el nombre de Jesus...AMEN.

Rated-MA

Today is the unfortunate release date of the very explicit Grand Theft Auto 4. Both my husband and my 2 sons are video game lovers. So, when a new game comes onto the market, our ears perk up. But, the Grand Theft games have never been allowed into our home. And for very good reason. They contain explicit foul language, drug use, alcohol abuse, sex, soliciting of prostitutes, drunk driving, rewards for criminal activity, such as car theft and violent acts toward others...and overall, they just encourage a very anti-social behavior that we don't want our family viewing! It seems that each new installation of the game has become worse and worse. And this final version pushes the envelope like never before.

We have recently been having conversations with our 9yr-old, Mark, about why we don't allow him to play certain video games or watch certain movies that his friends are able to view. He gets frustrated with us when the answer is an unwavering NO. And, I understand his frustration. At this time in his life, he is desperately trying to shed the 'little boy' image and be a cool, big, tough guy among his peers. But that doesn't change our stance on the issue. Luckily, he has not asked for us to purchase this Grand Theft game. He understands that it is 'bad.' And he is concerned that a couple of his friends have permission from their parents to buy this new game today. Yes...those are Christian School friends.

Something pretty cool happened yesterday. As we were driving home from school, we were listening to a Christian radio station. And the topic of this particular game was being discussed with a video game critic. They reiterated the specific ways the themes in the Grand Theft games break God's standards and are dangerous to the minds of children in particular. Mark was visibly interested in all they had to say, and it was at that point he became very concerned for his friends who planned to purchase this game. We took it as an open door for us to pray for his friends, and I felt it equipped Mark to talk to his friends about why this game isn't a good choice. It also showed him that when we say NO to a game or movie, it is with good reason. There is so much garbage out there that Ryan and I want to shield our kids from. And I appreciate Christian radio for opening the dialog about these issues, so parents can also be equipped.

What angers me now is that games like this are not meant for children (with the Mature rating), but are clearly marketed toward them. Their posters are plastered all over Blockbuster store windows, toy stores, etc...and they are on shelves right at eye level for a kid to come by and view. If we won't display mature magazines like this, then why display mature games?? This angers me greatly. Many parents, even Christian ones, will blindly purchase the game for their kids. Because it's a game, right?? Wrong!! It's a dangerous tool that I strongly feel has no place among kids' playtime. And, even tho Ryan and I refuse to allow games like this in our home, we still have to deal with instances when Mark goes to a friends' house, because he's always having to call us up and ask our permission for every Teen or Mature rated game that his friends suggest, and we're having to say no to most. The battle continues even outside our home! Hopefully our firm stance will encourage other parents to tighten up on their own rules.

I'm very offended!

This morning I sat in my kitchen, sipping my coffee, and listening to political talk radio, as I do every morning. It's a way of stimulating my mind when I have only diapers and toys to converse with. And it's a way of keeping myself up-to-date on current events.

Well, today I happened to catch the press-conference, in which the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright indulged the media with a speech and a question/answer time. While he was speaking, I became so livid and offended at many of his statements. I literally could not believe that I was listening to this rhetoric, in the year 2008...hate speech that would make you feel you were somehow transported back to the civil rights era.

His words were so filled with hatred. Instead of being held accountable for such hateful statements, he tried to deflect the attention to Black History, and the fact that the 'white male' just doesn't understand their traditions. In all essence, I felt like he was saying that if anyone dares to question his statements in any way, they are just ignorant of the centuries-old traditions and 'flavor' of the black community.

I was appalled at some of the assertions that he made. That there is still segregation, not only in our culture, but also in the church. And that the 'white, racist government' forces the black community to suffer. He said that the questioning of his comments, made by the media, was 'not an attack on Jeremiah Wright, but an attack on the black church.'

I say NO! It is an attack on the hate-filled statements he has made! The only segregation I see is within the black church. And not all black churches. But extremists like this. I have attended many churches in my day, and they are accepting of all color. My husband has worked in the corporate community for almost 10 years now...and no segregation there. No inequality based on color. He attended both college and grad school. Again...no inequality there. You are treated the way you present yourself. I realize that there are extreme kook white-rasist groups out there. And that is a problem that needs to be addressed, and I have seen it being addressed. But, just in day to day life, we don't live in a segregated, racist culture like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seems to shout. So, why the hatred?? And why does he use the pulpit to scream these ideas??

I think that is what bothers me the most. The fact that he mis-quotes scripture to back up his thoughts. I literally was so angered by his statements, that I had to turn the radio off. But then, curiosity got the best of me, so I flicked it back on...just in time to hear him be asked a question about Jesus being the only Way, Truth, and Life...so how does he respond to Islam's teachings?? And his response, "Jesus himself said He has sheep in another fold." What?? So, he is blaspheming the teachings of Jesus now?? Suggesting that there are multiple ways to God?? Ooooo....I'm so very offended!

Sunday Afternoon Bike Ride...

What a fun afternoon we have enjoyed today! After a late lunch, in which I whipped up a meal I learned from Girlfriends' Night (Chicken Limone, garlic mashed potatoes & crisp green beans), we hopped on our bikes and rode the 2.5 miles (or so) to the icecream store down Rte. 34. It was chilly out, but we had fun!! After we trekked all the way back home, we played outside for awhile. Mark shot some hoops with a couple neighbor boys, Marina drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and Reese tested his ability (with the help of Daddy) on the skateboard. That's what I love about the warmer weather. Such good times! xoxo

Girlfriends' Night!

Girlfriends' Night is a special event put on by the Women's Ministry at our church. This particular evening consisted of cooking demonstrations by Chef Louie, taste testing, 'What Not to Wear: For Your Hair' makeovers provided by Marty Rizzo of Salon Giovanni, short comedy sketches, another cooking demonstration and taste testing with a local gourmet cake decorator, and lots of raffle prizes (such as spa packages and upscale clothing gift cards). It was such a blast! Especially since I spent it with some of my fave girlfriends!

The top photo includes all the women that sit at my table for Tuesday morning Bible Study. I love these women so much. We know each other inside out and always indulge in deep conversation and the sharpening of spirits.

The second photo is of Lisa, Me, and Heather. We are definitely a crazy trio!

And the last pic has Tammy, Heather, Me and Kristi. You'll most definitely find us sitting by the pool this summer, working on our tans! These girls make me laugh till my abs are sore. (Not a bad thing!)