Anti-Jon and Kate

*At the request of DH, some editorial changes have been made since my original posting. He felt I was a little harsh towards the children.

I have been such a long-time fan of this show that I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth (fingers?). I am boycotting Jon and Kate plus 8. I'm tired of how snotty, uptight, rude, mean and hateful she is. She's a total basket-case when it comes to the kids' clothes and who in the world buys two puppies right after putting new carpet in their house?

Kate is so rude to Jon. She's insulting, sarcastic and belittling to him during the show's interview sessions. Do I get irritated at things my husband does? Yes. Do I want to say things off the top of my head that might hurt his feelings? Sometimes. But I don't. Because I love and respect him and appreciate him for what he provides for our family. There have been times that I have bitten my tongue and not said things because I knew it would hurt his feelings and that I would regret it later. I wonder if she ever regrets anything she says? Does she ever watch herself on tv? And if so, how can she not see her behavior as wrong? I chose to stay home with our kids and am grateful for every moment of it. Even the crazy, hair-pulling ones.

They flaunt their being "Christians" so much yet her behavior is anything but. And in several of the viewer e-mail answer shows she has commented that their fans are "crazy, we're just a normal family." How's that for gratitude?! Because of those*crazy fans* Jon is now able to work from home and they just moved into a new house because of the benefits they receive from TLC and their new book.

So, I am asking all of you who truly do love and respect your spouses to join me in my boycott. I know it may be a hard step, but you can do it!

Wanted: swappers

Come on! Two more is all we need to get this ball rolling. The wheels in my head are turning, thinking about what I can create......

Scripture Studies essay 2

List two to four of the most important people of this era and discuss who they were, what they did, and why their deeds were important to Israel’s faith and culture. Weigh their importance to that of Moses, noting where they were similar and different from him.

Of all the people in the history of Israel at this time I believe that the most important are Samuel, David and Solomon. All played a pivotal role in the direction that Israel would go following their leadership. Samuel was destined for the role of a prophet before he was born and because of the circumstances surrounding his conception.

When Samuel is three years old he is taken to the tabernacle to live and learn under the direction of Eli, the high priest. When Samuel was still a child he was visited by the Lord and called as a prophet. Samuel knew that the people of Israel wanted to be ruled by a king and not judges. Samuel prayed to God and was given permission to call a king. The next day Samuel was visited by Saul who was very righteous and was anointed. It is interesting to note that Saul was anointed to be Captain, not King. It does well to serve as a reminder that only the Lord is King. Samuel was significant in Israel's history and culture because he was the last judge they knew and he provided the way for the period of kings to begin. Samuel was similar to Moses in that he also received auditory witness from God that he was to become the prophet.

David was a shepherd boy whose older brothers served in Saul's army. He was visited and anointed by Samuel to become the next king of Israel. He was the only one who was able to defeat Goliath. David's popularity quickly rose after the defeat of Goliath which began the jealousy and downfall of Saul. Saul was also jealous that David had been anointed the next king and not Saul's son, Jonathan. David eventually had to build an army against Saul for protection and after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, David was able to assume the role as king. David is a pivotal figure in Israel's history because it was through him, that for the first time, the people received full possession of the land promised to them by Moses. David also made the way for Jesus Christ to be born, for His lineage was of the House of David. David was similar to Moses in integrity by the way that David spared Saul's life when given the opportunity to kill him, but is different from Moses because of the ways that David conducted himself with Bath-sheba and Uriah.

Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba. Solomon was anointed by Nathan after the death of his father, David. Solomon was very wise and righteous and wanted to establish a permanent residence for the tabernacle. At this point the Ark of the Covenant that was constructed by Moses in the wilderness was over 300 years old. It was through Solomon's dedication to the Lord and willingness to do His will that Solomon was allowed to begin the construction of the temple. The reign of Solomon was also one of peace and unity throughout the kingdom. Solomon was similar to Moses in his righteousness and leadership, demonstrated in his judgment of the two women both claiming to be the mother of a dingle baby. Solomon was also similar in that he was the one to finally be entrusted with the task of building a temple to the Lord. Moses was given the same responsibility which had to be carried out in a different manner due to the lack of permanent residence.

Hebrew Scripture Studies

I've been told that I'm a crazy person. Sometimes I believe the critics, but I frequently know that my loads that I carry will bless me in the end. One of the loads that I am carrying right now is school. I am so close to finishing my bachelor's degree that I can actually taste it. I am working on a Regents of Bachelor Arts degree through West Virginia University by taking online classes and this semester I am enrolled in Communication if Families (a child development course) and Hebrew Scripture Studies (through the dept. of religion). Because I'm the type of person who needs LOTS of affirmation I'm going to be posting my weekly essays for my religion course. It has been so interesting and fascinating to get to study the political and cultural settings for the time of the Old Testament and has provided great insight to later events in the New Testament and current events happening today.

In a one-page single-spaced paper, discuss the role of Moses in founding of the nation Israel. Be sure to include the important historical facts of his life, both before and after the exodus. Why do you think God chose him to lead such an important task? What are some of the evidences that Moses was an ordinary person? Why was he ultimately unable to enter the promised land?

Moses was destined to become the leader of Israel from his birth. When the Egyptian princess finds him in the bulrushes, it is evidence of God preserving Moses' life to enable him to do the Lord's work later. Being raised in Pharaohs' court as an Egyptian prince teaches Moses what he will need to know later to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After Moses is grown he kills an Egyptian who is beating an Israelite and must then flee for his life. He travels to Midian, north of Egypt and is shown God in a burning bush where he is given instructions to lead the children of Israel to freedom.

Moses leads them back to Israel and shows Pharaoh numerous plagues to show him God's power. I think that Moses was chosen before he was born to be the chosen leader to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt and save them from the slavery inflicted by Pharaoh. With every prophet God has preserved their life early on, showing them His power and love all the while preparing them for the work He will eventually call them to do. Pharaoh eventually lets them go free but chases them and corners them at the Red Sea, which God enables Moses to part the Sea saving the Israelites and drowning the Egyptians. Moses and the Israelites continue to wander the desert, bringing his wandering to a total of 40 years before Joshua assumes the role of leader. Joshua is the one to finally bring the Israelites to the Promised Land.

When Moses is speaking to God at the burning bush, Moses' initial reaction is to doubt his own ability to lead the Israelites to freedom. Moses considers himself a simple man and does not think the Israelites will think him capable of the task. Moses also does not think himself eloquent enough of a speaker to be the mouthpiece on Earth for God. God reassures him that He will be there, guiding Moses and providing the way. God also provides a way to prove to the Israelites that Moses is the chosen leader by showing them signs. Moses was given the power to turn the staff in his hand into a serpent and pouring water from the river onto the dry land and turning it into blood.

I don't think that Moses was unable to enter the Promised Land, but that God was so pleased with him that He took Moses back to heaven without having to taste death. In Deuteronomy chapter 32, God tells Moses to go to Mount Nebo in the land of Jericho to see Canaan. He is instructed to stay there to die but then in chapter 34 after Moses is shown all the lands that have been saved for the tribes it says in verse 6 that the Lord buried Moses in the valley of Moab but that "no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." I believe that once Moses had brought the children of Israel to the Promised Land that his mission in this life was done and that God translated him. There are later accounts of Moses appearing as an angel of the Lord and he would not have been able to do that if his body had not already been resurrected and in a perfect state. When Jesus Christ is transfigured on the mount and Peter, James and John are with him Moses and Elijah appear to them (Matthew 17:1-5). Later after Christ has been resurrected he appears with Moses and Elijah to give the keys of the priesthood to Peter, James and John.

Kindness Swap

I absolutely love handmade items. I love going to craft shows to see what wonderful talents other people have. I also love exploring new crafts myself and making items for other people. That's why this idea is so perfect for me. I got this off of a bloggy-friends' page.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice.

For you.

Hand made!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!!

Have a happy day!

A marble in the jar.

A new reward system has been put into action here and I'm loving it! The tv situation had gotten seriously out of control with Patrick being a total couch commando and I was tired of the kids never doing anything when asked the first time. I wanted to have something that could be done calmly and NOT involve them getting something material. A friend told me about a method she saw on Nanny 911 and it's been working great. Are you ready?

• Each child has a jar with their name and every time they do something the first time or without being asked they get a marble in their jar. Extra marbles can be earned for volunteering to do extra chores.

• When they earn 5 marbles they get to redeem them for 30 minutes of tv time. They can save the 5 and wait until they get to 10 and either have 60 minutes of tv time or 60 minutes on the computer. This is the *only* way to watch tv or play on the computer.

• If only one child has 5 marbles then they get to watch in solitude in our room. If they are caught putting more marbles in their jar than they earned, they lose all of them and start over.

• They are allowed to watch videos on the VCR in the boys' room or Living Scripture dvd's downstairs.

In the past week, a total of 90 minutes has been watched.

first video!

Some people who shall remain nameless have been bugging me to post some videos on here. And now that I have a fabulous new camera from DH for Valentine's Day, I can! So, this is typical Cate. Cute and adorable one second, screaming the next because she thinks I'm leaving her. I also still can't understand half of what she says.