Growing up, I was used to an armed officer being at church--and sometimes I even road to church with him, as he was my dad. It never once occurred to me that other people took note of it.
When my husband and I recently discussed getting back into the swing of things with church, I reassured him that it wouldn't be an issue for him to show up in uniform for service. He works Sunday, and if he is working then he is on call for all 24 hours of that day.
So, last Sunday, off to a new church we went. He met us there. We got the kids situated in their respective classes and found a place at the back of the auditorium that felt comfortable. We chose the back for two reasons: if his work phones rings, he MUST answer it and because our kids in a unfamiliar place almost guarantees we will be summoned for one of them (and Scout fulfilled that guarantee). We worshiped, we praised, and we truly enjoyed the church service. About half way through the service, Scout joined us in the auditorium. We kept her mostly quiet.
After service, we retrieved Kale from class and headed out the door. I noted that next time I should park closer to the entrance by the kid's classrooms. Sunday went on without much flair.
Turns out, somebody either inside or outside the church took note of my husband's uniformed presence. Within the next 24 hours, someone placed a call and it became apparent that at least one person questioned my husband's right to attend church in uniform.
The first thing I did was laugh. Good try devil. Not gonna work. We are still going to be going to church. My next thought was shame on the person so poorly representing the church and being so blinded by the devil to believe that a church would ever stand behind the idea of rebuking a uniformed officer. I have never heard a police agency refusing an officer the opportunity to attend church regularly. Sure, things come up and the officer may be unable to attend from time to time due to performing work duties (read: keeping the general public safe). I have known many an officer who used "lunch/supper hour" to attend church. No big deal. Nobody expects the officer to run home, change clothes, attend church, and then run home to change again. Since when did church have a stringent dress code anyway?
So, another call was made and it was made very clear to our family that we were welcome at the church and with my husband being in uniform. We knew we would be headed back to church there again this morning.
This morning, off we went. We met my husband at church. We were VERY reassured by a church leader that we were welcome there with him in uniform. We signed our four year old up for baseball, despite him yelling/screaming the whole way back to the car that he doesn't to play (he does, he just doesn't know it yet...he loves to hit the ball and loves to throw!). We went on our way. Life goes on. And we will continue to go back to church there.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
January 9th
I'm starting to have a general "dislike" for January 9th.
Last January 9th, I told my husband goodbye for a week as he started his training for work. For the following 16 weeks I saw my husband for maybe 48 hours each weekend. Most weekends it was less. He did get to call most nights. As I have said in other posts, I was pregnant, chasing a three year old, and working full time. I kept my sanity and gave myself reality checks by reminding myself that it could be worse--my husband could be a soldier who was away from home for much longer with less contact. Our daughter was named from one of the shows I watched to help me keep that reality check going.
This time last year, I had no idea I would be spouting off the "May mantra" again, but yet it stares us all in the face again. If I can make it through today, I can make it until May. A friend once shared that with me when I was struggling with a commitment I had made to work somewhere until May. Last year, I shared that mantra with my husband. We both repeated it several times throughout last spring. I am not sure who will sing it loudest this year....my brother, my sister in law, or my mom.
Tomorrow is January 9th and my little brother takes off for basic training with the Army National Guard. My sister in law is pregnant, about the same place in her pregnancy as I was this time last year. She chases an almost 18 month old little boy around non-stop.
Yep, I am pretty sure that I will just cross January 9th off the calendar next year...
Last January 9th, I told my husband goodbye for a week as he started his training for work. For the following 16 weeks I saw my husband for maybe 48 hours each weekend. Most weekends it was less. He did get to call most nights. As I have said in other posts, I was pregnant, chasing a three year old, and working full time. I kept my sanity and gave myself reality checks by reminding myself that it could be worse--my husband could be a soldier who was away from home for much longer with less contact. Our daughter was named from one of the shows I watched to help me keep that reality check going.
This time last year, I had no idea I would be spouting off the "May mantra" again, but yet it stares us all in the face again. If I can make it through today, I can make it until May. A friend once shared that with me when I was struggling with a commitment I had made to work somewhere until May. Last year, I shared that mantra with my husband. We both repeated it several times throughout last spring. I am not sure who will sing it loudest this year....my brother, my sister in law, or my mom.
Tomorrow is January 9th and my little brother takes off for basic training with the Army National Guard. My sister in law is pregnant, about the same place in her pregnancy as I was this time last year. She chases an almost 18 month old little boy around non-stop.
Yep, I am pretty sure that I will just cross January 9th off the calendar next year...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Product Insight: Moby, Erog, Baby Spoon
I have had a few mom's recently ask me for insight on wraps, specifically the Moby wrap. When I was still pregnant with my daughter, I polled people on wraps, slings, and carriers. I had given away the carrier I used on my son because it never seemed to feel comfortable enough. I ended up with both a Moby wrap and the Ergo carrier.
First off, do you really need a wrap/carrier/sling? Well, if this is your first child, then you don't necessarily NEED one. If you have a small child and are ever going to need to shop at Walmart or the grocery store with both children with you and not have someone to push a second cart...then HECK YES, YOU NEED SOMETHING! I have a four year old and 7 month old. I recently made a trip to Walmart by myself. Before I left the store, I stopped an assistant manager and asked him how in the world Walmart expects any mom who has to bring more than one child to put her children AND her groceries while she shops. By the time you put one child in the seat and leave an infant in the carseat in the big part of the basket...you have NO room for groceries. Unless you buy all your groceries at Target and enjoy pushing around a card the size of a semi, then you are probably going to want something for that one time when you have to go shopping and take all the kids with you!
That said....here are my thoughts on the wrap and some other products...
Moby Wrap
What I love about it: the concept, how it works when I get the wrap on in a comfortable hold, there are many different holds and you can adjust them to what best fits you and your baby, easy to wash, easy to store (wad it up, fold it up...whatever works!), you can use it from infancy through toddler years, and one size fits all! There are lots of youtube vidoes and online support from Moby on how to position for the different wrap holds. The fact that you can custom the holds to what works best for you and your baby is great.
What I don't love about it: I have yet to figure out who to put on the wrap without half the wrap being on the floor when I start to put it on. At home, this is fine. Out in public or in a parking lot, um, not so great. I really don't want to be wearing something that I just had on the floor or ground, much less putting my baby in it! The stretchy material is great, until you have been wearing the wrap long enough that it stretches out and your hold starts to not feel as secure. I am not a small girl. Warning: I am about to mention my boobs. My boobs aren't small either. When my daughter was smaller, it was like I couldn't get the wrap tight enough to really feel she was super secure, still accommodate my boobs and yet not feel I was going to smother her with my boobs. I recently wore her and at almost 18lbs, we had a great hold and the fit felt right without feeling like my boobs were going to smother her.
I will say that the one time I wore my daughter facing outward in the moby wrap, she seemed to feel a little overwhelmed, overstimulated, and wasn't sure what to do with her flailing arms/legs. I need to try it again now that she is a little older.
Side note, some moms can nurse while wearing the Moby...I have NO IDEA how they do that at all.
Overall, I am glad to have this as a baby-wearing option.
Ergo carrier
I was able to snag this carrier cheap from a online shopping site. Let me rephrase that...I convinced my mom to buy me this carrier from an online shopping site. I give credit where its due...thanks mom!
What I love: soft fabric, comes with hood to cover baby if outside in foul weather, adjustable, fairly easy on/off for carrier with straps, lots of padding in straps and comfortable to wear for extended time periods, option to carry baby on back (but I haven't been brave enough to try this yet).
What I don't like: I can't wear my daughter forward facing. Meaning, if I use the carrier on my front, then baby is facing me. There is no option for her to face outward. Not really sure if this is such a downfall, as I don't know how much I would use that option anyway...just thought I should mention it though.
Overall, this carrier is a little pricey, but I think its worth it...especially if you don't get a Moby.
I will put this in bold, just in case you missed the comment earlier: If you have a young child already and are adding a baby to the family, you need a carrier/wrap/something! Even if you aren't big on baby wearing...there are going to be at least a few times that you may have to do the grocery shopping with both (or all) kids with you and you are going to need somewhere to put the groceries! I assure you that I don't leave my house without one or both of my Moby or Ergo with me.
By the way, nobody is paying me or helping me out because I am promoting these products...just trying to give my honest opinions and help some fellow mommies out.
The "NEW" baby spoon
Take a cruise down the baby aisle and you will notice that there is a new type of "spoon" that has a handle that doubles as the food holder. Meaning, you pour the baby food into the handle and then squeeze the handle to release food onto the spoon. I LOVED the concept and hate the reality. So far, I have used mine once. I have about four more that I need to return. I just don't see us using these. For one, we mix our daughter's baby food with cereal and this doesn't work as well with this type of "spoon". Also, I like the rhythm of the dip, scoop, feed. Once its time for our daughter to start using a spoon, there is no way she could use this to learn how to eat. Overall, I am just not a fan. Again, great concept but I hate the reality. Just wanted to share that about this trendy little item.
I hope that helps and if you have questions, you can ask away! Just comment here or send me an email or shout at me on facebook...
First off, do you really need a wrap/carrier/sling? Well, if this is your first child, then you don't necessarily NEED one. If you have a small child and are ever going to need to shop at Walmart or the grocery store with both children with you and not have someone to push a second cart...then HECK YES, YOU NEED SOMETHING! I have a four year old and 7 month old. I recently made a trip to Walmart by myself. Before I left the store, I stopped an assistant manager and asked him how in the world Walmart expects any mom who has to bring more than one child to put her children AND her groceries while she shops. By the time you put one child in the seat and leave an infant in the carseat in the big part of the basket...you have NO room for groceries. Unless you buy all your groceries at Target and enjoy pushing around a card the size of a semi, then you are probably going to want something for that one time when you have to go shopping and take all the kids with you!
That said....here are my thoughts on the wrap and some other products...
Moby Wrap
What I love about it: the concept, how it works when I get the wrap on in a comfortable hold, there are many different holds and you can adjust them to what best fits you and your baby, easy to wash, easy to store (wad it up, fold it up...whatever works!), you can use it from infancy through toddler years, and one size fits all! There are lots of youtube vidoes and online support from Moby on how to position for the different wrap holds. The fact that you can custom the holds to what works best for you and your baby is great.
What I don't love about it: I have yet to figure out who to put on the wrap without half the wrap being on the floor when I start to put it on. At home, this is fine. Out in public or in a parking lot, um, not so great. I really don't want to be wearing something that I just had on the floor or ground, much less putting my baby in it! The stretchy material is great, until you have been wearing the wrap long enough that it stretches out and your hold starts to not feel as secure. I am not a small girl. Warning: I am about to mention my boobs. My boobs aren't small either. When my daughter was smaller, it was like I couldn't get the wrap tight enough to really feel she was super secure, still accommodate my boobs and yet not feel I was going to smother her with my boobs. I recently wore her and at almost 18lbs, we had a great hold and the fit felt right without feeling like my boobs were going to smother her.
I will say that the one time I wore my daughter facing outward in the moby wrap, she seemed to feel a little overwhelmed, overstimulated, and wasn't sure what to do with her flailing arms/legs. I need to try it again now that she is a little older.
Side note, some moms can nurse while wearing the Moby...I have NO IDEA how they do that at all.
Overall, I am glad to have this as a baby-wearing option.
Ergo carrier
I was able to snag this carrier cheap from a online shopping site. Let me rephrase that...I convinced my mom to buy me this carrier from an online shopping site. I give credit where its due...thanks mom!
What I love: soft fabric, comes with hood to cover baby if outside in foul weather, adjustable, fairly easy on/off for carrier with straps, lots of padding in straps and comfortable to wear for extended time periods, option to carry baby on back (but I haven't been brave enough to try this yet).
What I don't like: I can't wear my daughter forward facing. Meaning, if I use the carrier on my front, then baby is facing me. There is no option for her to face outward. Not really sure if this is such a downfall, as I don't know how much I would use that option anyway...just thought I should mention it though.
Overall, this carrier is a little pricey, but I think its worth it...especially if you don't get a Moby.
I will put this in bold, just in case you missed the comment earlier: If you have a young child already and are adding a baby to the family, you need a carrier/wrap/something! Even if you aren't big on baby wearing...there are going to be at least a few times that you may have to do the grocery shopping with both (or all) kids with you and you are going to need somewhere to put the groceries! I assure you that I don't leave my house without one or both of my Moby or Ergo with me.
By the way, nobody is paying me or helping me out because I am promoting these products...just trying to give my honest opinions and help some fellow mommies out.
The "NEW" baby spoon
Take a cruise down the baby aisle and you will notice that there is a new type of "spoon" that has a handle that doubles as the food holder. Meaning, you pour the baby food into the handle and then squeeze the handle to release food onto the spoon. I LOVED the concept and hate the reality. So far, I have used mine once. I have about four more that I need to return. I just don't see us using these. For one, we mix our daughter's baby food with cereal and this doesn't work as well with this type of "spoon". Also, I like the rhythm of the dip, scoop, feed. Once its time for our daughter to start using a spoon, there is no way she could use this to learn how to eat. Overall, I am just not a fan. Again, great concept but I hate the reality. Just wanted to share that about this trendy little item.
I hope that helps and if you have questions, you can ask away! Just comment here or send me an email or shout at me on facebook...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)