Mere Christianity

I was going to take advantage of this blog being private and have a picture of Christian in the nude and call it Mere Christianity, but I thought it was a little blasphemous, so you get this thoughtful look instead:




p.s.In a conversation with a sister, she mentioned that perhaps one of the reasons our culture has so many problems is that we focus so much on weddings and not anniversaries which actually make the wedding meaningful. So in honor of our 2 year anniversary yesterday (the 24th) I say "Hip Hip Hooray!" and more importantly "No Nobis".

at last

We haven't really had many informal family pictures (maybe three?), much less formal ones. Luckily for us Stephen's sister is a sweetheart and took some great ones (okay as great as you can get with the three of us) last night where Stephen proposed to me in the statue garden by the MOA.

tralala

sometimes its like he's talking and his voice is flat. other times his voice is whispered and his voice fluctuates. either way, we're pretty sure its kumquat singing along whether it be at church during a hymn or at night with his daddy's lullaby. my favorite is when he sings and talks to me when he's suppose to be nursing.

he walks

though crawling or being trotted around like a prince in our arms is still prefered by his majesty.

note: I was writing this as an e-mail, but then thought more people might be interested.

You might think we're paranoid, but Stephen and I just finished a book called In the Name of Science which discusses human experimentation over the past 100 years. In the book the author discusses in detail the accidental or intended exposure to chemicals either by cooperate or government officials and their results. So as long as this book is fresh in my memory, I don't intend to simply trust a product because it is on the market.

Stephen and I have consolidated our pans so that we don't need to use teflon pans, though we still use our wok that is non-stick which has the same effect when heated to certain temperatures. My parents have gotten rid of all of their teflon pans and only use stainless steel.

anti teflon article:

http://abcnews.go.com/ad/gmaintroad.html?goback=http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124363

pro teflon article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013100279.html

It's still debated as to the actual affect of Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), but still it seems worth avoiding anyway just in case, especially when pregnant. (besides, shampoos that are cheaper usually don't have this chemical)

http://www.naturalnews.com/005342.html (this is quiet anti, but in less technical terms)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylisothiazolinone


As far as tuna, it seems that children and women who are pregnant/nursing/planning on getting pregant in the near future should avoid too much (my dad said not more than once a month before I was even pregnant).

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20040319/fda-issues-new-tuna-limits-for-women


MSG is less of a conern, but its controversial, though most studies I've seen now and in the past have suggested that it is safe, even in large quantities. Though in reality, food with MSG is simply unhealthy and should probably be avoided for that reason alone. But hey, I love my oriental ramen noodles.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/monosodium-glutamate/AN01251



I know these articles aren't all that scientific or the best sources, but I was making a quick search. Feel free to delve deeper into the issues and inform me what you find.

Madness

In regards to my last post:

Yesterday I was talking with my sister of three kids and she was ironing her sheets. She asked me with all honesty "Isn't it just so . . . nice to sleep in ironed sheets?"

Perhaps I am adopted after all.

Comfortable in Chaos

What can I say? Stephen thinks its funny with one sister who vacuums her house twice a day, another sister who breaks her bed rest in order to sweep her kitchen floor every night, and a brother who is considering starting a cleaning business that I should be a part of such a family. It not that my mother didn't teach me how to be clean and organized, or that I never like my home clean. It's simply that for a genius such as myself, life is to boring to be organized all the time. There's something romantic about a chaotic home that is missing in those pristine interior design magazines. If I wanted to be surrounded with silence that comes from a void of human life, I could find my way to outerspace, but personally I like humans just fine and don't mind being reminded that I live with them and am one.
My absolute favorite office to visit was that of Stephen and my C.S. Lewis advisor. Intermingled with his books from the floor the the ceiling were oddly formed student projects from years past and who knows what else. I don't remember a time he didn't have to move something off of his extra chair just to let me sit down. It's amazing how comfortable I felt in an office like that.
Unfortunately with a 10 month old that puts everything in his mouth and a husband who finds my "prayers" to find the car keys somewhat ineffective, I'm feeling the pull towards the ever categorizing, organizing, and thinking through things beckoning me. It is disappointing that we can trust academics to do fine work, perhaps their finest work in such chaos, but me, in my own house, would risk being investigated by the DCFS if my home resembled such a masterpiece.
Growing up I pretended it was part of my artistic nature (now dormant except in the style of organization), but in reality most artists I've come to know on a personal level are actually more OCD than the general population seems to be. I tell Stephen he should be happy I can handle chaos, "all the more children I can handle" I say enthusiastically. "Right?" (I don't tell him that most mothers I've seen with big families are and required to be quite on top of things).
They say cleanliness is next to godliness. I'll admit it now, I'm no where near godliness, so ought I not wait to work on such an attribute? But in reality, I consider myself ahead of the game. Look at most of God's creation: there is order in everything over time, but it is masked in temporal chaos. Perhaps, unbeknownst to everyone around me, that is what I've been doing all along.

Too bad that doesn't help me know where my keys are now.