Cute quotes from someone's sig line:
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. --Mignon McLaughlin

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. --Phyllis Diller

My husband said, "It's ME or the scrapbooks!"
So, I took pictures of him packing his bags and I made my best page yet! --Unknown

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Christmas was very good; Tim spoiled me by getting The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh: The 75th Anniversary of Winnie the Pooh, an enormous Eeyore and an Eeyore t-shirt. I've been on a Winnie-the-Pooh hunt since ... Well, for a while. Tim received the DVD's that he wanted and a Third Day (a Christian rock band) CD that I thought he might like. Josh, being the child, cleaned up with action figures, a book that he wanted but hadn't put on his list (a specific version of The Story of Dr. Dolittle), a Veggie Tales video and Lego's from multiple people. I am very glad that 1) you can't go wrong with Lego's and Josh and 2) he is beginning to enjoy books almost as much as everyone else in this family :) . It might help since both Tim and I are also avid bookworms.

Dinner was a success, not as big a production as Thanksgiving. Very relaxed and most of the cooking done on the day of, but it was a simple dinner. Tim's sister Kayla joined us, as did Bobby, Erin and Maykayla. We got to take pictures of Bobby officially proposing to Erin and hearing her say Yes... and of course I took even more pictures of Maykayla.

Tomorrow I take an assessment test to get into college, PCC (Portland Community College). It's a starting over of sorts. This time I have a focus (physical therapy, which I can get a degree in at Portland State University, but I need the flexibility of a CC right now) and I am going to take my time and try to correctly (is it possible??) balance home and school. Last time I just got too burned out. Josh is worried that I would stop homeschooling him if I went back to school, but I explained that I can find a sitter for the few day classes I may have to take or I can take night classes.

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The Rubber Band Issue

I had a ton to write during the first three months, but of course I was too tired ... then I felt too stupid. Do you know how many brain cells babies tend to take away when you are making them ?????? Ok, not the fun part of making them :) but when they get down to business and start growing? And I wasn't in the best of shape to begin this with either.



I decided to write today because of the rubber-band issue. I knew I was getting bigger. Tim definitely knows I'm getting bigger (it's all I talk about when I'm not talking about other aspects of the pregnancy) .. but today, I had to ask my son for a rubber band. I'm wearing jeans that fit comfortable *all* last week. They got washed. I am pretty sure they didn't shrink. The length is the same. But I could not button them without feeling as if I need to lose 5 lbs!



These are the last pair of jeans that fit and I am about to throw a temper tantrum ... mainly because I spent all my money on Christmas presents and now don't have any for new clothes. I hardly ever buy new clothes. .. but what do you do when your pants don't fit anymore and your overalls are starting to feel pretty snug, even the new ones you bought because the others were getting snug. *sigh*. Ok that's my rant.



On the happy, joyful side of this, according to the ultrasound, our baby (girl!) is fine and healthy. I can't wait for April to get here.

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Photos from the Young Hoon Summer Camp 2001 that was held in July.

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"If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people."
- Chinese proverb

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My Personal Review of Enterprise

Just my two cents, I was impressed, it has a lot of potential, Jonathon Archer has a lot more balls than even Kirk :) ... but was anyone else upset/annoyed by the gratuitous sex scenes? The decontamination scene of T'Pol and Tucker and the alien dancers? (Well, the dancers weren’t so bad, but focusing on their anatomy was what made me tell my son to close his eyes and just listen). Not to mention showing all the guys packages (talk about tighty whities!)

My son sometimes watches Trek with me (kept asking where Picard was) and I had to keep telling him to close his eyes or disregard some parts of conversation. I mean .. I look to Trek for entertaining AND intelligent TV .... and some of the scripting didn't impress me. I love the story, but I just feel that there are better ways to carry it off without making it so obvious that you want you audience to be 18-34 yr old males who need T&A to make a show worth watching.

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A recipe for happy children (from a homeschool e-list that I am on):

Preserving Children

1 large grassy field
3 to 6 small children
2 to 3 small dogs
flowers (assorted)
narrow strip of brook
pebbles
deep blue sky (large)
hot sun

Mix the children with the dogs and empty onto field, stirring
constantly. Sprinkle the field with flowers, pour brook over pebbles.
Cover all with deep blue sky and bake in hot sun. When children are well
browned they may be removed and set away in cool bathtub.

:)

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"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become
a man of value."
- Albert Einstein

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I'm just a busy bee today (copied without permission from Lewrockwell.com).....

Letter From a Homeschooling Mom
by Laura Haire

Dear Mr. Rockwell,

My children started school last week – at the kitchen table. With the beginning of a new school year come the same questions that I have had every year for the past eleven years of homeschooling. Why is there such strong opposition to the growing homeschool movement? Why do parents who homeschool their children need to seek legal support and constantly defend their rights? Why do parents who home school their children have a fear that Social Services might storm in one day, on an unsubstantiated accusation from a nosey neighbor, and take their children away?

Homeschooling has proven to be an excellent method of educating children. Standardized tests, college-entrance exams, national spelling and geography bees, all show that parents can not only teach their children at home, but also gain results exceeding the national average.

Not only are homeschooled children excelling academically, but they are doing it at the expense of their own families. Homeschooling parents still pay taxes to support the public education system, as well as providing the means to educate their own children at home. They often do this with the income of only one parent. This, however, is a sacrifice that they are willing to make. This is a devotion that you will not find in the government school system.

In his essay, The Law, Fredrick Bastiet wrote, "You say: ‘There are persons who lack education,’ and you turn to the law. But the law is not, in itself, a torch of learning which shines its light abroad. The law extends over a society where some persons have knowledge and others do not; where some citizens need to learn, and others can teach. In this matter of education, the law has only two alternatives: It can permit this transaction of teaching-and-learning to operate freely and without the use of force, or it can force human wills in this matter by taking from some of them enough to pay the teachers who are appointed by government to instruct others, without charge. But in this second case, the law commits legal plunder by violating liberty and property."

Shouldn’t the government, instead, have to defend itself for forcing the American public to hand over their hard-earned money to support a failed school system? Is this why there is such opposition? Or, could it be that the opponents of homeschooling realize that they are losing the battle in brainwashing homeschoolers and their parents into believing the lies about the glories of the government found in government-approved textbooks touted by government-approved instructors?

I have searched the Constitution and have not found in it anywhere, the right of government to intrude in the educating of children. I did, however, find the concept of "Free education for all children in public schools," in The Communist Manifesto.

Sincerely,
Laura (a stay-at-home mom)

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Ok, this is downright scary. Harper Collins wants to re-publish The Chronicles of Narnia without it's Christian themes.The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the greatest series ever written. It's the only series that I have read, and re-read, and re-read again. And I plan on reading it to my son and having him read it on his own. It's enough that Harper Collins re-issued the books out of order (I'm sorry, they really do make more enjoyable reading when they were in their original published format and NOT in chronological order, the only way you can find them now unless you go to a used bookstore like Powell's). .... But I digress.

This was on MSNBC and I just came across it: The folly of censoring C.S. Lewis --Publisher ponders purging Narnia of its mysticism "Plans are afoot to purge Christian content from the seven Narnia stories. These children’s tales written by C.S. Lewis, one of the most important writers of the century, are apparently too Christian for Harper Collins publishers." ....... *sigh* what is this world *coming* to???????????

I wonder if there is some way to forcefully protest this. Has HarperCollins lost its collective mind?
According to the article:
Presumably the Harper publishers do not know many Christians and are not Christians themselves. Hence they figure that since there are no Christians in their world, there aren’t really many left any more. Ignorance mixed with bigotry and greed drives the New York publishing world to folly.....Eradicate religion from Narnia and you destroy all the charm and the power of the stories. You might just well issue them as comic books. Hopefully, those who detest bigotry, arrogance, greed and violation of a writer’s work will leave the Harper corruption of C.S. Lewis stories rotting on the book shelves.

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Here's an interesting article on why men are the losers of the sexual revolution.
Columnist Jeffrey Hart recently argued that women were the losers of the sexual revolution. He has a point. By making themselves available outside of marriage, women have undermined the institution of marriage. The problem with Hart's analysis is that he assumes that men want sex and women want marriage. But what if men want marriage, too? Aren't they also losers of the sexual revolution? ...
Eventually, guys may get over their reluctance to enter into long-term relationships with women who have been in bed with their friends or friends of their friends. When I ask men I know who are in their 30s and 40s why they have not married, they do not answer that female promiscuity makes it unnecessary. They say that they are reluctant to propose to easy women.

One man put it this way: "I would be uncomfortable in social gatherings where 15 percent of the people had been in bed with my wife."

The sexual revolution has provided men with easy sex, but not with families and wives who don't walk out on them. Feminists may have destroyed the chastity of women, but they certainly destroyed the security of marriage.

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[Cross-post]
The photos, for those of you who are interested, are up. We have photos back from 3 people, but I have only had time to do two pages (I love Dreamweaver). Yes, they are all rough, but you want to look at pictures, right. The photos have been submitted by Adam K and Gene W.

Check them out at SargentCentral.net

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d a i l y t h o u g h t

"Reality doesn't bite, rather our perception of reality bites."

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

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"Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.
--Jesse Stuart

So if you feel like reading, here are a few things that I have written myself.

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"A friend is someone who sees through you and still enjoys the view."

- Wilma Askinas

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From Ann Landers on August 4


Dear Ann Landers: I am 46 years old, with grown children and elderly parents -- the so-called "sandwich generation." This has been a most difficult time for me. I do not want to put my children through this same misery and have written a list to remind myself how to behave when I am the age my parents are now. I hope you will print it to help others who may be in the same situation. -- Buffalo, N.Y.

Dear Buffalo: Your list should be required reading for everyone over 60. It is chock-full of wisdom and caring. Thanks for sending it on. Here it is:

1. When my children tell me I should no longer drive, I will believe them and quit, because I know they love me.

2. When it becomes apparent that I need extra help, I will accept it from outsiders because my children cannot do everything. They have other obligations beyond my daily care.

3. It is up to me to make my life fulfilling. It is not my children's responsibility. I must stay active and learn to entertain myself so I do not become a burden to them.

4. If my children tell me I am becoming confused and that it is no longer safe for me to be alone, I will believe them and not become defensive.

5. If I am unable to get along with my children, I will seek counseling so we can learn to manage the changes in my life together.

6. I will get my legal affairs in order and trust the advice of professionals so there will be no problems about money or property down the road.

7. I will not complain about feeling poorly. My children cannot fix my health, and such complaints are emotionally draining for them to hear.

8. My children are not my indentured servants. I will remember to thank them for everything they do for me, and I will do loving things in return.

9. I will avoid making my children feel guilty. Age is no excuse for insults and manipulative behavior.

10. For as long as I can, I will take good care of myself physically, dress well and carry myself with dignity. Nothing saddens a child more than to witness parents who give up on how they present themselves.

I post this because I know someone who is still relatively young, compared to how long people live these days, but she acts as if she were 30 years older. It's a little depressing. I know there are extenuating health reasons, but I never did do well with geriatrics (that's a whole other story of my childhood). I think the ones I find most pointing here are #'s 2,3,5,7, and 9 (weird, they are almost all primes...) ... anyways, that's my rant on the behavior of elderly adults. Overall she is great to be around, it's those times that she starts feeling depressed that gets me, and others, down.

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d a i l y t h o u g h t

"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses."

- William Arthur Ward

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Today's quote:
"Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow color blind."
--Austin O'Malley

Sooner or later I am going to have to update this and the other blogs .... I was away on a wonderful honeymoon that will most likely be detailed in Wedding Blues. Right now I am going through bills, paying some, holding off on others, and making preparations for the imminent move into my new place with my new husband. I'm actually getting used to saying that... and liking the sound of it. Now if I could just get used to be called Mrs. Sargent ....

More quotes:
"Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so; it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools."
--Sir Richard Steele

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Today's inspirational quotes:
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."--Henry David Thoreau

"Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there."--David Zucker

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You know, my son is really incredible. Sometimes (a lot of times) I wonder why I don't do better by him. Yesterday he was on a camp out with the Young Hoon Summer Camp and they were staying at the Christian Renewal Center in Silverton.

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Today's quote: "Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."
--George S. Patton

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This is an interesting article and I'm not sure what position to take:
This time, the firm line drawn by the pro-life forces--life begins at conception--begins to soften. The simple battle cry--a fertilized egg is a human being--begins to develop a counterpoint. The solid ground under the absolutists is beginning to shake.

This civil strife is over embryonic stem cells. These cells, harvested from 5-day-old fertilized eggs, may offer the best hope--better than adult stem cells--for curing some pretty awful diseases from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's to juvenile diabetes. So the Bush administration must decide whether the government will fund research that uses stem cells from fertility clinic embryos.
........
To condemn stem cell research as an ``industry of death,'' you must begin by opposing in vitro fertilization. The Catholic Church, consistent if nothing else, opposes the creation as well as the destruction of a fertilized egg outside of the womb.
But most Americans regard IVF as a blessing for many couples and see fertility clinics as places where life begins. So, as bioethicist Bonnie Steinbock of the University at Albany says, the political wrangling must leave these people scratching their heads.

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Today's quote: It turns out that attention is a limited commodity. We can't do two things at once, if one requires attention-- Ellen Goodman

I should come up with more than just random quotes ... but I'm sleepy today. Had a very busy weekend and I have no idea how I am functioning right now. Very slowly, that's for sure. And with lots of typos (thank goodness for spellcheck). I now have a Korean student from Young Hoon Elementary School. It's kinda cool. My son is the official host. I am soo sleepy ... more later.

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Today's quote: It turns out that attention is a limited commodity. We can't do two things at once, if one requires attention-- Ellen Goodman

I should come up with more than just random quotes ... but I'm sleepy today. Had a very busy weekend and I have no idea how I am functioning right now. Very slowly, that's for sure. And with lots of typos (thank goodness for spellcheck). I now have a Korean student from Young Hoon Elementary School. It's kinda cool. My son is the official host. I am soo sleepy ... more later.

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Another quote: "Making love" is a phrase you rarely hear today, we back away from it and call it "having sex," ... The verbs are important. The difference between 'making' and 'having' is as deep as the chasm that separates 'giving' and 'getting'.

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I had another freaky dream. We've been looking for a house/apartment to live in, together, after we are married. I elaborate because one rental company appears to have trouble understanding this concept.

Doors keep getting slammed in our faces or the floor falls out beneath us. We're frustrated or taken by surprise, it gets a little frustrating.

So my dream last night, that still has me unsettled (why would my brother show up to play basketball???) .... was that we were going through our list of possible rental homes. We go to this really nice one. I arrive first with my son in tow. We're greeted by the lady of the house (?) ... who was still in her bathrobe. I look at my watch, it's 9 a.m. on a Saturday. Maybe we're early. I'm not exactly an early riser on the weekend ..... She yells up the stairs to the man I assume is her husband and then goes back to the den area (adjacent to the dining room, a very nice one too) where she picks up the morning paper. There's another man in there too, but we aren't introduced. Tim shows up and the man of the house (owner?) takes us around. This place seems huge, well, very spacious. I'm thinking "I could live here". I was already getting an inkling of redecorating that I wanted to do. Then he shows us the *bedroom* that's for rent. Not the house. A small *bedroom*. I'm a little confused and shaken. Could have sworn that the ad was for a *house* for rent. I look at Tim, who's getting more pissed off by the second (guess he read the ad the same way I did). He storms away, I follow telling the man "thank you very much for your time, but we really need a house" .... and then my brother shows up in another dining area that we were passing through with a basketball and Nikes, just about ready to play if Tim is up for a game .....

The dream ended there. It's about as bizarre as I let it get, and then I couldn't get back to a decent sleep. Maybe I am letting all these life changes get the better of me.

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Today's Quote: "There is only one admirable form of the imagination: the imagination that is so intense that it creates a new reality, that it makes things happen."
--Sean O'Faolain

Well, today is the day that I find out if my dress arrives. You can read about that saga in Wedding Blues. Finding a place to live is getting increasingly frustrating.

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Today's Quote:
"Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow color blind." --Austin O'Malley

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Humor and history today, maybe more later when I have a little more spare time on my hands.

The humor comes from a co-worker. Just two of us holding down the fort today. The history comes from one of my CNET newsletters.

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Well, the assessment went better than imagined. I am "transitional". I still have a job, though I have to undergo another review in 3 months. This whole communication thing .... it seems like the only person I am good at communicating clearly and effectively with is Tim (thank God he has the patience to deal with my ramblings). But .. the good news is that I still have a full time job. At the very end I brought up the possibility of time-sharing since I'm going to be moving an hour away and the commute is hell come winter (you'd think that Oregonians would know how to drive in the rain ......). On to more pressing things.... I wish it were Friday....

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Today is my assessment at work. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but lately things haven't been that great here and both me and my boss know it. Usually I am confident about the job that I do, but even I know that I have been performing sub-par. And with this economy and the fact that a first -year college student could do my job .... it isn't inspiring. It's been said before that a trained monkey could do my job, and it's true. Just follow the yellow-brick (paper-strewn, e-mail heavy) road and you can be a pixel-pusher too. Off to the guillotine.....

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Yesterday I came across a few really interesting sites gwbush.com and The Complete Bushisms. Now, both Tim and I can honestly say that we didn't vote for him (various reasons), but this is going to be long four years. I'm wondering if Clinton would win if he ran again. Now wouldn't that be something (no folks, I don't want Clinton back in the White House, but he at least spoke grammatically correct English and knew how to work with people).

Today's Thought: "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

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