SortaCrunchy

40 Days of Joy {day 10} - Projects

We do love them so.  Lots of joy.

 

 

You know what else brings us joy?  Puns, Knock-Knocks, and other sillies.  Go check some out at Simple Kids today.

(Comments closed two days in a row?  I'm such a rebel.  But you already knew that.)

Top 5 for February (and a few other thoughts)

Photo by lowjumpingfrog

Top Five Referring Sites for February:

1. Simple Mom
2. Simple Kids
3. Hollywood Housewife
4. Tulip Girl
5. Simple Organic

Top Five Posts (by page view) for February:

1. On Feeling Called to Public Schools
2. Of Mermaids and Moral Dilemmas
3. When Extremists are Taken to the Extreme
4. Coconut Oil and the Real Food Movement
5. Little Life Lessons (learned at the mall)

Now then.  I want to say a word about comments.

A few days ago, Megan (Velveteen Mind) wrote a brilliant post about the passionate relationship between a blogger and her stats.  It's a great read for bloggers and non-bloggers alike.  I can say with all honesty that stats have never been that big of a deal to me.  If you look way down in the bottom of my right sidebar, you'll see a link to my Sitemeter.  It's open, meaning anyone can click on it at anytime and view my basic stats.  SortaCrunchy gets way, way, way more hits than it should and certainly more these days than it ever has, but I've had an open Sitemeter since the day I installed it when 30 hits a day was a pretty good average.

But comments?  Oh my.  Another issue altogether.

I've sketched out about three paragraphs of my thoughts on blog comments, but let's don't do that. 

It comes down to this.  I used to find validation and fulfillment in the comments left on my blog.

Used to.

Two things changed that for me:

1) The Great Comment Fast during Lent 2009 during which God gently worked on my heart to refocus on my real worth and real value.  You're probably tired of hearing me say it, but it really was the best thing I've ever done in the time I've been blogging.  Also, during that time I received emails from a few readers who normally never commented, but just had to share a quiet response.  It helped me to remember that even when no one says anything out loud in response, there are a few still reading.

2) The time I spent as editor of Simple Kids helped clarify why all this online talk is so important to me.  I never thought of SK as my blog.  It was created by Tsh and she entrusted it to me.  At SK, I genuinely felt as though I were simply the facilitator of conversation.  When comments were sparse at SK, I didn't take it personally.  I was, after all, writing to parents who were trying to focus their time and energy on parenting - not on commenting on blogs, right?  That mindset easily translated to my feelings about comments here.

Something wonderful has happened here in the past few months at SortaCrunchy.  There have been more comments, which yes, is nice, but y'all.  The depth of discussion you all are providing in the comments far outweighs my original posts!  By far!  And that is illustrated wonderfully by those top five posts I've listed above.  The comment discussion has just been incredible.

I'm starting to feel like a conversation starter and facilitator again, and I love that.

Thank you for taking the time to add to, polish, round out, and enliven the discussions I start here.  Y'all are amazing and incredibly appreciated by me.

And now, guess what?  Comments closed today.  Hope your Friday is splendid.

40 Days of Joy {day 8} - Wrinkled and Gray

"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come."  ~~ William Shakespeare

So I'm thinking I'll just cover the gray with joy.

40 Days of Joy {day 7} - it's the little things.

Sonic.  Happy Hour.  Chocolate Diet Coke.

and

sunshine.

Silly to some, but joy to me.

(day 6 here)

Let's Talk about N-F-P! (answering The Birth Control Question)

I am loving having the Lijit search function installed on SortaCrunchy.

I am so interested to see what people come here looking to find.  Quite a few people have been searching through SC to see if I've written anything on worm composting.  I have not (yet), but it's on The List of Things To Do That I Thought I Never Would Try.

What really raised my eyebrows was my weekly report from Lijit which informed me that last week, there were fifty-five searches for "birth control."  Fifty-five in one week.

So tell me, what would you like to know?

The painted belly in the picture might answer your first question - we don't use birth control.  At least not in the conventional sense.  To clarify, I am not on hormonal birth control pills, and we don't use any sort of barrier protection.

When I wrote about how much I adore Mon.thly.info, I shared that I just don't like the way The Pill (in its various forms) makes me feel.  Perhaps I am just particularly sensitive to the hormones - I don't know.  It makes me feel looney.  I also don't like the effect it has on my (holdmyhandplease, I'm so uncomfortable), um, desire to pursue intimacy with my husband.  (You have no idea how much I am squirming talking about that.)

Reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health absolutely changed my life.  I will say again: I believe every woman should read it, preferably around the time she graduates from high school.  You can bet both of my daughters will read it.

(Won't that be a fun way to send them off to college?  "Have fun, sweetheart!  Make sure to study lots, and don't forget to take note of your cervical mucus changes!")

It was through reading TCOYF that I began to read and understand natural family planning (which the author refers to as the Fertility Awareness Method), and I found my own freedom from hormonal birth control - a system I knew did not work for me.

I know there are many women, particularly within the Christian community of faith, who don't use The Pill out of personal conviction.  (Read more from Randy Alcorn here or listen to Mark Driscoll for more here.)

I don't really have a conviction in this area at this point in my life.  I haven't taken the time to sleuth it all out for myself.  I just know that often medication is used to treat a broken system in the body.  My reproductive system is not broken, so I don't feel the need to treat it with medication. (And I am praying that you all know me well enough to know that when I make that statement, there is a heavy emphasis on the "I."  No judgment intended in any way for those who are in The Pill.)

However.

I do need to clarify one thing.  In the past, I've kind of said in a few places that we are open to whatever God has in store for our family.  That is true, and perhaps not true.

There are some couples who choose to cover the growth of their family in prayer.  They come together whenever they desire to do so, don't worry about charts and temps, or trying to conceive or avoiding conception.  I think those are the couples who truly, truly have left their family growth open to God's plans (or, for those who don't necessarily believe in God or that God orchestrates such things, I suppose they are leaving it open to the plans of human biology).

That's not us.  And that's where it gets tricky to talk about.  

Kyle and I both feel that as believers who are seeking each day to walk in step with the Spirit of God who dwells within us, that we will know when the time is right to try to conceive again.  We both knew when we tried for Dacey, and we both knew when we tried for Aliza Joy.  At this moment in time, we both know that the timing is not right to try to conceive again, so we are actively trying to avoid that.

Do I chart and temp religiously?  Not really.  Not at all.  I've been practicing NFP for five years.  I understand my body's rhythms, signs, and clues.  Oddly enough, one strange benefit of my two c-sections is that I know exactly when I am ovulating because I have a lot of tenderness and cramping in my incision area.  That's really helpful!  I like to think of that as my little consolation prize for my surgically birthed babies.

Mon.thly helps me keep track of dates, but knowing exactly when I am ovulating makes it really easy to avoid the biological circumstance which leads to conception.  

So that's the answer to the birth control question.  So far, it has worked wonderfully for us.  I'm certainly not an expert, but I'm happy to address questions or comments or experiences you may want to share!

photo by treyevan

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40 Days of joy {day 5} - Joy Most Essential

The question continues to reverberate, bouncing around the walls of my heart, mind, and soul.

How do you experience joy?  What does it look like?

At the moment I am most weary, most discouraged, weakest, hard-pressed, desperate, disillusioned . . .

When I am barely keeping my head above water, my flailing hands reach out and I white-knuckle grip this thought:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Ps. 51:12 ESV)

When the weight of my circumstance bullies me, sits on my chest forcing breath from me, this is the breath I squeak out. 

Double-purposed.  It reminds me of the one thing I know to be unshakable in the midst of quaking - my salvation.  Eternal and secure.  It begs for Him to sustain me.  When my back is against the wall and I'm sinking, I surrender in reminder that I can't.  He must uphold me.  A spirit willing to go on comes from Him.

From my childhood, the organ pipes ring out:

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

("Jesus Paid it All," Words: Elvina M. Hall 1865)

photo by David Paul Ohmer

{day 4 here}

SortaCrunchy Sponsor Spotlight: Erika Dawson, Internet CEO Moms

Today I would like to introduce you to SortaCrunchy's newest sponsor - Erika Dawson, part of the Internet CEO Moms team.

At-home moms and those who work outside the home are often looking for ways to supplement family income.  Erika is part of a team whose mission it is to start a business from home to do that very thing.

I recently had the chance to visit with Erika over the phone, and she is such a delightful woman.  One thing she emphasized to me is how committed she is to helping moms be successful in staying at home.  She knows there are many moms who want to be at home, but they don't know if it would even be financially possible.  She can relate to that feeling - before joining this team, she was unsure of how she would be able to be a stay at home mom, but she and her husband took a leap of faith and trusted the Lord, and they have been blessed by the opportunities being a part of this team has provided for them.

At the core of Erika's business is the process of educating people about dangerous or toxic materials in cleaning products used in the home, and then helping people explore and convert to safer, healthier products.  Erika also told me, "My real joy is in building relationships and helping moms strive for and reach their dreams of being home!"

That is one thing that came across loud and clear in my conversations with Erika - she truly seeks to build relationships with other women who are wanting to start a business in their homes, providing support, encouragement, and mentoring along the way.

Erika and her family are blessed to have just added a brand new baby boy to their family, so I'm wishing her a delightful babymoon!  If you would like to visit with Erika more about becoming a part of this team, please visit her web page where you'll find more details along with her contact information.

Thank you, Erika, for supporting SortaCrunchy!

40 Days of Joy {day 3}

Look, mama!  It's Wiza in a bag!

We really had no idea what we were signing up for when we named her Joyful Joy.

Oh, she's a handful.  But the joy she brings to our lives daily is worth every gray hair on my head.

When Dacey started school in August, I worried over what on earth I would do with a toddler who was so accustomed to having an older sister to play with/torture all day.  I needn't have worried.  AJ is my tag-along, my shadow, my sidekick.  We've had the best time spending our days together.

Sometimes at bedtime, I ask her, "What was your favorite part of today?" and she'll say, "I went wiff you to da gwocewy stow-uh, wemembuh?"  Sometimes at bedtime when I'm tucking her into bed, she wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a big squeeze and says "best fweinds!"  Sometimes at bedtime, from another room I can hear her signing herself to sleep.

She's our curly-haired, twinkly-eyed, joke-cracking, patience-trying, giggle-inducing, mama's keys-hiding, smiley face-drawing, humility-inspiring, Spiderman*-loving, sister-pestering, baby doll-nururing, candy-craving, extrovert-defining, just-really-impossible-to-describe-with-words tornado of the born-in-Texas-variety.

So much joy.

* That's Itsy-Spiduhman to you!

(Comments closed)

The Sacrifice of Praise: 40 Days of Joy {Lent 2010}

The Lenten season began yesterday, and like last year, I find that my liturgy-longing heart beats a little faster though I know I won't find communion in my physical community of faith.  What's a Southern Baptist to do?  What a marvel to be able to join in a virtual community of believers in the observance of this holy season.

In preparation for Lent, I've been reading so much again this year.  The reading that initiated the most powerful response within me was from my friend Kate Wicker.  At Momopoly, she wrote Living Lent by the Beatitudes, and the practice of using Scripture to guide the Lenten sacrifice resonated so deeply within me. 

(And I've written this line from that post on my heart: Humans need a Lenten season just as the Earth needs winter.)

Last year during Lent, I closed comments on SortaCrunchy and stopped looking at my stats.  I cannot even begin to tell you the powerful change that wrought in my heart, in my attitude, and in my approach to blogging.  I can say in all honesty it was one the best, most healthy things I've ever done.

What I learned from Lent last year was that the denial of something I enjoy (and, in fact, obsessed over) caused me to think about denial, self, and sacrifice every single day.  I had never felt so utterly and absolutely prepared for Easter.  Liturgists everywhere are thinking, "Wow.  Good grasp on the obvious."  Non-liturgists perhaps can relate.

So, back to Kate's post and using Scripture to guide this Lenten season . . .

I've been praying and seeking God as I've considered what my sacrifice would be this year.  Last year, I knew almost immediately.  This year, I haven't known so quickly and so certainly.  It is something that has come upon me slowly.  Perhaps something within my self knows the challenge this year will be far greater than last.

But here's what I've come to after much prayer and reflection.

For Lent, I am giving up complaining.

Do everything without complaining . . .  Philippians 2:14

I just deleted three paragraphs of me expounding on my complaining problems.  It comes down to this: I've fallen into the habit of complaining - loudly and often.  I know it must hurt the heart of God.  I am placing it on the alter of surrender.

But the thing about not doing something is it can sometimes cause you to think about it more.  I don't want to walk around for the next forty days scolding myself "Don't complain!  Nope!  Don't you do it!  Stop complaining.  Don't you complain!  Zip! Shut it!"  If I am to dry the well of bitter complaint that seeps from my heart and mouth, I must replace it with something that opposes complaint.

So for Lent 2010,

"Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of His works with songs of joy" Psalm 107:22

A reader emailed following the Yet I Will post asking how to experience joy in the midst of darkness.  I offered a few weak words (and a link to Ann who, to me, is the embodiment of a life lived towards joy), but I really want to walk that out in the next forty days.  Now listen, the rocky path my feet are on is nothing unusual and only that which is common to man.  Hard times to keep my heart soft towards my heavenly home.  That's all.  But if I am not careful, complaint will crowd out joy.

So I choose it.  I choose Joy.

Here's how I envision it for this season:

1) Again, I don't have a physical community to hold me accountable to a Lenten sacrifice, so I'm asking you to shoulder that burden.  I'll post daily something related to joy either here or at Megspots (which I am re-purposing to turn into a personal blog/record of our days).

Sometimes comments will be open, sometimes not. 

2) I'll post each day except for Sunday, and on Sundays, I'll be fasting from the computer entirely.

3) I will continue to post other content as well.  Those are the days you'll find a 40 Days of Joy post at Megspots.  I have an exciting development in the works regarding the content at SortaCrunchy that I'll be revealing next month and there will just be other business as usual.  But daily, I will be public in my pursuit of joy.

Oh!  One last thing.  See that purple bracelet in the picture above?  Each day, I'll wear something purple (the color of Lent) to remind me of the surrender of complaint and the sacrifice of praise.

Here are some helpful links:

Christianity Today: Lent - Why Bother?

Karen Edmisten: A Meaningful Lent: The Monstrously Long Post (CHOCK FULL of family-geared Lent ideas)

And speaking of family - the free download I linked to last year with Lent Activities for the Family is still available (free!).  It is written for Lent 2009, but the activities and ideas aren't date specific.  

Finally, via Emily, be sure to check out Modern Sacred Family for ideas on how to live out the liturgical calendar as a family.  Beautiful.

Simple Organic - come and see!

Today is my debut as a Simple Organic contributor!

If you have a moment, I would love for you to head over and check out 8 Natural Solutions for the Common Discomforts of Infancy.  (And if you want to hear more thoughts on treating that old bugaboo thrush, here's an older SC article with more info.)

Katie Fox is heading up Simple Organic, and I am so thrilled for and proud of her!  Katie has been an SC reader since the WAY BACK days.  I know she is going to do an incredible job at Simple Organic!  I am completely honored to join the contributors at Simple Organic.  When you take a look at the contributing team (Nicole of Gidget Goes Home, Katie of Kitchen Stewardship, Stephanie of Keeper of the Home, Amy of Progressive Pioneer, and Eren of Vintage Chica), it's obvious I am out of my league.  I am so looking forward to learning more and meeting other like-minded people at Simple Organic.

(Happy Ash Wednesday!  More on Lent 2010 later today.)