Stay-at-Home Mom? Interesting Topic of Discussion

This topic has come up for discussion quite often of late. It's almost amusing how often it has come up. A friend asked me what percentage of Christian women I thought would want to be a stay-at-home mom. I gave an answer, but then decided to research the question. I sent an email out to almost every female in my contacts list (111 to be exact) asking the question, "Do you want to be a stay-at-home mom?" I clarified that I was not asking if she thought it was best or even if she was currently staying at home, but simply if the desire was there. I have received about 40 replies so far and the current percentages are about what I was expecting. However, the responses have been interesting. The answers vary from one word responses to many paragraphs. I am greatly enjoying this!

I will wait until more women have replied to let you know percentages.

Stay tuned.

The Lord is good! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

I am stressed. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

I am overwhelmed. The Lord is good.

I cried twice last night and once this morning. He is with me!

I am working two jobs and in grad school. I have committed to two outside activities as well. I recently found out I am moving. (While that is a praise, it still means I have a lot to do!) My apartment complex called last night and is throwing a wrench into the easyness of the plans. I have been fighting allergies for the past week. I think it is because I have mold in my apartment, due to my leaky ceiling. I have a project due in grad school next week that I haven't had a chance to even begin. I left class last night and called a friend of mine. I was so full of frustration, exhaustion and mental anguish that I vented to her for thirty minutes. She told me she had not heard me that frustrated since college. She even said I was never this overwhelmed in my first year of teaching. (I'm not sure about that, but it does convey a message nonetheless!)

My mom called this morning and told me she was praying for me. I started crying. A friend emailed me a verse and told me he was praying for me. I started crying then, too. Friendship and prayers. The Lord is good!

This song came to mind at some point amidst the chaos. I am still overwhelmed, but knowing that friends are praying for me (and that the Lord listens) is enough to help me calm down.


Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark

One: Don't  miss the boat.

Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four: Stay fit when you're 600 years old, someone may  ask you to do something really big.

Five: Don't listen to critics; just  get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six: Build your future on high  ground.

Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the  Titanic by professionals.

Eleven : No matter the storm, when you are with God,  there's always a rainbow waiting.

Too big a bite

Please pray for me.

I think I bit off more than I can chew.

Will you be my fireman?

The George Strait song is an interesting one.


**Qualification: I would have NEVER posted this title except for a dare! :) I didn't want it to be said that I couldn't rise to a challenge. I should probably come up with something as a dare in return though. ;)

I'M MOVING!!!!!!!!! YIPPPPEEEE!

I know moving can be exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I'm feeling all of those things, but I'm also EXTREMELY relieved. The main office of my apartments (meaning the higher ups) called me Friday, and this is how the conversation started. "Ms. Ross, do you have a moment? I need to start off by apologizing. More facts have come to my attention. What do you want?" She was very nice and customer-friendly. (Both of these characteristics were a first!)

After that phone call, a check is being mailed to me to cover a new computer and moving expenses. I'm going to call her on Monday and add the bill for my rug being cleaned as well as the cost of my un-used internet and packing supplies and a few other miscellaneous fees that I will incur upon moving.

I spoke with my apartment manager today to see about timeline and locations. She gave me a list of 5 apartments on the complex, 2 of which are in my current building. Those two automatically came off the list of possibilities. (My ceiling is leaking. Well, those have the same roof I do!) I didn't like the location of the other three (either too close to the parking lot, thus traffic, or too far away from laundry.) I went back to speak with her.

This means I have to move to a slightly different portion of the property...one where all bills are paid! The reason I hadn't moved in there originally is that the rent is $100 higher, and my electricity has never been that much per month. Well, now I'm moving in at my current rent rate, but they pay the electricity! Whoo-hoo! And, I will have 100 more square feet of space!

God is soooo good!

I haven't made any firm decisions, but it looks like I'll be moving the middle of October. I'll probably have a packing party at some point between now and then if anyone wants to come and help me! :) Then an unpacking party later (just in case you're not available the first time!) ;)

All I want for the weekend is...

In my head I'm already singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!...My two front teeth!" I know. I've digressed before I even got started. Oh well.

So all I want for this weekend is to curl up with a warm blanket, without a leaky ceiling, and sleep for a long time. I'm not sure I'll get what I want, but I want it nonetheless.

And the Buzz word is... !

Pregnant!

No, not me! (Goofball!)

Since Friday I have found out that 5 women I know are pregnant. It was like every time I answered the phone or checked my email, more good news was being passed along. :)

That's a lot of pregnant people to know at one time! (and that's not even counting the two I already knew about!)

Update regarding leaks

In regards to the computer? They said 'no.' My words to them? "That is unacceptable to me, so what is our next course of action?" So far they haven't returned my phone calls.

In regards to the desired move? I can't get them to return my phone calls.

In regards to the no-longer-leaking-because-it-hasn't-rained-lately-ceiling? They haven't come out to fix it (ie. run their paint roller over it.)

Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?

Salt and Sugar

I love mixing sweet and salty things! I'm sitting at my desk with a mound of things to do while taking a bite of a pretzel and then putting a M&M in my mouth. Yumm!

Quarters please

I stopped at McD's for breakfast today. My breakfast was $4.76. I gave them $5.01 so that I would get a quarter (1 coin) instead of .24 (6 coins.) What did I get?

Two dimes and five pennies.

You know it's cold...

I left a diet coke on my desk overnight. In the can and everything. I just took a drink of it and while it wasn't 'refrigerator cold' neither was it warm at all.

Can we say our classrooms are kept a little chilly?

Drip, drip, drip

No, I'm not referring to the rain. I'm not referring to a cold and the snotty nose that comes with. I AM referring to my ceiling! On Sunday, I woke up to a water covered coffee table and soaked papers (mail, school stuff, etc.) I was putting together some centers for my classroom. I had folders, envelopes with small pieces inside and big pieces to tape to the outside of the folders. In other words, a lot of paper!

I had to move my coffee table to an "out of the way" place and spread towels all over my apartment. Then I covered those towels with the papers. More towels and my robe (I'm running out of towels!) went on the living room floor with pots in strategic places to catch the drips. Then I went to the grocery store to shop for a Labor Day event at my apartment. I got home and tiptoed around papers on my kitchen floor to bake the dessert and form the hamburger patties. This was interesting since some of my pots were currently being used for non-cooking purposes, and there was maybe two inches of uncovered floor space in my kitchen.

I knew it was supposed to rain some more, so made the appropriate calls to reschedule the event. When I came home Sunday evening, my ceiling wasn't dripping any more.

The Labor Day activity went off without a hitch. Everyone had fun INSIDE and dry at a friend's home. When I arrived home, my ceiling had begun to leak again.

I almost started to cry.

Most of you know I'm currently in negotiations with my apartment complex for the replacement of my ruined computer due to the last leaky ceiling. I'm getting ready to ask them to move me to a dry, non-leaking apartment.

We'll see what happens.

Appropriate Time and Place

I have a blog post that I'm not sure I should post. I don't want to get in trouble later. I'm not changing the title of this post, but I did delete what I had typed.