"Are you dating anyone? Why not?"

Have you ever walked into a full waiting room? All eyes fall on you. You can feel the eyes watching you while you're trying to find a seat. They're bored. You walked in and now they have something new to look at for a moment. Okay... I sometimes get that same feeling when people ask if I'm "seeing" anyone and I say "no". I suddenly feel like I just walked into a waiting room wearing something inappropriate and have toilet paper on my shoe. I don't dare tell the person asking the question what I'm going to say now... I have not dated anyone since separating six years ago. FREAK FLAG!

Today in church, our Pastor asked the congregation why Jesus asked an invalid "Do you want to be cured?" It is obvious the invalid would want to be helped and Jesus knew the answer... so why would he ask something so obvious? Of course, the man said "yes" and Jesus cured him. Our Pastor suggested the man may have refused help up to that point because he wasn't ready to accept it. Jesus asked the question as a way for the man to finally concede and accept help. So much later in the day, I asked myself... if God asked me if I wanted His help... would I want it? When it comes to finding a "new man", my honest answer would be "no". This answer surprised even me.

I do pray all the time that someday I'll meet someone and fall in love again. This past Summer I was hurting deeply and prayed to understand God's plan. Did it involve someone else for me? I was sure it was a "no" but was surprised to get a "wait". Ask me all the ways I got that message. Not only was I happy for the answer but I was amazed to get an anwer. So back to the "I don't want no man" part... I'm awfully content right now. I think having the kids keeps loneliness away. Managing a household and school activities keeps me busy. My faith keeps me grateful. Sticking to my values and not Pop Culture values helps me not feel like a complete freak (cause in that World my freak flag is high). I don't even want to get a dog because of the extra work. What would I do with a husband? When I see a husband as a blessing and not a burden then we can all agree... I'll be ready.

Plus, I am conflicted. Family history in the past couple generations when it comes to stepdads...not so good. Plus, what if I don't spot the pervert just praying on a single Mom with kids? Plus, I still haven't been convinced (or schooled) that it is okay to remarry after divorce. I just don't remember reading anywhere that is okay but I definitely remember reading that it wasn't. Even as I type that I know if I met someone I would remarry and sort the Biblical stuff later.

So my mind started to churn as I listened to EHarmony.com commercials. The commercials advertise their ability to match couples. Is it the same software Amazon.com uses? You know... everytime you shop with Amazon, their software will make suggestions for you based on past selections. So how would that work with couples? I started thinking about my past selection of men. Amazon would probably say "Oh we see you prefer to financially support men who lie and take advantage of you ... here are our suggestions!"

There you have it. A very long explanation to a question I'm asked often by people I've just met but is never asked by those who have known me for some time. The short answer is "I just don't have time". Whatever the case, I'm just very careful about who I tell that I have pet cats.

Antics of Offspring

Hello! Just a few stories to share.

CW and I joined Weight Watchers online. I much prefer Adkins because I'm never hungry when going low carb. Currently, if I'm full it only lasts about two hours. CW is doing so well. He has cut his "points" from +30 above his desired points to staying within his limit. He did this in the course of one week. Plus, he is measuring his portions and reading labels and just becoming more aware of snacking. Every night we are able to review his intake and evaluate how a couple of small choices can make such a big difference. Obviously, I needed to trim the tummy but my main motivation was CW. He is in a pretty good mood but I'm a bit (alot!) moody. Tomorrow is our first weigh-in day so we'll see if the work has paid off.

In this process, I gave each of the kids a pedometer. Splenda has a campaign to get kids to walk an extra 2000 steps each day so they are giving away pedometers. I have a box of them and finally remembered to give MW & CW their own. Within two minutes, CW had figured out how to shake the pedometer just right to make it count even though he wasn't walking and MW had clipped it onto the cat's collar (to the cat's displeasure). A good idea down the drain.

Meanwhile, a serious conversation took place on the way to school a several weeks ago. CW made a wise crack comment about horses and glue (a specific attempt to torment his sister who loves horses). MW immediately asked what CW meant. I tried to make some lame excuses but each time CW would laugh and MW knew I wasn't telling the truth. Finally, I had to tell MW what horses had to do with glue. She said "I'm not upset" and got very quiet. I told CW he was paying for her therapy. When I got home from work, I found a picture she had colored at school that day. It was a Dutch girl (in honor of the different Christmas costumes in foreign countries). MW did a very neat job but in the girl's hand.. she had drawn in a sign that read "NO MORE HORSE GLUE"! It looked like Christmas Dutch PETA.

Flash forward one month to today. MW and the other second graders sang during 0930 service. The kids met beforehand outside their classrooms. Well, we were the first ones to arrive and while we waited I was admiring artwork displayed in the hallway that the second graders had done. One batch of artwork was themed "Martin Luther King's Dream". Each child had to list their own dreams for the World. "No murders". "No weapons". "No pollution". "No smoking". These were the profound desires of the children. My eyes finally found MW's. It was nicely colored, spelling was perfect and the handwriting was neat. The first dream she listed... "Stop using horse glue!" CW's allowance is going right into the therapy fund.

Postscript: Driving home today, the kids and I saw alot of buzzards resting on various light poles and I got to thinking. Buzzards must be smart. They have to land and eat their food in the very spot were those dead creatures were killed by moving vehicles. Yet, I've never seen a dead buzzard in the street. How do they avoid being hit? Does this mean they are smarter than squirrels, raccoons, opossums, dogs, cats and armadillos? Just a thought.

Tidbits: Strep, PC-TV, Cats, HGTV

It should be no surprise that after the American public gathered with friends and family over Christmas holidays that everyone would be sick soon after. It was surprising to me to catch Strep throat in time for the New Year weekend. I had it so much as a child that I thought I was immune to it. I still feel like I need to crawl back into bed even after the least bit of exertion. Thankfully my first day back to work was only a half-day. I guess I forgot to check the "Secret Mommy Handbook" that says "never get sick".

I have been having great fun with a new tech-toy. My sister-n-law set up my computer (the one I've had for a year now) so I can watch TV on it. By default, I now can record DVR style and she showed me how to download pictures from MW's new digital camera (I don't have one). I'll be borrowing the camera just a litttle bit. Furthermore, I took out the Hello Kitty radio from the kitchen and I'm listening to my talk shows through the computer (even as I type). BTW, I have a remote for my computer TV/Music/Internet abilities. However, the kids now want to watch TV when we're eating (the computer is in a nook in the kitchen).

My friend Sara has been blogging about her new cat which makes me want to share something about my kid's cats. One growls at people as they approach or walk by the house. The other plays fetch. They are indoor cats. I've never kept my cats indoor only. It has been nice not to worry about fleas and their fur stays so clean & soft. However, I think it makes them a little "off-balance" (code for weird).

I managed to get some pictures on this blog in some sort of order. It was by luck since I just kept pushing buttons until something stuck. Am I suppose to do pictures first then blog or what? I can't get the pictures to go where I want them to go. I need to go now and register for my house on HGTV. I'm so irritated that they built my house in Colorado. Don't they know I don't like cold weather? I might actually sell this house for the first time. I didn't want to sell my other homes. Too bad HGTV keeps giving them away to other people before I can move in. I should sue or something. If you don't know what I'm talking about check HGTV's Dream Home Give-A-Way. They do it every year.