Toxic Waste

I found this column by Archbishop Chaput linked on Feminine-Genius. It's great to hear a bishop speaking out about this problem. I only wish that he would have made mention of the "non-porn" porn that floods into our homes on a daily basis, in sitcoms, commercials and even the news. These subtle (or not so) images which are the Sirens of the modern age, calling to us and beckoning us ever closer to the rocky shores of pornographic addiction. These images act as a gateway, breaking down our sense of propriety, causing us to view as normal and acceptable that which is abnormal and outrageous. They fuel and fan the flames of addiction, making it that much harder for a person to pull himself out of the mire.

I agree with the Archbishop that pornography is "the biggest single environmental crisis we face" and I applaud his courage for speaking out, but I feel that the problem goes even deeper than what he addresses in his column.

Personality Test:

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have high agreeableness. You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly. Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone. You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance. Neuroticism: You have high neuroticism. It's easy for you to feel shaken, worried, or depressed. You often worry, and your worries prevent you from living life fully. You tend to be emotionally reactive and moody. Your either flying very high or feeling very low. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Vaccine Info

Since Amelia had her first vaccinations yesterday I spent some time looking for info online about ethical alternatives to vaccination created from aborted babies. In the course of my search I found this site, that lists US-approved alternatives for all but the rubella vaccine. It also has a lengthy discussion of what Catholics are morally obligated to do if no alternative vaccine exists.

I found it pretty interesting, though I'm not sure that I agree that rubella is enough of a threat to warrant vaccinating in spite of the lack of a morally acceptable vaccine. Especially since a morally acceptable vaccine does exist in Japan, but just isn't approved here yet. According to this site, they were able to get the vaccine from Japan by just getting their doctor's approval. Of course, they are located in the UK so I don't know how it works here, but maybe if people get together and lobby for it we can get the morally acceptable rubella vaccine approved in the US. Or at least made available with the permission of a doctor.

Pajama Day

I was tired and grumpy and really didn't feel like doing anything today, so I declared a pajama day. However, I decided this after I was already dressed so it was just the girls who stayed in their pj's.

It has been a rough couple of weeks with all of us having colds (Maria's still pretty stuffy), and Amelia receiving her first vaccinations yesterday. Last night was tough, as Amelia's leg got all swollen, red and hot around where she got the shot. She spent about an hour screaming before I could get her to calm down and fall asleep. Later, I was able to get her to take some Tylenol before Jim lulled her to sleep again, but it made for a nasty end to the day.

So today, instead of the usual chaos of trying to get keep the girls occupied while I clean, I just let Maria pick a video and there she sat for an hour watching intently. She selected Winnie the Pooh's ABC's, so really it was an educational DVD. It even has a bonus feature where it shows the letter, gives the sound of the letter, shows how to write both the upper and lower cases, and gives a picture of one word that starts with that letter. You have a choice to do the whole alphabet or just a select certain letters. So again it was educational, really.

I think Maria had fun. She's been bugging me to let her wear her 'jamas all day for weeks. It's really been a struggle to get her dressed in the morning. I think that she was especially pleased that they were her penguin pajamas, as she is very fond of these.

I know that I enjoyed it... I even got a nap of sorts. I had Amelia snuggled on one side of me, and Maria on the other. And for about 10 minutes all was quiet and calm. Then Maria began to squirm, and then sing. I shushed her and told her to be quiet and sleep, it was naptime after all. But she persisted... she tucked her feet under me, then she got up and tried to sleep on my head (not so comfy). Finally, I told her to just go read a book if you're not going to sleep. This actually worked... for a few minutes she was quietly reading a book. Then she began to read, aloud, her version of Green Eggs and Ham.

It went something like this... "that Sam I am, I do not like that Sam I am. I am Sam. I do not like Sam I am. I do not like green eggs and ham." She kept repeating these lines in varying orders until I finally decided to give up and end the non-nap nap.

Ah, well.... even a pajama day is more interesting with kids.

Moving in the Right Direction

Okay, so I'm a little behind in my reading, but I just read this article from last week's Catholic Standard and Times. I was soo excited to learn that they have moved the tabernacle to it's proper place behind the main altar at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral (in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia).

The description makes me want to go and see it for myself. Mini-pilgrimage anyone?

Here's an excerpt from the article:

The Cardinal was clearly moved by the event. In his homily, he told the Cathedral’s parishioners, "Our hearts are filled with joy to celebrate this great event, and once again in a very special way to express our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. ...[W]e honor the presence of Christ truly and substantially in the Eucharist which we have enthroned in this beautiful new tabernacle that expresses our holy Catholic faith."

We're so blessed to have this man as our shepherd. Clearly, he has a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist, and desires to cultivate that love in all his flock.

Let's all pray that pastors in the Archdiocese may follow his lead and move Jesus back to the center of our churches.

Pizza night...

Here's some pictures from Friday night's pizza fest. As you can see Maria very much enjoyed helping me make the pizza dough.

Interesting Article

I found the link to this article on Amy Wellborn's Site, Open Book. It's about the differences between public and private schools in developing countries. Surprisingly (or not), the private schools are doing much better job of teaching those countries poor.

Snow Day...

Here's a few pics of Maria playing in the first "nice" snow of the season.
(nice = snow without ice involved)

All work and no play around here - even Maria has to do her share.

More Pics of the Girls