Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

And the Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the spout again.

It was singing this to Rylyn one day that I realized the sheer determination of this spider and a more profound metaphor hidden in this simple rhyme for life. We all have rain that washes us out. Sometimes it an overwhelming long list of to dos. Other times illness. Other times loss of a loved one. For me it is often my inability to life up to my own expectations. No matter how thunderous the rain cloud, we have all been there. Washed out spiders.


I have a secret. I am an emotional eater. When I let my self down, junk food disguises itself as my best friend. The relationship is a vicious cycle loved buy the fast food industry. Upset woman buys and eats bad food, then feels worse than she did originally, and so she buys and eats more bad food.


Tonight while eating my McDonald's hamburger (hold the dehydrated onion please), french fries and Coke in the car, I watched a rainbow form. I remembered the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." That spider did not turn to a hamburger, he looked up and saw a rainbow. He saw hope and then went up that spout again. Every time I wash out, I need to look for that rainbow (rather than the Golden Arch) and be encouraged to climb that spout again. And since climbing takes energy, a "Happy Meal" is okay every once in a while, as long as we keep on climbing.

Bible Reflections:

Genesis 9 (NLT)


¹⁴ When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, ¹⁵ and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.


-God's rainbow is a covenant of hope. If I look to the rainbow, God will help when I am down. Jesus came that we would have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Rylyn be nimble...

...Rylyn be cool, Rylyn jump into the swimming pool. One of our favourite activities. Enjoy the video.

Salterations

Did you know Roman soldiers used to be paid partially in salt? It was known as their salarium, which is where our word for salary originated (Salt Institute, 2011). Often we are caught up in what man has to offer for healing. Pain killers. Anti-biotics. We forget about the naturally occurring healing properties of everyday substances. Salt has more medicinal worth than we give it credit today.

My reflections about salt were stimulated by a nasty sore throat this past week. I will spare you the details. After flashing the glow of a miniature flashlight down my throat I was worried I had a bout of strep. When my symptoms ended up not including a foggy and dizzy head, I resided that my infection was viral (thank goodness!). Nevertheless, it was gargling with salt water that helped clear up the illness. I gargled with salt water religiously after each of Rylyn's feedings for 2 days. Ugly throat be gone! (I should mention that a little Tylenol helped me sleep without pain though!)

In honour of salt eradicating my throat illness, I want to highlight some of its other great uses:

• placing salt directly on a mouth abscess will cause it to drain without having to break the blister (how I love the practical applications of osmosis)
• salt baths can help heal minor sunburn, cuts, bug bites, poison ivy and poison oak
• salt baths can help regulate skin's moisture and dry out blemishes
• salt baths are anti-septic and anti-stress too!

May I suggest an Epsom Salt bath some time this week to relax?

Bible Reflections

Colossians 4:6 (New King James Version)

⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

-Just as salt can be healing to our bodies, so too can our words be healing to one another's souls.

Love is...

I love the taste of Alex's hair and she must love me
because I am getting away with this!

I won't bother to tell you what me friend's hair looked like after Rylyn was done with it!

Bible Reflections:

1 Corinthians 13
⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

-I think the photo says it all.

Retail Therapy

It has been a dreary week...physically, as a result of the rain, as well as emotionally. We'll leave the latter for another time and venue! I decided some therapy was in order. Rylyn and I went to Babies'R'Us to prepare for some summer! I mostly spent credit too!

This is our way of saying good-bye winter, hello Mr. Sun. Check out Ry's new UV swim wear...which fits perfectly now...so we may have to go back and buy more in the summer! It is a good thing we start swimming lessons this week!

We also received our headbands ordered from  Three Magic Sheep in the UK in the mail today! This also brought us some sunshine.

Kara versus Fergie

Disclaimer: if your TMI file is large you may want to stop reading.

What do I have in common with Fergie?...Read on!
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I should probably keep this to myself. This story most likely falls in the TMI category. BUT...that is what makes it funny. Besides, I must make sure the stories I write about myself are more embarrassing than the stories I write about my other family members. It is a principle of respect.

During my postpartum midwifery appointments the midwives would routinely ask a series of questions about mom's healing and then babies well-being. I was abnormally eager to answer those questions to which I had a positive response. It was like I was awaiting my goal star!

"Have you done the pee test yet?" the midwife who was leading my appointment asked delicately.

"Pee test?" I questioned.

"Have you tried peeing and then stopping midstream?"

Oh joy! I had! With success.

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Tonight we went for a family walk. Ry snuggled in with dad on the sling and mom, with a mini-back-pack of diapers and a receiving blanket. (You never know when you might need to whip out a diaper on the streets of a small rural town which can be walked across in well-under an hour!)

Near the end of our walk, the air started to turn cold. The kind of cold that lines your lungs when you breathe. We were about a block away from home. I took in a breathe of air. I coughed. My bladder was full. I hadn't realized. Too full.

"Chris," I giggled. "I just peed a little."

His laughter turned into a contagious fit of hilarity. Before long we were both stopped in stitches on the sidewalk.

"Stop laughing. Because I can't stop." I begged.

Chris smiled at me. My dribble had turned into a full blown accident. I had peed my pants laughing. So much for my early success! Thankfully, we were a block from home and it was getting dark. Next time I will pack Depends instead of Pampers.

Fergie link

Bible Reflections

Luke 14:11 (New King James Version)

¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.


-I think laughing at ourselves is one way to stay humble and not let our mistakes (or accidents) get us down.