Zoo

 

We took a trip to the zoo with friends yesterday. We want to squeeze in our outdoor activities before it gets too hot around here! The maps were a big deal at the beginning of the day.

 Kate took this picture of the tiger. She was so eager to take pictures of everyone, especially Erin's baby, Macy.

 If nothing else, I was so glad I grabbed this shot of Grant. His expression is full of all the personality that he has right now-- interested, dynamic, determined and goofy

 Looking at the Meerkats.

This is Jackson making the growling sounds. He really like the tiger, who growled for us. It was a day of sounds as the howler monkeys were noisy, the screaming birds were screaming and the tiger was roaring!

I love spending time with Erin and her kids. Look how big these two have gotten. I remember the day that Zoe was born and went at visited her at the hospital when she was hours old.

Reaching?

Some of you are probably wondering, "Is she reaching too far?"
Writing a book, keeping three jobs and two kids and one very important man, plus one dog and our house going....the answer is yes.

I am already asking, "Is it worth the sacrifice?"  Writing a book is quite a challenge for a stay-at-home mom. I have had to surrender my nights and naps and all television I might have been watching because I can't get anything done without being interrupted. I don't have all the answers. Right now I am plugging away at writing a chapter about ambition, so I am asking myself those hard questions, and reaching for answers found in the Bible as well as in practical advice from others.

What do you think of ambition? Most ambition is negatively perceived when we associated it with women. But does that have to be norm? I admit that ambition is going to look different for women and men.  Even feminist Betty Friedan admits that women can't be ambitious in the same roles as men--

''Some militants repudiated all the parts of the personhood of women that have been and are still expressed in family, home and love. In trying to ape men's lives, they have truncated themselves away from grounding experiences. If young women lock themselves into the roles of ambitious men, I'm not sure it's a good bargain. It can be terribly imprisoning and life denying.'' --- Betty Friedan in a 1981 New York Times interview (October 19, 1981 New York Times Books by Nan Robertson “Betty Friedan Ushers In a ‘Second Stage’” as archived on http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/05/09/specials/friedan-stage.html)

How do you think women should be ambitious?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on ambition from both sides-- men and their opinions of ambitious women, as well as women's own thoughts on what ambitious looks like for you.

Comment away.

A new baby, new opportunity

Did I catch your attention?

No, I am not going to birth a new child, but like my friend Carolyn McCulley said, we are growing a book together on women and work. We are still figuring out the title, but we are excited to embark on this adventure together.

I was reminded yesterday of why I need to read this book. As I woke up, I already felt defeated. Grant has been sick, so we haven't been getting much sleep this week. Then as I was getting dressed for the day, I was mentally gearing up for what the day held. Travis and I planned to meet at the DMV to get the title on our car transferred. Before I even had blow-dried my hair, my phone rang.

It was my manager from one of the hospital I worked for. She said, "Are you at HR?" I replied that I already finished my required TB test and that she should receive confirmation of it by the end of the day. She paused.

She said, "Did you get my message?" My heart started beating faster. Long pause. She continued, "You were supposed to work today. I sent you that email on February 7th." My heart started to pound at this point.

I didn't show up for work. Again. Not joking. This is the second time I haven't shown up this spring. Through a series of what I can only attribute to God's grand design, I missed it.

I felt awful now, on top of feeling defeated. I called Travis crying and he put me back together, reminding me that everyone makes mistakes and that maybe God is using this as a divine opportunity to take time to reevaluate.

You see, I like to think I have it together. I have two toddlers, two hospitals where I work on-call, a growing private nutrition consulting practice with Anderson's Nutrition, a new book to write, on top of cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, errands, kid's music class, and managing the food for our women's ministry at church.

Whoops. You see, I am in need of reading this book. Not just because I have work//life balance questions, but because I am in need of recognizing the hope of the gospel as it applies to my work. All of my work, whether at home or away, needs perspective and encouragement.

When was the last time you read a book inspiring you with good perspective and encouragement about your work??? I haven't found many.  We don't pretend to be comprehensive experts on this topics, but we are serious about living for Jesus, which means He has something to say about work for women too. I have been confronted with my limitations. I missed my day at work, I ran late home from my client meeting to the babysitter, and my floor is filthy. Not just that, but my attitude this week about the sum total of my work has been rotten. But sometimes what God calls us means taking risks, stepping out into territory that leaves us stretched, weak and tested. All I can cling to is that when I am weak, God is still good. 

"So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Work awaits me-- I am trying to write this, catching up to Carolyn's post, scooping oatmeal and fielding questions about why the grandfather has an eye patch in The Nutcracker. Life is just as full as yesterday. I can't wait to see how God uses this weakness and watch him bring a yield for fruitful work.