Proof that I am, indeed, Sane

Middle Sister just came home from school with a paper advertising her class field trip. It takes place on HALLOWEEN.

They want chaperones.

I will not be one of them.

Things You Never Thought You'd Have to Say to Your Kids

"You may not hang your robe from your ceiling!"

(Yes, I know, be thankful that a child hung something up! But still...)

What Will the Future Hold?

The Great Merger of 2007 is upon us.

We have learned which parishes in our area will "merge" and which will "twin"--there's a fine legal line separating those realities.

We have learned at which parish our priests will live, and at which one the offices will be housed.

And that's pretty much ALL we know.

I really hate not knowing stuff. (Just ask TheDad. I'm sure I drive him nuts in that regard.)

We don't know which parish will hold Mass at which time.

We don't know who gets custody of the Easter Vigil (maybe they will take turns!) Not like it matters; I love the Easter Vigil and will go anyway.

And then there's the question of ministries and activities, especially, for me, the ones my family and I enjoy. In some cases we may have expanded opportunities (Boy Scouts and Secular Franciscans come to mind) and in other cases it's a big fat question mark (choir and altar serving).

What happens to our deacons? What happens to the secretary? The DRE? The maintenance man?

This is one of those times when all the questions turn into anxiety and where does that lead me? Ultimately to defiance. "Why does (insert name here) get to say what we do? How much of a clue does (insert name here) have about this anyway?"

Defiance is not a helpful attitude in this situation.

It's time to put a smile on my face and keep a prayer in my heart and do whatever I can to make sure we all get along, help each other, work together, and remember that no one wins here until we all do this. It's not a contest that some will win and some will lose. We'll all lose if we can't make it work together.

May God bless the people of the parishes affected in this merger, that we will learn to work together and remember why we're really here anyway.

What Instrument Should I Play?

How funny--this is what I DO play. Self-taught and everything.

You Should Play the Guitar

You're very independent - both in spirit and in the way you learn. You can teach yourself almost anything, even if it makes your fingers bleed. You're not really the type to sit patiently through a music lesson - or do things by the book. It's more your style to master the fundamentals and see where they take you. Highly creative and a bit eclectic, you need a wide range of music to play. You could emerge as a sensitive songwriter... or a manic rock star. Your dominant personality characteristic: being rebellious Your secondary personality characteristic: tenacity

What Musical Instrument Should You Play?

Via Jean at Catholic Fire.

Caffeinated

I just got an email through my local Freecycle group. Someone is offering a 64-ounce coffee cup.

64 ounces. Impressive.

I told Big Brother about it, for a laugh. I told him it's half a gallon of coffee and that I can't imagine anyone drinking that much coffee.

He said, "You probably drink that much coffee in a day."

"I do not! You have no idea what I'd be like if I drank that much coffee in a day."

"You should try that," he told me. "Just once. I'd laugh."

Photo Project

Middle Sister borrowed my camera to take a picture of something. While she was walking around with the camera turned on, Big Brother sneezed and she captured the moment.

Then she considered the artistic possibilities of a photo essay on the subject.

"Dad, you know how when you go outside in the sun, you sneeze?"

"Yeah."

"So can you go outside now?"

Grace Before Meals

We've always used the traditional "grace before meals" prayer:
Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Little Brother was pretty casual about learning it, but he liked to be the one to lead grace. So we'd get the "Readers' Digest Condensed Version" sometimes. It was getting better, but he wasn't quite there yet.

Then he started school. Apparently they say grace three times a day at school, since they have 2 snack times and lunch time.

Ooops, excuse me--Little Brother informed us the other night that at school, they call it "prayers."

So he's vastly improved in his ability to lead grace, I mean prayers, now that he's been in kindergarten for two whole weeks.

Except for one little thing, that makes me and Big Brother crack up every time:
"Bless us O Lord, and these GUY GIFTS..."

What I Love

...about the age Middle Sister is right now.

(And it's good to find things you love about "tween" girls, because all the High Drama can be very wearing. So I am working on thinking positive)

I just dropped Middle Sister off at a birthday party for someone in her class. It's a bowling party, so they're all dressed casually. But she had to very carefully choose her outfit and grouse about her hair and all of that.

When she came in, some of her friends were already there. They came running over. "Middle Sister! We're wearing the same shirt!" "Middle Sister! I have the same shoes as you! Look!" Much squealing, standing side-by-side to strike a pose, and giggling followed. Then they all scooted off to the bowling lane to start a game.

As I left, I pictured the same scene with 15-year-old girls--just 4 years older. "OMG! She is wearing the same shirt as me! How could she?!? Mom, you'll have to take me home to change."

Yes, this is definitely one of those "enjoy it while it lasts" kind of things.

A Tale of Two Churches

This is a true story.

Once upon a time, there were two churches in the Very Same Zip Code. (Actually, there were three, but one of them is not important to this story). There was a Big Church and a Little Church.

The Bishop decided that there were too many churches and not enough priests, and he would solve that problem by declaring the Great Merger of 2007. Two or more churches would get together and there would only be one priest. They would have to share.

But it was a big secret for a long time, which churches would be sharing together. And the people got all worried about this.

There were rumors. There were guesses. There were accusations that one church or other owed a lot of money, or things like that, which turned out to be untrue.

Big Church wanted to show the Bishop that they were big enough to be all alone and get their own priest all for themselves. They worked hard to get lots of people to sign up so they would have enough families to prove how big they really were.

The priest at Little Church told the people that it was time to stop making guesses and spreading rumors. It was time to just pray that everyone could share nicely.

Then the Great Merger of 2007 was almost upon them. And the church bulletins came out.

Here's what Big Church had to say:
This fall will also bring decisions and realities which may affect our Parish, and so I know we are all joined together in prayer as we wait to hear what the future will hold. The date given for this little exercise in trusting in the will of God is the 21st of September, which by the way is the feast of the holy Apostle, St. Matthew.

Here's what Little Church had to say:
Bishop has scheduled a meeting with all the priests of the Deanery on Friday, September 21, 2007. At that time, Bishop will announce his decisions for the restructuring of parishes in our deanery. In preparation for the announcement, we pray that the Spirit will move us forward with our new realities in faith, hope and love. This is an opportunity for all of us to say “Yes” to God as the Church responds to the needs of the diocese in this County. At all Masses next weekend, we will announce the restructuring decisions.

Wasn't it nice that Little Church made this announcement by calling everyone to prayer rather than resorting to sarcasm?

Awhile back, I asked Father JC Maximilian, who is a priest in my diocese and who ministers at a merged parish north of here, to give advice to the people of my area who are going through this now. Here is his advice:

Patience and Support. Those are the two things that most priests that I have spoken with who are in merged parishes want from their parishioners. Speaking for myself, I was not asked what I thought about merging these parishes. While I certainly understand, practically, why we need to look at this, there are also reasons against merging. It is the bishop's call, and I know that he does not make these decisions lightly, so I will support his decisions. The people need to know that the priests are doing their best.

It is not reasonable to think that after merging two parishes, with the reduction in priests, that the priests will be able to do everything that was done when the parishes were separate. Some things cannot be duplicated. You cannot have two Easter Vigils if it is a single parish. People need to stop making comparisons and thinking that it is some type of competition between the two halves.

One thing that will help which I think the Diocese has learned from the first round of mergers is give the parish a new name. First, a hyphenated name is ridiculous. Besides, it is not conducive to getting parishioners to think of themselves as being part of one parish.

Parishioners should make an effort to participate at events at both locations, getting to know each other. VOLUNTEER to help with something - remember, there are fewer priests covering more. Recognize with an "atta boy Fr." your priest. We don't do this for praise, but we are also human, so sometimes that little recognition that you are working hard is appreciated.

Be patient with Father's human limitations. I am not proud to say this, but there are times when from fatigue and/or frustration I am snippy with people. I am working on it. Your priest probably also can be cranky in his own way at times. Be charitable in your judgment.

The best advice for what to do when your parish is part of a merger is to follow the advice of St. John in one of his letters, "My children, love one another."

I thank Father JC for his advice. I hope we will all take it to heart.

Please pray for all the churches in our Deanery as we await the announcements and find out with whom we will share.

Why is it...

that on a day off from school, Little Brother was up at 5:45 AM?

He doesn't have to be up that early on a school day.

And it's not like I told him that we're going to the Aquarium with some friends from the church choir and their sons today--because I know better than to tell a small child what the plans are more than ten minutes ahead of time.

When he came downstairs half an hour ago, I tucked him into bed with Daddy. I'm smart that way. For a while it was quiet, but now I hear him chattering away up there. TheDad has to get up for work now anyway, or he'll be late.

But speaking of TheDad, I think I just figured out why Little Brother is awake so early. Last night TheDad stopped at the store and picked up some of Little Brother's favorite breakfast meat: Canadian bacon! He promised they'd have breakfast together today.

In other words, he brought it on himself.

What Not to Wear

Last year, when Big Brother started high school, I learned that Back-to-School Night is a dressy occasion. When I got home from this event, TheDad asked, "So? How was it?" I answered, "You mean how was the Handbag Fashion Show?"

He gets mad when I speak of it in those terms, but I call it as I see it. I have realized that since most moms of high-school-age students are working outside the home, they're probably still dressed in their work clothes at a 7 PM school event. I, on the other hand, have been in my mom clothes all day.

I stress about how I should dress for Back-to-School Night. I completely relate to this post at White Trash Mom (language alert--but she is funny and right on!) I stand in front of the closet and wonder about what I should wear. As if I'll see anyone I even know. As if anyone sitting in a semidark auditorium listening to a spiel about why we want to participate in the Magazine Sale and why Myspace is bad for our kids cares about what shoes I have on.

But then we wander around, following our kids' schedule so we can meet the teachers. And we sit there in the student desks with our handbags on the desktops. I see a lot of cool handbags at these things, let me tell you. I guess that next time I go to confession, I'll have "handbag envy" to add to my list of sins.

I chose an outfit already today but it's been marked by Little Brother, who gave me a big hug with a dirty face. So I will need something clean to wear after dinner tonight--but that hug was worth the time I'll be spending staring into my closet searching for the perfect outfit and wondering if I should change purses.

Feast of the Stigmata of Saint Francis

The story behind this feast is beautifully told here.

General information about the stigmata can be found here.

And Friar Charles has a beautiful reflection on this feast.

In his Letter to All the Faithful, Francis wrote:

Because he suffered so much for us and gave us such gifts and will continue to bestow them in time to come, let every creature that is in heaven and on earth and in the sea and in the depths of the abyss render praise to God, and glory and honor and blessing, because he is our virtue and our strength: he who alone is good, who alone is Most High, alone almighty, wondrous, glorious; who alone is holy, worthy of praise, blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Chore Time

Sometimes it's good to break out of the regular chore routine, to erase "sweep the kitchen" from the white board and write in something like "tidy up the back porch." It's good to assign certain tasks to certain children, who have talents that might come in handy for the job.

And when you do, you will be rewarded with a job well done by a child who will moan, groan, sigh and roll her eyes when she's asked to take out the recycle bucket or sweep the kitchen--chores which take well under five minutes each. But if you ask her to tidy up the porch, she will ask if that means she can rearrange the furniture too, and spend an hour out there moving chairs, arranging Tonka trucks around the perimeter, and coming back inside to ask you where the cleaner is so she can wash the table. She will thoughtfully place your favorite chair under your favorite tree (OK, the only tree) in the backyard "so you can read your book when we are all in school." She will ask you to come out to the porch 7 times to admire her progress.

Sometimes it's nice to do those jobs that, even though they take longer to complete, give you a real feeling of satisfaction when they're done--jobs that, when done well, offer something for the whole family to enjoy. Eleven-year-olds can feel that satisfaction too.

Great job, Middle Sister!

GO IRISH!

I'm multitasking while watching the ND-Michigan game. Sometimes my tasks take me away from the television. I just went racing back into the kitchen after I heard some yelling from the announcers.

Big Brother looked up and said, "I hear cheering. Is that good?"

My answer: "It's an away game. Cheering is never good."

Our Lady of Sorrows: September 15

Jean at Catholic Fire has a post today called "The Many Faces of Our Lady of Sorrows." All the images she gathered for that post are beautiful and expressive, but oh my, this one really hits hard.

How can you look at those eyes and not feel a little piece of the Blessed Mother's sorrow?

Image Credit

The Food Police Go to Kindergarten

I just finished reading Julie D.'s post about the Food Police.

I'm feeling it here too. This afternoon Little Brother came home with a notice from his teacher reminding parents about lunchtime and snack time. In his full-day kindergarten, they have two snack times daily as well as lunchtime.

Here's a sampling of what Little Brother brings in his lunchbox:
Water bottle
Tuna "pocket" sandwich
Grapes (he likes a mix of red and green)
Mozzarella string cheese
2 graham crackers
2 banana mini-muffins (homemade)
fruit roll-up

Normally he eats all of that during the course of the day. And no, he's not a fat child. In fact, he's about in the 25th percentile for weight for his age and height.

So the kindergarten teacher sends home this note that says, "Please pack healthy snacks. The morning snack should be fruits (not fruit snacks), veggies, granola bars, yogurt, etc. Cakes and cookies are not a good idea for AM snack..."

Oh, for crying out loud, I thought as I read this note. And when I told Little Brother that there wouldn't be any more fruit roll-ups in the lunchbox, he did cry out loud.

I guess that the homemade banana mini-muffin (made with oatmeal, and applesauce instead of oil) wouldn't pass muster for morning snack either. They're good enough for morning snack at home. In fact, I'd let him have some along with his breakfast if he wanted them.

It really toasts my marshmallows that the school feels the need to police my child's lunchbox when I make a good effort to see that he has a reasonably healthy meal and snacks.

God save us from people who feel the need to save us from ourselves.

It's All in the Timing

After Mass today I headed over to the doctor's office to have blood drawn for my thyroid workup. I had called yesterday, and was told I could come in without an appointment, anytime between 9 and 4.

I got there at 12:20, pulling into the parking lot behind a small car with a carseat in the back. We parked one space apart from each other, with an empty space in between. I could see a cute little baby waving her feet and her toys around back there as I gathered up my purse and double-checked to see if my prescription was in there.

Then I saw the young mother, who barely looked old enough to have a driver's license, get out of the car and hurry into the doctor's office. But her baby was still in the backseat! All the car windows were open. I closed my car door and opened my windows, and pretended to read a newspaper that was in the car, keeping my eye on my little parking-lot neighbor. I could hear music coming from the car--and then I realized that the mom had left the car running.

I sat there until she came back out, got into her car, and left the parking lot.

Then I went into the doctor's office and found out that the tech who does blood draws has lunch between 12 and 1. No one told me that when I called yesterday.

I grumbled my way back to my car and started it up, and then realized that maybe this was not a wasted errand after all. Maybe I needed to be in that parking lot, at that time, making sure that that baby was safe until her mother returned. I'd say that was worth the time and gas I spent repeating the trip to the doctor's office after lunch.

Mom doesn't have the cool moves

Little Brother has spent way too much time watching Big Brother and his Freakishly Tall Friend (who describes himself in those terms) playing "Guitar Hero."

That would explain why he just came in here and asked me if I know how to do the Power Slide.

Then he ably demonstrated this dangerous move with his Air Guitar. It involves running, then dropping to both knees while you continue to play your guitar.

Hmmm.

My guitar comes out of its case once a week--for Mass. I don't think it would be appropriate to attempt a Power Slide during the "Holy Holy"--while wearing a skirt. Plus, I'd probably hurt myself, or someone else, or at the very least break my guitar.

Little Brother is very disappointed right now in my lack of cool moves. Sorry, buddy.

Just for Fun

Because this is really cool!



And yeah, some people have WAY too much time on their hands--but how clever was that, anyway?

Wind out of my sails

I was chugging right along yesterday, accomplishing housework right and left, and feeling that boost you get when you can SEE that a job is done, and KNOW that it will stay done for maybe 4 more hours. Then I went to daily Mass and the Novena to the Blessed Mother, and Father H, in his mini-nugget of wisdom that passes for a homily at daily Mass, told us that "Every time we hear the Gospel at Mass we are left with a choice." (chew on THAT for a while--he's right!)

Then after lunch it was off to a new gynecologist (my old one retired) to see about a problem I've been having that is feminine in nature. After a few rounds of him recommending that I take care of said problem with birth control pills, IUDs or other methods that I find extremely objectionable, and me telling him this, he suggested that right now we schedule a thyroid workup and that he would do an endometrial biopsy. He could do that test immediately if I had the time, which I did, so I figured that instead of dreading it I'd just get it over with. I had no idea that it would actually turn out to be minor surgery.

Well, that was the end of my domestic productivity for the day. TheDad, poor guy, worked late and then came home to find me on the couch and no dinner ready, and had to get takeout for the kids. Big Brother missed out on his opportunity to carbo-load on home-cooked carbs before his first cross-country meet of the season.

I think the grocery-shopping will have to wait until tomorrow. It's back to the couch for me, with my coffee, ibuprofen, and library book. If I save it up all day, I know I can manage an easy dinner.

I'd appreciate the generosity of your prayers as I wait for the result of the biopsy.

2 Homilies, and Mother Teresa

Today at Mass our pastor spoke of (among other topics) Blessed Mother Teresa and her "dark night of the soul." He related it to the part in today's Gospel where Jesus says "If you wish to follow me, take up your cross...." Father H said that the spiritual barrenness that Mother Teresa experienced through much of her life was her cross, her burden. Her example to us is that she bore her burden patiently and without complaining. She took up her cross and did not let it deter her from following Christ through her life of service. He reminded us that all of us have a cross, a burden, to bear; and that we are called to do so with grace and reliance on God.

Today's Gospel also made Father Daren at Servant and Steward think about Mother Teresa's example to us--but his homily discusses how she put aside all things--family, possessions, life--to follow Jesus.

Both homilies give us a lot to think about today.

Football game: watched it, got the T-shirt....now what?

The Irish couldn't handle it yesterday. I've never seen so many penalties in a single game in my life!

I think the new QB shows promise but the other 21 guys have to back him up.

I also think ESPN has the worst sports coverage of any channel I've watched. I missed a whole series because they had to show some guy eating sticky buns in a diner. Save it for the Food Network! I want to see the game!

My neighbor has suggested that I look for a recipe for "crow" in one of my many cookbooks.

But hope springs eternal; I am no fair-weather fan. Can I find any more cliches to say I'm sticking with my team?

(And what does one do with a very nice game-day T-shirt now that the game has been played badly and lost? It was so nice of my cyberbuddy Ellen from Family Corner to send it to me!)

GO IRISH!

Let the game begin!

An Ordination Day

Keep Franciscan friar Charles of New Haven in your prayers today as he is ordained to the priesthood!

Here's a sneak peek at the homily for his first Mass, to be celebrated tomorrow.

May God bless his ministry.

Image credit: Father Charles' holy cards commemorating this occasion.

Awards Night

Which, I might say, are long overdue!

Some of my fellow bloggers have been kind enough to give me some virtual awards, and it's high time I return the favor. I'm not paying attention to whether these winners have already been given this award, because I'm giving it to these folks regardless. There are some wonderful, smart, funny, sweet, faithful people out there in Blogland, and it's my privilege to know these:

BLOGGER REFLECTION AWARD
Received from Jean at Catholic Fire and Aimee at The Mother Load.

It is my honor to pass this award along by mentioning some of the writers whose reflections have touched me:
Denise, the Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church
The Kitchen Madonna
Sarah, of Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering
Lindsey at Enjoy the Journey

ROCKIN' GIRL BLOGGER AWARD
received from Sarah at Just another day of Catholic pondering

I'd love to say "You rock!" to:
Amy at R.C. Mommy
Aimee at The Mother Load

THINKING BLOGGER AWARD

The Kitchen Madonna honored me with this one, and I'd like to hand it to:
Jean at Catholic Fire
ukok
Michelle of Rosetta Stone
Christine of Domestic Vocation and Rambling Catholic Soccer Mom
Father Daren at Servant and Steward
All of these writers give me plenty to consider when I read their blogs.

NICE MATTERS AWARD

received from Denise at Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church, Jean at Catholic Fire and Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering.

Besides giving this one right back to the ones who gave it to me, I want to pass this award along to:
Esther
Ellen From Across the Net
Amy at R.C. Mommy
Christine M of The Simple and the Ordinary
Michelle of Rosetta Stone

Congratulations to all of you!

Father Jay Hits the Nail on the Head

Despite the fact that I religiously follow Notre Dame football, TheDad and I believe that sports, Scouting, and other clubs and activities don't take first place to family and faith. Father Jay has had it up to here with people who put God last because of children's activities. He's so right. I hope he slips copies of this into his church bulletins this Sunday.

Just a Note to My Neighbor, the Penn State Fan

Guess whose birthday is commemorated tomorrow?

Guess what famous university is named after her?


Guess whose team can't help but beat PSU, given the above facts?
GO IRISH!

I talk like a New Yorker. So what of it?

YES, I grew up in North Jersey. Now I live in the Philly 'burbs and the accent here is very different from home!

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Northeastern.
You're probably from somewhere near New York City, possibly north Jersey, or Connecticut or Rhode Island. If you are from New York City you may be one of the types who people never believe when you say you're from New York.

If you are not from here, you are probably one of the following:
(a) A Philadelphian who can't stand the way other Philadelphians say "on";
(b) A Yat from New Orleans; or
(c) Someone from England, Australia, or New Zealand, in which case why are you doing this quiz in the first place?

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

We're going to start with "cot" and "caught." When you say those words do they sound the same or different?

Same, no wait I mean different, maybe, a little bit different... Different Same

Via Esther, who also grew up in New Jersey.

And they're off!

Off to school on Little Brother's very first day!

The One-Word Meme

Esther tagged me for the One-Word Meme. Answer each question in a single word.

1. Yourself: Impatient
2. Your spouse: Weatherguy
3. Your hair: Brown
4. Your mother: Teacher
5. Your father: Bicyclist
6. Your favourite item: PDA
7. Your dream last night: forgotten
8. Your favorite drink: Pepsi
9. Your dream car: Blue
10. The room you are in: Living
11. Your ex: None
12. Your fear: Chaos
13. What you want to be in 10 years: Librarian
14. Who you hung out with last night: Friends
15. What you’re not: Patient
16. Muffins: Corn
17. One of your wish list item: Beach
18. Time: Seven
19. The last thing you did: Ate
20. What you are wearing: Sweats
21. Your favorite weather: Fall
22. Your favorite book: Many
23. The last thing you ate: Dinner
24. Your life: Good
25. Your mood: Content
26. Your best friend: Husband
27. What you’re thinking about right now: sleep
28. Your car: Uplander
29. What you are doing at the moment: Typing
30. Your summer: Over
31. Your relationship status: Married
32. What is on your TV: Nothing
33. What the weather is like: Clear
34. When was the last time you laughed: Dinner

Ellen, I tag you!

Top 100 Songs when I graduated High School

I found this meme at Esther's blog and since she left an open tag, I had to play. I added this rule to her list:
Asterisk = I don't know the song

Here's the other rules:
Bold = I loved it!
Underlined = I liked it
Strikeout = I hated it!

List of songs source

1. Every Breath You Take, Police
2. Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
3. Flashdance... What A Feelin, Irene Cara
4. Down Under, Men At Work
5. Beat It, Michael Jackson
6. Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Bonnie Tyler
7. Maneater, Daryl Hall and John Oates
8. Baby Come To Me, Patti Austin and James Ingram
9. Maniac, Michael Sembello
10. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Eurythmics
11. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Culture Club
12. You And I, Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle
13. Come On Eileen, Dexy's Midnight Runners
14. Shame On The Moon, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
15. She Works Hard For The Money, Donna Summer
16. Never Gonna Let You Go, Sergio Mendes
17. Hungry Like The Wolf, Duran Duran
18. Let's Dance, David Bowie
19. ** Twilight Zone, Golden Earring
20. I Know There's Something Going On, Frida
21. Jeopardy, Greg Kihn Band
22. Electric Avenue, Eddy Grant
23. She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby
24. Africa, Toto
25. Little Red Corvette, Prince
26. Back On The Chain Gang, Pretenders
27. Up Where We Belong, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
28. Mr. Roboto, Styx
29. **You Are, Lionel Richie
30. Der Kommissar, After The Fire
31. Puttin' On The Ritz, Taco
32. Sexual Healing, Marvin Gaye
33. **(Keep Feeling) Fascination, Human League
34. Time (Clock Of The Heart), Culture Club
35. The Safety Dance, Men Without Hats
36. Mickey, Toni Basil
37. You Can't Hurry Love, Phil Collins
38. Separate Ways, Journey
39. One On One, Daryl Hall and John Oates
40. We've Got Tonight, Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
41. 1999, Prince
42. Stray Cat Strut, Stray Cats
43. Allentown, Billy Joel
44. **Stand Back, Stevie Nicks
45. Tell Her About It, Billy Joel
46. Always Something There To Remind Me, Naked Eyes
47. Truly, Lionel Richie
48. Dirty Laundry, Don Henley
49. The Girl Is Mine, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
50. Too Shy, Kajagoogoo
51. **Goody Two Shoes, Adam Ant
52. Rock The Casbah, Clash
53. Our House, Madness
54. **Overkill, Men At Work
55. **Is There Something I Should Know, Duran Duran
56. Gloria, Laura Branigan
57. Affair Of The Heart, Rick Springfield
58. She's A Beauty, Tubes
59. Solitaire, Laura Branigan
60. Don't Let It End, Styx
61. How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, Laura Branigan
62. China Girl, David Bowie
63. Come Dancing, Kinks
64. Promises, Promises, Naked Eyes
65. **The Other Guy, Little River Band
66. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, Air Supply
67. Family Man, Daryl Hall and John Oates
68. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Michael Jackson
69. I Won't Hold You Back, Toto
70. **All Right, Christopher Cross
71. Straight From The Heart, Bryan Adams
72. Heart To Heart, Kenny Loggins
73. My Love, Lionel Richie
74. I'm Still Standing, Elton John
75. **Hot Girls In Love, Loverboy
76. It's A Mistake, Men At Work
77. **I'll Tumble 4 Ya, Culture Club
78. **All This Love, Debarge
79. **Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy, Sammy Hagar
80. **Heartbreaker, Dionne Warwick
81. Faithfully, Journey
82. Steppin' Out, Joe Jackson
83. **Take Me To Heart, Quarterflash
84. (She's) Sexy + 17, Stray Cats
85. **Try Again, Champaign
86. **Dead Giveaway, Shalamar
87. Lawyers In Love, Jackson Browne
88. **What About Me, Moving Pictures
89. **Human Nature, Michael Jackson
90. Photograph, Def Leppard
91. Pass The Dutchie, Musical Youth
92. True, Spandau Ballet
93. **Far From Over, Frank Stallone
94. **I've Got A Rock 'N' Roll Heart, Eric Clapton
95. It Might Be You, Stephen Bishop
96. Tonight I Celebrate My Love, Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
97. You Got Lucky, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
98. Don't Cry, Asia
99. Breaking Us In Two, Joe Jackson
100. **Fall In Love With Me, Earth, Wind and Fire

Wow, there were quite a few I didn't even know!

Want to play? Open tag!

Don't Let Your Money be Used to Fund Evil Works

I've been participating in Life Decisions International's boycott against corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood ever since I heard about it in the early 1990s.

The boycott is different, these days.

In some ways, it will be easier for me to participate, since nearly all the grocery-related corporations that had been on the Boycott List have been removed (removal from the list means that the corporation has agreed not to financially support Planned Parenthood in the future). The only supermarket-type items I still have to think about are personal-care items and certain over-the-counter medications.

And in some ways it will be harder. My favorite clothing source is now a boycott target. I'll be sad to give up buying Lands' End clothes--but there's a greater good here that I have to consider. My husband's favorite restaurant is now a boycott target. We didn't go there often, but it was a nice occasional treat. And I'll have to stop buying used books from half.com, since eBay is also on the Boycott List. Finally, we've gotten our last hoagies and cups of coffee from Wawa until it changes its tune about its corporate donations policy.

Two things make a boycott work. The first thing is that people have to be willing to be inconvenienced to do what is right. The second thing is that people have to regularly contact these companies and let them know why they are no longer using their products or services. As LDI points out in their Boycott List, "you do not want to cooperate with evil or help make it possible for others to do evil. If Company XYZ wants to find Planned Parenthood it will not be with the money God has placed in your care."

Here's how to order a Boycott List for your family. It includes a comprehensive list of brand names for each boycotted company as well as contact information, as well as an FAQ with guidance about how to write to these companies.


UPDATE: I just received communication from LDI that Wawa is no longer a boycott target! That makes 155 companies that have decided to stop funding Planned Parenthood.

UPDATE #2: Sears/Kmart/Lands End is also no longer a boycott target! Over 157 companies are no longer giving money to find Planned Parenthood's evil work.

Banquets and Humility

Yesterday at Mass our pastor had a very interesting take on the Gospel. This is a summary of his homily, in my own words.

It's not about the party. It's about our need for approval.

He said that we all need approval, affirmation and recognition--and that it's OK to need those. It's not even a contradition of the virtue of humility to need these things.

But the Gospel is calling us to think about whose approval, affirmation and recognition we seek.

Do we seek the approval of our friends? Do we only do what they would consider acceptable and admirable, for fear of losing their approval?

Do we seek the approval of those with whom we wish to associate--those up a few rungs on the social ladder? Do we edit our actions and words so that they would meet the approval of those people?

Or do we seek the approval of those who are truly in need? Do we put aside our own desire to be liked by our friends, family and social class, our desire to climb higher on the social ladder, in order to do what we know is needed to help someone else who can use a hand? Do we encourage our children to include the less popular kids in their lunchtime games on the playground?

That's humility: being ready to take the social consequence of acting in a loving manner toward those that have been deemed "unlovable" by the very people whose approval we so fervently desire.

After all, whose banquet do we really wish to enjoy? If it's God's banquet we're after, then we need to think very differently about whom we want to impress.

The Little Brother Weather Report

And now it's time for the Little Brother Weather Report, brought to you by a little channel surfer who just saw the local forecast:

"65 on the moon tonight, Mom!"