Books

When I was at the library with Whitney the other day we walked up and down the aisles as I tried to find books. She would point out and say, you’ve read that one, you’ve read that one, you like that author. I love to read. I love to read everything. Magazines and books being my faves. I also read a lot of blogs. Some on a once in a while basis, some semi-regularly and some I check almost daily for new posts and I’m disappointed when there is nothing new. My favorites end up bookmarked on my droid so I can access them anywhere. Right now there are three favorites on my droid (think Iphone, only not.) One is our youth pastor. Loved his from the first post. One is another lady at church that I have great admiration and respect for, she is an outstanding woman of God. The third is a former youth pastor Steve and I worked with and he is now pastoring a church down south. Great spiritual insight and wisdom from these three. I also have some blogs I read about fashion, running, and just other odds and ends that catch my eye.

My favorites authors are
Robert Ludlum
Tom Clancy
Nelson Demille
Clive Cussler
Jane Austen (doesn’t really fit, does it?)
If they sound familiar, all of them have books turned into movies. The movies are not as good as the books.

My favorite Christian authors are
C.S. Lewis
Max Lucado
Charles Swindoll

Favorite books by other authors
Andre Dubus III – The Garden of Last Days (very disturbing look at one of the terrorists of 911)
Corrie Ten Boom - The Hiding Place.
John Bunyan - Pilgrim’s Progress
Dante – The Divine Comedy

I also read a lot of books about running. This would fall under one of my favorite subjects. I used to read parenting books. Until I discovered everyone has a different philosophy, and none of them have met my kids which would require volumes (think encyclopedic) for each of them. I have a lot more time to read now than I used to. I used to carry books to baseball and volleyball practices, but now Nate takes himself and generally I drop Whitney at the door and pick her up after. I was thinking about my time alone as I realized there were three nights this week that I was home by myself. Four years ago, an hour by myself was unheard of. I’m much more of a loner than I thought I was. I rather enjoy having full control of the remote, if I want to watch TV, or being able to read a book without anyone interrupting me. Or going to the library or Barnes and Noble. I am always looking for new authors to read. So if you have any favorites, feel free to recommend them. I read many more than I listed above, these are just the ones I really love.
Patsy Baker

I'm that mom...

I go to great lengths to not volunteer at my kids schools. Partly because I'm really busy all the time and hate to fill up my free time with volunteer activities around all the mom's that do everything extremely well and look good doing it. I always thought I was an involved mother until my kids got to high school. Holy overachievers! I cannot begin to keep up. When I realized this two weeks into freshman year, I accepted defeat, not gracefully, but giddily, and have used work and kids as an excuse for the last 4 years. Until....Prom was Saturday night. Nate's group he was going with includes several nominees for mother of the year. Booster club president and booster club vice president. All have more than one child that excels at everything they do. They are always extremely well put together and always look appropriate. I won't post the link to my redneck outfit I wore to the high school, but I will remind you of it. I was supposed to help with decorating for after prom, they were starting at 3:00 p.m. I get off work at 4:30 (ish) p.m. so I said I would be there later. I went home and began supper. Little backstory here, a few months ago I bought some new kitchen knives. They will cut through a penny. And I have been very careful. But I was cutting lettuce and took my eyes off what I was doing to look at Whitney and sliced through the meat of my palm. Steve wanted to take me to the ER for stitches, I used a folded up tube sock to staunch the bleeding and sport pre-wrap to hold it on my hand and said I would be fine. Saturday when I took my make shift bandage off and it was still bleeding, I knew I was gonna hear "I told you so" and he would be right. Today, I'm going to the doctor because I believe it's infected. I washed the knife, but not sure what all I used it on cooking dinner. It's a little fuzzy. Needless to say my left hand is throbbing, so this post is a real labor of love. When I got the text asking where I was, they were missing me at the high school, I told them my story. I got a text back, are you being serious? Did that really happen? Like I would make up a story to get out of the one time I volunteered at school. REALLY!!!

Anyway, prom night I sat in the kitchen while the chef that was catering the meal prepared it (it wasn't anymore expensive than Sumo would've been) and waited on the kids. (He made extra tiramisu and it was extraordinary.) I heard one mom say that she was helping with after prom party too, and her son wasn't real happy about it, he asked if she was trying to be "volunteer of the year". I sat with my bandaged hand and felt vindicated. So on this note, I will not be volunteering for the next four years of Whitney's high school career. I also hopefully will not cut my hand to get out of it.

Nate and Hannah

Nate and friends

Jeff, Drew and Nate. Three of the best teenage boys I know.

Conversations with Whitney

setting: Home (surprised? We are actually at home sometimes)

Whitney comes running from her bedroom laughing hysterically holding a polaroid and a book.

Whitney: "MOM!!! Grandma looks just like Anne Frank! Look at this picture!
Me: "Oh my goodness, she does!"

Whitney has carried the book and the picture with her ever since. She has changed Grandmas's name to Anne Frank in her cell phone and has answered the phone when grandma calls, "is this Anne Frank?" She has decided my mom has lost her mind (quite possible) and just doesn't remember that she's Anne Frank.

May have something to do with this ...http://patsybaker.blogspot.com/2010/03/conversations-with-whitney_19.html

My parents Easter 1973

Anne Frank

A Mother's Worst Nightmare

I was home one afternoon last week. Dr. Phil was on. I wasn't really watching it, but I heard a lady say "It's every mother's worst nightmare. Your daughter comes home and says she wants a boob job for prom." I am a mother. This is not my worst nightmare. I know a mother who buried her 13 year old daughter due to a freak accident. WORST NIGHTMARE! I know a mother who has an 18 year old daughter who has not graduated from high school, is pregnant with her first child and has no job. WORST NIGHTMARE! I know a mother who has a 19 year old daughter currently serving time in prison for multiple offenses and she is raising the 11 month old granddaughter. I know a mother who has adopted and is raising her 15 year old, 6 year old and 2 year old grandchildren as her children because their mother (her daughter) is unfit. I can go on. I won't, because I don't want to be any more depressing than this.
This mother went on to blame reality television for her daughter's poor body image. I blame parenting, not television. If television is the problem, don't let your kids watch those shows. And if you can't stop them, get rid of the television. Extreme, yes, but if this is a problem for you, deal with it. We enforced extremely stringent discipline on our children over the years. One of them was grounded for 6 months. And not just grounded to home, grounded to dad. She went no where there was not a parent or grandparent. At 16 she spent the day at grandma's instead of home with the other kids. If Steve went to church early for practice and stayed for two services, she went. At the end of 6 months, after she had been a model child, obedient, well behaved, she immediately reverted to her old ways. And as far as a boob job? If your daughter wants one, explain why you think it's a bad idea. If she still wants one, tell her when she has the $6000.00 to pay for herself and is old enough to do it on her own, go for it! Patsy Parenting at it's best. That should be your worst nightmare.