September Stuff

Have I really not posted since The Gnoming?  I am trying to figure out where the time went and I can't account for it.

On the 15th we went to our annual Homeschool Field Trip at Kah Nee Ta, a full day in the pool and 6 hours of driving always wipes us out but we did enjoy a stop at Timberline Lodge.

Boba Fett started Cub Scouts a couple weeks ago and lost a tooth.

The 20th was my 33rd Birthday and it was an absolutely perfect day.  The weather was glorious and I did just what I wanted all day long.  I knit, I watched North By Northwest, I went to Sushi Town with Boba Fett.  Dinner was the Surf Side at Benihana.
 

The most fun gift I received was a plot by Paula where everyone who stopped by brought me some yarn!  Two of my favorite gifts were a hug from Zac and a hug from Brock. And as it has turned out the most thoughtful gift was from Moose, he downloaded a bunch of Relief Society podcasts for me to listen to while I sew.

I sewed 2 dresses, one because it had to be done before the end of summer.  I am calling it "The Diner"

 

 The other was for the train excursion on the Mount Hood Railroad that was a really fun double date.

    

There was dancing in a very unstable car

 The fellows refused to take a serious photo

 and our conductor was named Roman.

Tomatoes are being harvested and the sunny days are at an end.  Soccer season is in full swing and I am getting ready to do the Boutique at the Barn again.

My sweet friend lost her husband to cancer this month and we have loved her, served her and held our husbands extra close with a prayer of gratitude for them on our lips.

Being Prepared to Serve

Some time ago we were having a discussion in Relief Society and someone mentioned that is is easier to serve others when you are prepared to serve.

What I took from this comment was this: Imagine you find that a friend needs some service (lets use a meal as an example) you want to take her a meal but you are totally out of groceries because it is the end of the pay period and there were some unexpected and pricey things that happened this week and you really should wait until Friday to go shopping, also it is a very busy day for you, you have time to make a meal but not really time to go to the market.  You have some essentials in your pantry but are missing key ingredients for a meal.

What can you do?  Will you sigh and give up and say it is the thought that counts?  Will you run to the grocery store to collect the ingredients while you are concerned about money and have even less time to prepare the meal?  Now you have less time and more stress.

If you were prepared to serve the scenario could go something like this:  You walk to the freezer and pull out a frozen entree that you put aside last week when you made a double batch of dinner.  You had planned to use it on a day when you were too tired to think about dinner but because you are prepared to serve you are always ready to use those freezer meals if you are called upon to bring a meal to someone in a pinch.  You put the meal in the oven and mix up a quick side and dessert. Deliver it to your friend, have a short visit with her and you are home just in time.

Being prepared to serve isn't always about food.  It is about being prepared spiritually, emotionally and physically for yourself and your family so that when opportunities for service present themselves you aren't worried about your needs and can focus on the needs of others.

 I don't have much of a freezer, I have an old fridge of questionable age (all I know is that they don't make appliances that color any  longer and they don't decorate the glass shelves with stalks of wheat anymore) but I do have room for a quart of homemade chicken noodle soup and a bag of enchilada filling in the corners of the freezer.

You could also have a box prepared with pre-measured ingredients for a meal so that it doesn't take much time for you or the recipient to put together.

Even you and I can be prepared to serve.

Making the Season Bright

My tree is up, the house is decorated and for the first time in nearly a decade I do not have all of the gifts purchased before December. But I am ready, oh, so ready for December, for a month of looking at the lights on the tree and getting lost in thoughts.   I am ready to sing the familiar songs that make my soul rejoice.  I am ready bundle up and stay put. I am ready for a month of reflection of thinking about the gifts god has given us and searching for a map of the path ahead of me.


I, like Jocelyn at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ, am looking for a way to teach my children that Christmas is more than the gifts under the tree and watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas 500 times.  To teach them that Christmas is about service, love, family and Christ.

I don't know what it is going to look like yet but I know that I am going to let them choose who we serve and how. It will also be inexpensive, we have had a lot of major expenses come up this last fortnight and the giving will have to come from the heart not the wallet.


Do you have any ideas for me?  What are you doing this month to teach your children about the gifts that matter?






This message from President Monson might yeild some ideas.

It's a Retro House Cleaning Party!

Yes, it will be as awesome as it sounds.


Please join me on Tuesday May 11th at 9 am for a Retro House Cleaning Party at my new digs.

We get the keys to our new house on Monday evening so Tuesday we will be cleaning. I have no idea what the house will look like. It might be a complete mess or it might be spotless. In the event that it is neat as a pin, in lieu of cleaning, we will tour the house and eat Milanos and giggle.
Please bring something to clean with and if you want to dress the part you can go to one of my favorite blogs and learn how to tie a headscarf.

To RSVP send me a request of a song to be added Hausfrau Cleaning mix (music to clean to.)
If you don't know where my new house is call, e-mail or Facebook me and I will give you the address.

Give Said The Little Stream

I am a huge fan of service. I have a testimony of the blessings it provides for the giver. Providing services reaps nearly as many blessings as the receiver. I find that nothing cheers me up as quickly as serving another.

Lately my ability to provide service has been less, it is hard to step outside your self when you feel like your sanity is hanging by a thread. Though I have found some ways to show the Lord's love to others in the past few months the bulk of my service has been in the way of providing opportunities for others to serve. To serve me.

Next week, we will be moving into our new house and we will be providing opportunities to serve by the bucketful. I look forward to it.

But even better news is that I can see myself being in a position to give service in the very near future.

In the meantime I invite you to share the blessings service with my dear friend who started a new blog 52 Weeks of Pies, wherein she will perfect the art of pie making and reap the blessings of random service. I love it! Really, I am so impressed with this idea. I might just try and think up a way I can serve every week. Thanks for the inspiration.

Why I Steam Tablecloths with a Smile on My Face

I helped with a wedding this weekend. It was just what I needed to get out of the house as I have been sitting at home in a funk for weeks. I had so much fun chatting in the kitchen while we prepared food. Decorating for a wedding is SO much fun especially when you don't have the stress of it being a wedding that you are a part of. Actually, the fact that I barely know the bride made it better. My favorite task was making up a basket of food for the bride and groom to take with them to the hotel.

What I wanted to write about was this:
I was thanked profusely for my help. While I am glad that my helping hands weren't taken for granted I felt very uncomfortable with all of the thanks because it seemed so unnecessary.

I helped because I love my sisters.

To all of the women in my circle, you are my mothers, my sisters, my aunts, my cousins, my friends. Helping you isn't a chore or even a duty on my part it is something I want to do and don't even think twice about. You are my family. That's what families do.

Buy this Breakfast Nook!

Here it is. My wonderful Visiting Teacher Kristin came over this afternoon and washed and painted my breakfast nook while I tackled the kitchen.

Dear people who will buy my house,
I am working my tushie off for you.
Hope you like it,
-Samurai Mom

The Kindness of Strangers

Monday I popped into Target to deliver 24 rolls of Advantix film canisters to have the images put on a CD.
Advantix was a film fad of the early 2000s which we were a party to much like the disk camera I had as a tween which I earned by selling greeting cards door to door. I have lurking suspicion that in 10-15 years (or maybe less) no one will know how to get those images off the rolls and my son's babyhood will be lost!

They wanted $100 for the job which was not something I was going to spring for so the gal at the counter did some fancy trickery with her calculator and said she could do it for $45 but I would have to come in on her shift and she also loaned me an obscure battery so that I could get free the final roll (which includes the first moments of Boba Fett's life which have never been seen) from our broken camera. She was SO NICE. Thank you Target Lady!

On Monday, the guy in the produce section of Albertson's said that he would save me some boxes to pick up on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the guy who looks and talks like Chris Rock was there instead and knew nothing of any boxes for me. Hopelessly discouraged I went to Trader Joe's where after a preliminary "We crush our boxes as we go" they found me a dozen wine boxes which are perfect for packing books of which I have 750 so you know, boxes are important. So nice, why does anyone shop anywhere other than Trader Joe's? Thank you Trader Joe's!Today, I was having a morning where everything was going wrong, the climax was when I was rushing to the car with a piece of peanut butter and jelly toast balanced on each hand and then they toppled and landed face down on the gross garage floor.

No breakfast for us.

On the drive I hear "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant on the Radio and it changed my whole attitude. Suddenly I was no longer thinkng about all the bad thing that had happened but was thinking about dancing instead. Thank You 97.1 Charlie FM!I then stumbled upon a knitting group that meets in the rec center while Nutmeg has her ballet class. They were so nice and friendly and loaned me a tapestry needle as I had forgotten to bring one. Definitely a better way to spend the day. They said I should join them. I think I will. Thank You Knitting Ladies!

Converting Trials into Blessings

Nutmeg has been really trying us lately. She used to go to sleep all by herself in her own bed with no problems and stay there. But lately we have to lie with her for an hour before she will sleep and then woe betide us if she wakes up and find that we have abandoned her. I am the one that puts her to bed and have been getting so frustrated with her because after bedtime is Mommy Time! I am anxious to get to my knitting and my movies and my snacks and chats with Moose.

We had been resorting to tactics that go against my core parenting philosophy and it felt bad.

The other night it dawned on me, instead of lying there frustrated with her while reading easy fiction or browsing blogs I could use that time to study the scriptures. I have been unsuccessful in finding a time that works for me and that is seriously hampering my goal to rejuvenate my relationship with my Savior. So for the past few night Nutmeg has gone to sleep without tears and have been reading the scriptures pondering and praying. What a blessing! See, it is all how you look at things.

This is what has been touching me this week, The Relief Society Declaration. This is often overlooked and forgotten but it is so key to who we as Sisters in Relief Society are.

THE RELIEF SOCIETY OF
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.

Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

I particularly love the lines "Our lives have meaning, purpose and direction" and "Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood."

Scenes from a Chistmas Eve

Boba Fett filming my first music video. He looked like a natural with his wild hair behind the camera and the silent thumbs up he gave.

The kids wearing the Rudolph noses Aunt Jmo sent before spreading reindeer food on the snow.

The gigantic Christmas box we filled and dropped on the doorstep of a needy family.

Cindy Lou Who waiting for the Grinchy Claus.
The best part was listening to a wonderful story my dad recorded.
Finished off the night telling the Nativity story to my daughter after putting calming essential oils on her feet.
To help her fall asleep fast.

Gratitude part 8

In primary today the theme was service. As I sat and listened to the children give their ideas about how they can serve their families I realized that my children serve their family members all the time and they usually do it with a cheerful attitude.

I am grateful that my children enjoy serving. I am grateful Nutmeg "takes care" of me when I am sick, that Commander C keeps an eye on his little siblings and that Boba Fett always seems to know when I need a hug or a laugh.

Let's Hear it for I-Shuan!

Three cheers for my friend I-Shuan because I called her up today with no notice and asked: First if she had plans? Second, did she agree with my political views for the most part? And Third, would she help me spiff up my blog for the potential surge in traffic next week? She said yes and then sacrificed 4 hours for me.

Bless her.

Thanks to her I know have the spiffy new banner you see above and some shiny new buttons (one I tweaked a bit myself so don't blame her for that.)

I have streamlined some things and organized some others. Explore a bit and make sure you test out the buttons.

The "How to make the Politicians Squrim!" button will remain inactive until Monday when I will release my Tea Party Speech.

Please don't feel sad if your blog is not on my list anymore. I still read your blog and have it all organized in my google reader and following list.

The Blessings of Service

I walked into the house with my arms full of plates, in my car was some bedding and used clothing. My friend wasn't kidding when she said this family had nothing, just some borrowed blankets and the clothes thrown in their suitcases when they fled. There was a borrowed toaster and one folding camp chair. They had food (food stamps I assume) but nothing to eat it in or with, not even a can opener. Worst of all there was nothing to do just a few books from the library.
I left the house with a small list of most urgently needed items. 2 hours later I delivered a table, chairs, some kitchen items, a pack 'n play and a car seat for the baby. Later that afternoon I looked at the small list too see what else was needed immediately. There was nothing else, every item had been provided from friends with just two phone calls. What a blessing. It was if the Lord knew just what this family needed and inspired us to think remember all of the extra things we had hiding in the corners of our home.
There is still much to do, a pregnant woman who is supposed to be on bed rest needs a mattress, and how a family can survive with a baby on the way and no washer and dryer is beyond me. And there are so many of the little things that we take for granted the Tupperware, lamps and towels, silverware... the pictures for the wall. We will pray and the Lord will provide.
Most of all, I feel blessed to have been able to serve, somehow each time I am able to give service my heart is brightened, my burdens become light and I feel good.

Sabbath Leaves

This week has been a glorious week full of answered prayers, quiet contemplation, temple worship, courage has been given as well as and countless opportunities to serve. How grateful I am for these opportunities and the immediate, yet intangible blessings I have received. My cup runneth over and there is not room enough to receive it.

Goals for 2009

I don't do resolutions, they seem a little too resolute. I like to make goals instead, something to reach for but not too concrete to allow for the ebb and flow of life.

Here are some of Samurai Mom's goals for 2009

Spend more time interacting with each of the children.

Do Family Home evening more.

Serve more.

Adopt more structure into our day.

Sew a tartan Christmas Skirt.

Crochet snowflakes.

If handmade Christmas gifts are to be given - start them in September.

Figure out how to read while knitting.

Go walking.

Learn to listen and ask better questions.

Keeping Christmas

I was supposed to give a talk in Sacrament meeting today, but church has been cancelled because of the snow, again. As you read this we are attempting to drive to Montana. Merry Christmas.

Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year. It is so wonderful to sings songs, decorate , remember Christ's birth, eat treats, give gifts to loved ones and reunite with our friends and family. In fact as soon as Sacrament meeting is over today our family is driving over the river and through the woods to visit our families in Montana.

On my husband's iPod is a playlist of Christmas songs to listen to as we drive as well as a reading of my favorite Christmas book “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

Near the end of the story Ebeneezer Scrooge a previously mean and selfish man pleads with the Spirit of Christmas Future saying “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three will live within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”(1)
I wonder, how can we keep Christmas all year long as Scrooge pledges?

In the Dec 2008 Ensign President Monson quotes President David O'McKay
“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.
“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.”
President Monson continues:
“Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.”' (2)
The Spirit of Christ.
We have covenanted to be like Christ, to stand as a witness for him and to do the Lord's work here on Earth. When we serve others we are serving the Lord.
Matthew 25 :40 tells us
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

To Keep the Spirit of Christmas all year long I propose that we must serve one another all year long.
Why should we serve? How can we serve?
We serve not only to help the Lord answer the prayers and bless the lives of others but serving changes us.
In the April General Conference of this year Carlos H. Amado spoke at length how service changes us and I hope you will bear with me as I read his words concerning the matter
“Service makes us strong in our faith and useful in His kingdom. Service gives us purpose and courage in life. It brings us closer to God and helps us refine our divine nature. It teaches us to love and understand our fellowmen, and it helps us forget about our personal desires, eliminating selfishness, pride, and ingratitude. It teaches us to think of the needs of others, which allows us to develop the virtues that the Savior possesses.
Kindness, love, patience, understanding, and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and love will grow.
Those who serve will always seek to please God and live in harmony with Him. They will be full of peace; they will have a cheerful countenance and a spirit of kindness.
Those who serve will strive to ennoble, build, and lift their fellowmen; therefore, they will find the good in others, and they will not find reason or have time to become offended. They develop the virtue of praying for those who criticize. They don’t expect recognition or reward. They possess the love of Christ.
Those who serve will always be willing to share what they possess and what they know at all times, in all places, and with all people.
Those who serve even in adversity will maintain a living hope of a better future. They will continue to be firm in the midst of a crisis because their hope is in Christ....
With divine inspiration, King Benjamin declared, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). Those who serve will have greater understanding of the personality and attributes of God.” (4)
What a wonderful, description of the many ways service perfects us.
In my home you will find untidy piles of paper everywhere. From time to time I will find tucked here and there in corners and drawers “thank you” notes. These notes are from many people whom I have served in some way. I don't keep them around or mention them to say “Look at all the service I have done.” I keep them because each note reminds me of a time when I looked beyond myself and did something for someone else. With every act of service I have learned a lesson and grown a little bit. It is nice when I am rummaging around for a coupon, or a shopping list, or that plastic part to something I saved 3 years ago and find a little card that reminds me of these lesson I learned.

Service takes us out of ourselves for a a time. We take time to think of some one else to remember that they are a child of God as well. When we return to ourselves we are more able to appreciate our blessings, strengths and relationship with the Lord.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminds us
“When we reach out to bless the lives of others, our lives are blessed as well. Service and sacrifice open the windows of heaven, allowing choice blessings to descend upon us. Surely our beloved Heavenly Father smiles upon those who care for the least of His children.
As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves. President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls.”9...
As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.
President Lorenzo Snow expressed a similar thought: “When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.”(5)

Since hearing those words from President Uchtdorf. I have been trying to seek out opportunities to serve. Now instead of waiting to be asked, I call sister Jones and say “I need to bring a meal to Sister ---. When can I do it?” I teach, I give advice, a hug, a listening ear, moral support, love, food and sometimes handmade gifts. Sometimes I just take time to talk on the phone about whatever.

Once I started looking I have found countless opportunities for service. I simply make it a goal to do more service. More sometimes it is a little, sometimes it is a lot but I shoot for “more.”

One of the greatest opportunities to serve that I have been blessed with is being a visiting teacher. Time and again I have come to love, really love the sisters I was assigned to serve. I enjoy the responsibility of looking after them and being their friend.

Sometimes it is hard for us to serve. Service does not have to be a big, grand gesture. The little things are often the most helpful. I remember one time when I had a particularly trying day and I returned home to find a gift on the doorstep. The gift was wonderful but what meant the most to me and completely changed my attitude about the day was a note inside that said “I'm so glad we have become friends.”

Thomas S. Monson said
You are, ... surrounded by opportunities for service. Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person’s family, quick words of encouragement, a sincere compliment, a small note of thanks, a brief telephone call. If we are observant and aware, and if we act on the promptings which come to us, we can accomplish much good. (6)
We can do service in quiet simple ways. My father reminds me to do every little thing you think of to help someone because it can't hurt and you never know what will make a difference to some one. Sometimes service can be done secretly. One of my fondest memories is of taking a big box of toys, clothes and food and secretly leaving it on the porch on Christmas Eve. I may never know how that event affected the recipients but I know how it changed me.

We can also use our talents to serve, singing a song, or mending clothes. Doing something for someone that they can not do. One of the most fulfilling acts of service is teaching someone to do something that you know how to do.

When I was preparing for this talk I found a short article in the Dec 2003, Ensign
When new neighbors moved into a house up the street, I was mindful of the hardships faced by the previous family who had lived there and regretted the missed opportunity to serve them. I yearned to help,.... but I felt inadequate and uncomfortable reaching out to someone I did not know well.
Now, with a new family moving in, I determined to become friends. They were warm and loving, and the friendship grew easily. Soon after their arrival, however, a tragedy occurred—the couple’s baby died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Remembering my hesitancy to reach out during the previous sister’s time of need, I wondered what to do—anything, even something small. How could I express my heartfelt sorrow to this family? I knew their hearts were broken, and this time I determined not to be afraid to reach out.
“I can make rolls,” I thought. “They have to eat sometime, and rolls are easy to make.” I knew that baking rolls would not compensate for the loss of a child, but it was something I could do to show my love and concern. When I went to their home with my humble offering, I realized that my visit offered a small bit of consolation—the rolls were not necessary, but they had given me a reason to visit.
Since this experience, I have realized how often my fears have prevented me from serving as the Savior taught. It is important to show we care—through visiting teaching, home teaching, or visiting during a time of need. At first, we may wonder what to say, but the Spirit of the Lord will guide us if we put aside our fears and reach out to others" (7)
I liked this story and chose to share it because I often feel like what I have to offer is not good enough, “What will people think of me if I do this for them? Will they be offended? Will I be intruding? This person wouldn't appreciate all the time I put into this.” I often hesitate to serve because of fear. I am reminded that fear is not of the Lord.
If we are afraid , are too shy, or don't know how, if we can't find a place to serve we can always pray for opportunities to serve and for inspiration on how to best serve.

We can never predict what the Lord has in store for us, whose prayers he will have us answer, whose life we will bless.

It is easy to serve our friends and family, the people we know. Sometimes we need to look outside and serve people we do not know or find it difficult to love.
President Thomas S. Monson has remarked
Along the pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.” (8)

Scrooge did keep his promise and learned to be joyful and serve his fellow man In the final paragraph of A Christmas Carol it is remarked “...And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!”

After the lights and tinsel are packed away, when the gifts have been given and used I pray that we can remember the Spirit of Christmas as the Spirit of Christ and find ways to serve our fellow men and in so doing serve the Lord. Perhaps our service will bring sunshine to the gloomy Oregon rains, more joy in the spring, more friendship in the summer and warmth as winter approaches again. Let the gift of service the year round be our gift to the Lord this year.

Sabbath Leaves

Our Beautiful World: I had so much fun tramping through the woods yesterday looking for a Christmas tree. It was cool but not too cold, wet but not soggy, the air smelled wonderful.
Blessings: For wonderful parents who drive 20 hours out of their way to come visit for Thanksgiving and spend the entire time serving my family.
Striving: To get through the coming month with grace, neither forgetting to do anything nor forgetting to make memories with the children.

New Baby Quandry

When someone in the ward has a baby I try to give them a little space to adjust to the new baby before calling of dropping by to see the baby. In fact I usually drop off my gift and peek quickly at the baby and leave, not wanting to be an imposition. Often I don't drop by at all just wait until the baby shows up at church. I really, desperately want to see the baby and offer my congratulations but I am afraid of overstaying my welcome and adding another care to the new mom.
I was thinking about the ongoing baby explosion in our ward and I realized that I might be wrong in this approach. When I had my babies I LOVED visitors, I craved visitors, I wanted to show off my baby to the whole world. When in the hospital with Commander C I was so touched by the people who came all the way to the hospital to visit. I felt like they really cared about me. With Boba Fett and Nutmeg I was so proud of having them at home that after the first 24 hours I was ready to have an open hosue. I remember everyone who came for a visit, I remember feeling a little sad that people I thought were my friends did not come by.

So, I put the question to you gentle reader, do you appreciate visits after you have a baby or want people to give you your space? I am adding a poll to the right of this post and welcome comments as well.