Ben Stein Commentary

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we mig ht damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

End Times

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I have been involved in several Women's Bible Studies and in almost every one, they suggest starting a journal. That way as you progress in your faith, you can look back and see how far you have come in your relationship with God and have changed for the better. I have not ever tried it, but I think it sounds really good. Here goes nothing......
So, today at work I was suckered into taking minutes at a Automotive meeting which entailed a group of men from dealerships finding ways to find good help. Anyway, one of the speakers was an instructor who will be teaching a Radio Frequency Indicatiors Device Class, sounds very technical, well it is! This is the way I understood this device......it is a tag placed on items to be purchased to track each item. It tracks the item from the time of manufacturing all the way until someone purchases the product and leaves the store. It can even track the temperature of a product in a semi during travel......these tags are already being used in Walmart, pets, cows, passports and many other things.......it will definitely save companies billions of dollars because it will be tracked if stolen from the loading dock or the front door........well, it sounds pretty cool, but it FREAKED me out.....All I could think about was 666! Is anyone else thinking that? Actually yes, the speaker even said so.....he said these exact words, "the devil is watching, that very well could be" YIKES! He also mentioned that humans have already implanted the bar codes into their skin! So, that leads me to ask, why don't any churches seriously preach about end times? I have never been to a church that did. There is some serious information that needs to be discussed. I have read the book of Revelation a few times, but have to admit it is a hard book to comprehend. So, why don't Christian pastors preach about it and let us know what is about to go down.....The way I have been taught by my parents is that the anti-christ will demand that everyone is implanted with chips, this will be his way of tracking everyone, everything that we eat, drink and sleep. There will be no more freedom and no more choices. If you don't deny GOD, you are going against the devil and you will be punished beyond belief! It's scary stuff and I hope that people (including myself) will stop and think about why they are on this earth and that is to worship and glorify God! Ok, I'll stop preaching......Another thing (oh not another rant) why don't you ever hear about Heaven and how good it is.....I have never been to a church service (and I've been to alot of BORING ones)where they talked about Heaven. Shouldn't people talk about it? My mom just gave me a book tonight entitled "Heaven" (go figure) because I was asking her all kinds of questions. So, maybe I can learn a thing or two about what God has in store for us who BELIEVE! I normally don't share my feelings on my relationship with God, but I have been feeling a little daring today and a little convicted.....this whole RFID thing got me all riled up! Why shouldn't I share what should be the most important thing in my life?!

Back By Popular Demand

Ok, so here we are......this is for you dad.....I think you're the only one who reads it. I'm not quite sure what to write about. I guess I could start with Bay's latest episode. Tuesday, she stepped on a piece of glass. She immediately started to cry, so I scooped her up expecting to pull out a tiny piece of glass. As I flipped her around on my lap, I noticed my pants were covered in blood.....oh! This is worse than I thought.....I took a quick look and thought it looked pretty bad. Fortunately, Luke was here and I asked him to take a look.....he agreed with me. In the meantime, Bailey was screaming for a band aid......I called the doctor and talked to a nurse. She asked me if it was open and gaping.....I said it was. She suggested I take her to the emergency room. I was a little frustrated with that. $150 copay compared to a $20 copay at the doctor's office, but what do you do? I called Nick and asked him to come home and take a look so I didn't take her in for no reason. Now, this really didn't take as long as it seems....Bailey calmed down and let me hold a washcloth on her foot. The bleeding did stop. When Nick got home, he agreed with me and Luke, so we were off.....we're 1/4 mile from Children's Hospital which is very convenient. Anyway, after a much shorter wait than our last visit to the ER....they agreed it was "gaping" but informed us they don't do stitches on the bottom of feet, so they would be putting butterfly strips on it. They also did an x-ray to be sure there was no glass left which there was not. Bay was a complete trooper! She didn't cry once.....she did wince every now and then and told the doctor "I don't like that." The nurse and doctor both were so surprised at how tough she was! After the hospital, we had to run to Wal-Mart to get new clean cotton socks (Dr's orders) for Bay to wear.....as we were walking in Bay said, "I was good today" Nick said "yes you were very good" Bay replied, "I want a donut" Can you believe it? She knows how to get what she wants! We figured she deserved it after the trauma.......So, lesson learned-Mom needs to double check the carpet when she breaks a candle! Sorry Bailey.......I did take pictures, but don't know how to get them off of my phone......they're pretty gross, so maybe that's a good thing!

Hilarious

So, I was vacuuming in the dining room and Bailey was in the living room nicely playing with her Elmo. It just happened to be "Potty Elmo." He comes with his own little potty. We purchased it for Ethan when he was potty training. I brought it out for Bailey to interest her in the toilet......anyway, I shut the vacuum off and turned around and Bailey was standing there holding her little potty saying, "I peed" ........Yes, she peed in the little Elmo potty in the middle of the living room......enjoy!

Bailey and I went to the zoo today. We normally try to get there at least once a week, but haven't made it since school started. We took along her best buddy, "Baby" Chloe (they were born a day apart)and her mom Andrea. It was a very fun time! I haven't been to the zoo with just one child in a very long time.....it was a good chance to reconnect with Bailey.......she is also very independent and likes to do things on her own. I think she enjoyed the day too......she had a great conversation with a gorilla and kept trying to kiss him.....I finally convinced her to blow him kisses.....it was adorable!

Bittersweet

I pulled up to school today as Ethan said, "Mom, I think I want to walk in by myself today." WHAT?!? I couldn't believe it.....Mr. Independent. So, I walked Chloe to her locker and Ethan went down the long Kindergarten hall all by himself....after I dropped Chloe off I did go sneak to his room to peek in the window and make sure he made it and there he was sitting there like a big boy.......so sweet. They grow up too fast!

Catch Up

Ok, so I can't even hardly remember how the first day of school went......it's been so long! The last day of summer was a great day! Grandma Mary came up with a cake she made for the first day of school. We took her to a spray park to enjoy their last day. We had a lot of fun......all I could think about was much my children were growing and how much I didn't want them to leave me. But the day did arrive.....Chloe and Ethan got up pretty quickly and already knew what they were wearing.....the morning went very smoothly even with adding a few chores to the morning routine. Nick stayed home from work so he could be with us to take the kids to school......which was very sweet! We took Ethan first, he walked right in and found his name on his desk....he sat right down and pretty much looked at us like, "when are you leaving?" So, we said our goodbyes and I slowly made my way down the hall without crying, I may add.....next, to the 2nd grade room. Chloe looked so much older than I like, but I guess she really can't help it. We walked into her room and she found her desk, saw some familiar faces and gave us the same look that Ethan did.....I'm so glad our children are so secure, unlike me who was quickly falling apart.......I made it to the van and started to cry, just a little bit, not like Chloe's first day of Kindergarten.....it sure makes it easier when your kids want to go.......what will I do when Bailey's gone? I can't even think about that right now! So, Nick took off to work and Bailey and I headed off to her very first movie, Space Chimps.....it was cute and she did really well sitting there with her boyfriend, Hudson and best bud "Baby" Chloe.....it was adorable.....When I picked the kids up, Ethan was grinning from ear to ear and Chloe wasn't smiling......Ethan had the best day ever and Chloe didn't like her teacher....."she yelled all day long"~well, it has gotten better for Chloe, I think the first day was just a little hectic for her teacher......

Better Late Then Never!

Ok, Here is a little update on the Shepherd's spectacular and amazing lives.....................I know you can hardly stand the anticipation........

Thursday, Aunt Barb was watching the kids, she called to tell me Bailey had a temperature of 103 degrees......whoa! I rushed to her rescue and took her home......poor baby, she was really sick for 2 whole days.......neither of us got any sleep. She would wake up every hour on the hour and yell for me (I was on the other couch) she would say, "mommy, I need you, come put your head on my pillow." It was heartbreaking........Finally at 4:30am Saturday morning, she busted open our bedroom door and yelled "I not sick anymore!" It was so cute, she was very happy to be healthy again......so hopefully, this family is past that......NO MORE SICKNESS!

This weekend was too HOT to do anything! We tried to stay in doors as much as possible. Mom and dad came up for a visit Saturday. Dad didn't stay long because he could barely keep his eyes open (he worked all night) He drove his truck home. He'd let us borrow it to haul away tree limbs and get sand for our patio.......at first I was a little intimidated to drive that sucker.....it had been a long time since I'd driven a stick shift, but it didn't take me long to get back into the swing of things! I loved it......it felt like home.......

Uncle Bill called to let us know he and Aunt Holly were in town.....not for good reason, Uncle Bill's sister had a heart attack and they were in town visiting her.....mom and I got to visit with them for a little bit which was nice......we met them at NFM for drinks at Burger King......they thought that was funny......

Sunday, we took the kids to play putt putt golf......Bailey was so cute, she would just pick up her ball and go drop it in the hole.....Chloe, of course was very competitive and Ethan was just wondering if playing putt putt would build up his muscles.....(he wants to be a superhero when he grows up) It was nice family time for us......although, we went to Family Fun Center, we had a free coupon that the kids got for reading so many books in the summer reading program, anyway......I felt like we all needed tetnus shots after leaving that place.....it was pretty grimey.....our feet pretty much stuck to the floor with each step.....a little updating may be called for at that place.....oh well, it was free....can't complain too much....

The kids and I are trying to fit in as much as possible (fun-wise) before school starts! Chloe wants to go bowling, Ethan wants to do a craft (he loves to make superheroes out of toilet paper rolls). Chloe, her BFF, Blythe and I did catch a movie today.....American Girl, it was very cute.....that was on our summer to do list......just one more week and then they are off! I can't believe it!

I also had bible study Monday night......which is always a much needed time for me.....I love hanging out with my friends and discussing our relationships with Christ. We are doing a book, well, workbook, called Spiritual Intimacy.....it's written by some Women of Faith Woman.....it's going very well.......My great friend, Andrea has also joined Kim, Juli and I......I'm looking forward to diving in deeper and getting some spiritual intimacy with the One and Only!

Also, Soon To Be Aunt Sara brought Ethan a little surprise the other day........HIS TUXEDO for the wedding......I should make you all wait to see him in it on the big day, but I can't wait! He looks absolutely handsome........to die for..........He has just under a year until the big day, so I hope he doesn't have a growth spurt........

Shepherd Zoo......

I'm not doing well in the blogging department.....I can't seem to find the time to do it......things have been pretty good around here. We finally had our garage sale this weekend. It was pretty productive.....we made $250! Pretty good huh? It was a lot of work though. We had it at our friends house down the street, so we had to haul a lot of stuff down there.......but didn't have to haul much back. Friday was a really busy day, better than Saturday which surprised me. I was so tired Friday night that I crashed at 5:30 and slept until 8:30 along with Bailey........I'm glad it's over......although the plan was to get rid of junk, I came home with a lot of junk......having garage sales with your friends may not be a great idea......they give you all of their junk.......including a ginormous treadmill........that leads me to the next story. Andrea and Mike gave us this nice huge treadmill......well, Nick and I are so excited to use it.....(we have to lose weight for Luke's wedding) and your walking along and it SHOCKS you! It really didn't feel very good, so we're working on that......we'll probably have to end up throwing it out!

Update on our kittens.......some of you may not know, but Spidey (the cat Ethan picked out) had kittens about 9 weeks ago......the kids and I were laying in bed (they were trying to get me to wake up) and Spidey came in meowing like crazy and rubbing all over me. I knew she was getting close to delivering, so I checked under her tail and sure enough, a baby was emerging......yikes! So, I took her out to the dining room to the hard wood floors and she just kept giving me this look, like "what is happening to me?" and very shortly a baby plopped out......Spidey couldn't figure out how to chew through the umbilical cord and she was turning circles, hitting the baby on the floor.....so I ran down and checked online the correct way for this to happen. It said that sometimes younger cats don't know they have to chew through the cord, so their "human" needs to cut it with scissor.....what? Gross! This is as close to a doctor as I will ever be, I grabbed some gloves and scissors and cut right through that cord......relief.....the baby was so cute and helpless.......so the kids and I waited and waited and waited while Spidey moaned and groaned and kept giving me that look......I thought that the kittens would plop out one right after the other, but they don't. I had to check that out online too.........it can take up to two hours between kittens......about an hour later, the second baby made it's arrival.........then the placenta, I won't gross you out with those details, but let me just say it was quite a learning experience for my children......and then a third baby came right out.......it looked as though everyone was fine........we went the day checking in on them and adoring them. Sadly, the next morning there was a fourth baby....dead. Spidey must've delivered it in the night......very sad......luckily, the kids were still asleep and didn't see it. Anyway, we enjoyed those babies very much and were sad to see them go......Chloe named one Miley, Ethan named his Luke and Bailey named hers Hannah. Miley went to Barb's house which is nice.....we can visit her anytime. The other two went to a family here in town......ironically, the day the last two left our home........our other cat, Wendy gave birth to 5 baby kittens.....I know, I know........SPAY YOUR CATS! I just wanted my kids to experience it once, ok, twice! It is on the agenda to get that done.......so if anyone is looking, in about 6 weeks, we'll have five kittens to give away..........

Speaking of animals......here is another gross story that happened this week......I'm full of them! I can't believe anyone reads this. Ethan and I were hanging out on the couch when Spidey comes walking by with something in her mouth......something furry......I thought it was a mouse, and then I thought maybe it was one of Wendy's new babies, but no.......it was a......are you ready? A baby bunny's head.....yes a head, just a head........she took it in the corner of my living room and was playing with it like a ball......the kids went screaming into my bedroom and shut the door......I tried to pick it up with a papertowel, but Spidey beat me to it and went running down to the basement......I had to follow her because I didn't want her to hide it anywhere. She ran right under the desk and under the desk was rabbit fur........yeah, I think she ate a bunny in my house! Talk about experiences for the kids.........

We got Ethan's 5 year pictures taken today.....only 4 months late.....they are so cute and he looks way too old! We also received his Kindergarten letter today and he will be in Miss Salisbury's class, the same teacher that Chloe had.....he's very excited! He's already picked out the outfit he's going to wear on his first day of school.

So, other than being the Swiss Family Robinson, with all of our animals......we're doing great!

Behind

Ok, I've gotten behind on the blogging.....let me fill you in on the last week or so......nothing too exciting......

Friday: worked on garage sale items, Nephew Ryan came over and the kids painted on their easels, Nick and I had an actual date night with friends. We met Juli and Ryan and Kim and Kyle at El Basha, it's a little greek restaurant.....Delicious! At the end of our meal, they bring you a hookah with flavored tabacco......we had apple......it was quite an experience and we had a really good time......(pictures to come)

Saturday: Our niece Addie came over to spend the night.....all the kids played all day while I did housework.....blah blah blah, we ended up at Barb and Pats to bbq because Tom and Julie were in town dropping off Brandon before their trip to Las Vegas.

Sunday: We served in the toddler room at church, Addie helped us and Bailey ended up in our room because she wouldn't stop crying in her room.......her teacher brought her over, telling us she couldn't believe Bailey was sad, she's always the happy one! I still don't know what was wrong with her. After church, we went school shopping, we've been very excited for this.......we found lots and lots of good deals and pretty much got everything needed.....the kids should be all set for school! By the end of our outting, Ethan was complaining that he was freezing (it was like 95 degrees outside), HE HAD A FEVER....we were dragging him all over town while he wasn't feeling well........

Monday: Ethan still had a fever and pretty much did all day off and on.........

Tuesday: Ethan woke up even sicker, throwing up and crying that his tummy hurt......oh no.....Luke gave us tickets to the Dave Matthews concert tonight!!! So, Nick and I went back and forth on who should go and who should stay with Ethan......well, My Sweet, Gracious husband told me to go and have a good time......I finally agreed and called Kim to go with me. It was a great concert, lots of fun and lots of different people around. You'll have to ask Luke about his run in with the one and only Dave Matthews!!!

Today: Ethan is back to his normal self.......hopefully no one else gets whatever he had....When we woke up, the weatherman said it was a beautiful day today, so the kids and I packed up and took their bikes to the park. There is a park by our house with this little track....Chloe and Ethan both have almost brand new bikes.....Ethan's even still had the tags on it.....there isn't anywhere at our house to really to practice with a steep hill driveway and no sidewalks......anyway, it wasn't that beautiful outside.....it was very muggy......the kids got off to a slow start, but eventually got into it......both kids were riding like pros by the time we left.....Ethan just kept saying "one more time" and kept going around.....Bailey had her little four wheeler and when she did ride it, she sat on the handle bars and rode it backwards.....whatever works! We went back and worked on garage sale stuff.....the kids made their Lemonade signs and it was a pretty quiet day.

Oh my goodness......today I was so grouchy......I was out until 1:00am with my friends Monday night and it has really hit me hard today. My friends Juli and Kim are night owls, which I thought I was too until I met them. We started out at the bookstore to find a new bible study to do together, then headed off to Kona Grill where we were kicked out because Kim had her 4 mo old baby and the kitchen was soon to close, so then they consider it a bar, so we then proceeded to Kim's parents house (because it was the closest) and sat on their deck just laughing and talking and laughing......it was a good time, but it has hit me hard today!

As I had mentioned we had Grace with us for a couple days.....she is very quiet so it was quite different from having Chloe home. I missed her very much. Ethan and Grace had a good time.....We also had Ryan over, we couldn't leave him out.....so the three 5-year olds had a grand time! Monday morning we also had Kim's boys for a little bit.....Hudson who is 2 and Gannon who is another 5 year old! Ethan was in hog heaven with his buddies there!! They actually kept each other busy and I got a lot accomplished......

So, now Chloe's home and we're back to normal. Today I bought some Twizzlers to give to Bailey for when she goes potty on the toilet.....well, all day Ethan and Chloe were bugging me for Twizzlers. So, here is my brilliant plan......Ethan has relapsed in the wiping department. For some reason, he will not wipe his own bottom anymore (I know, Too Much Information) I keep reminding him that I will not be at Kindergarten to do that for him.......and Chloe will not put on her own shoes and tie them.....(my fault....I always just do it for her.....it's much faster) so I told them every time they did those certain things, they would get a twizzler. Well, Chloe ran up to her room, grabbed her tennis shoes and was pulling them on and tying them all by herself, so she got a Twizzler.....then I happened to walk by the bathroom and heard some serious grunting.......Ethan was in there literally trying to poop so he could wipe his own bottom and have a Twizzler! His plan worked! So they were both happy........about an hour later, Bailey peed all over the floor and didn't get a Twizzler, so we'll see if she gets as serious as her siblings did! So funny......I can't stop laughing about that one!

nothing new

We had a pretty good weekend, accomplished a lot of much needed yard work. The storms have left us with TONS of branches, we finally got those piled up for the city to take and weeded the flower beds, trimmed the crazy outta control roses and Nick cleaned out the gutters. Our house kind of looks presentable........Tony and Misty stopped by yesterday. They were in town to visit Misty's mom in the hospital. The kids enjoyed swimming with their cousins and just hanging out.......I know Nick enjoyed hanging out with his brother.........we decided to trade kids for a couple days.......they took Chloe and we took Grace, I tried to get them to take Bailey, but that was a no go........I'm sure Chloe's enjoying her time in Lincoln with Eliza.

Rain Rain Go Away

Just wanted to share what we went through during the last couple of storms......not nearly what others have gone through, but just when you think your home is safe from the elements.....think again! The last storm left us without electricity for 3 full days......it was actually pretty good for us as we didn't have tv to distract us or a Wii to distract Ethan......we had to be a family the old fashion way. We roasted marshmellows over candles, played charades, chased fireflies and went to bed when it got dark. I did have to do a load of laundry at a friends house and charge our phones, but other than that, I think we did pretty good living "old school"

Big Girl Bed

Sunday night we finally decided to put Bailey in her big girl bed, it's just a mattress on the floor, but still it's a big step in a little girl's life. We have been waiting for Bailey to climb out of the crib since that's what the other two did, but she never really seemed interested in getting out. I thought I would keep her in there as long as we could to keep her contained, but it just seemed like the right time to introduce a "big girl bed." She picked out the princess bedding and looked so small in the big huge comforter. Lola joined her for a bit and took up the whole bed.....she did really well and we only had to put her back twice and finally with the help of a "stuffed" St. Bernard, she fell asleep until morning.......she is growing up way too fast! As for the crib, it's going into the garage sale.......it was a good crib, lasted through three babies....makes me sad to see it go........no more babies for me...........Luke and Sara need to hurry up and get some babies made!

Typical Day

So, today was pretty calm.....not too much going on......The kids and I went through the toy room and picked things that they can sell in our upcoming garage sale. Chloe is very excited about this and wants to make money, she's planning a lemonade stand and selling some of her art work. Ethan also thought that was a good idea and is planning to sell his artwork as well for $5 a page....I told him we may have to rethink that price......Ethan didn't do too well in the toy department, he has a hard time parting with his superheroes and Star Wars figures.....It's quite a relief to get that toy room organized......I even got the floors done......Luke is on vacation this week and volunteered to take Chloe and Ethan to see the movie, Wall-E this afternoon. That left Bailey and I alone to have fun together.......I told her we could do whatever she wanted and she said PUZZLES, so we did puzzles for awhile and then took off to Target to get a few items.....when we returned, brother and sister were back. They weren't too wild about the movie, Luke said it was more for adults......not much else to report......

Don't Want To Miss A Thing........

So, here goes nothing.......my children are growing up so fast and everyday, they surprise me with what comes out of their mouths.....they make me laugh so much! It makes me sad to think how fast they are growing up! I try to remember the little things Chloe and Ethan did when they were younger and I have a hard time remembering. Nick and I will try to jog each other's memories of whether not it was Chloe who was scared of Nick when he shaved his beard....or was it Ethan? So, I am hoping I will be able to find enough time to BLOG, so we can have these funny and memorable things written down or typed up~it makes me a bit nervous to put this all out there because I'm not the best at writing......hopefully Nick will make some entries too! My cousin John and his wife have a great blog and they don't miss a thing with their boys (that is another reason for this blog.....poor Bailey, not much in the picture, video department) and they are like the best writers ever! They use words that I have to look up in the dictionary......but I'm really going to give it a shot!