Not that I watch Oprah almost every day...

But did you see her interview with Rielle Hunter, John Edwards' mistress?

At one point Oprah asked her how she felt about all the people who don't like her, who think she's a homewrecker.

Her response was that they're just taking out on her the pain they feel because their father cheated on their mother, or they were cheated on.  (that's stupid, Rielle, and I suspect you may be smart enough to know that.)

Oprah then retorted, "What if they just think it's wrong?!"

And then came an even more stupid answer - the epitome of relativism - just because someone thinks it's wrong to commit adultry - just because that's a truth in their life - does not mean that it's wrong for everyone, most especially it is not wrong for her. 

Wow.  Actually, Rielle, adultry is always wrong.  Always wrong.  Always. 

It may make you feel better to believe otherwise, but that which makes you feel better also makes you look dumber.

After seeing Elizabeth Edwards' inteview and comparing it to this one, I can only assume that John was not thinking with his head.

I saw on Oprah...

On a fairly recent episode four viewers were challenged to do things they don't normally do: roller derby, skydiving and skinny dipping. They were four women who felt un-special, stuck in a rut, like they were going through the motions. As they stepped out of their boxes they were awakened, or at least saw that they were capable of more than they realized. In the end they were given charm bracelets with charms representing the things they had done.

I really liked this idea - to wear a constant reminder of the things I have done which have built my character, challenged my intellect, pushed my body and shaped me into who I am. A constant reminder of the amazing things I have accomplished, my little victories and successes.

I want one of these charm bracelets to help me feel beautiful. I would have a charm for:
-the 50lbs I lost when I was in college (see! I did it once, I can do it again!)
-my internship in San Francisco
-L
-Ben
-Peter
-my work in campus ministry
-my marriage

What would you have charms for?

Ahhh... the money crisis

Travis told me I'm not allowed to pay the bills any more because of how they, along with Suze Orman on Oprah and the financial experts on the Today Show, are freakin' me out.

I just read the post a Conversion Diary about money and living beyond our means and I guess that needs to be added to the list of things freakin' me out. But I'm going to make a guess that many of my friends are in a pretty similar boat as Travis and I - living paycheck to paycheck and currently putting nothing into savings. The savings thing is what really scares me. But THANK GOD we have MVV living with us. With his awesome rent (and I mean, seriously - $200 a month for your own place and the best landlords ever!) and 1/3 of the utilities we are spending less than 50% of our monthly income on fixed expenses. This is good.

So now, instead of freaking out, I'm going to make a list of all the VERY GOOD things we are doing to be financially smart.

- cutting up extra credit cards and paying off all balances
- spending no more than $65 a week on groceries unless it is a stock up week.
- begin using only cash or debit cards
- finding more recipes for tuna
- making my own bread products (this includes wheat bread and tortillas)
- buying store brands
- using coupons

Along with those things we are also
- trying to be generous with what we do have
- working on increasing our tithing to a full 10%
- making a point to thank God every morning for everything we have: our home, insurance, our cars, our health, Travis' job and job security, my job, MVV, our friends and family. This last bit is the most important, I believe.

Eatin' bonbons and watchin' soaps

That's what I never wanted to be: a stay at home mom who just sits around all day. I think that's part of the reason I push myself so much to keep the laundry going, mop the floor, make the bed each morning, have dinner ready and bake homemade bread. You see, in my little mind, the laundry cannot wait.

This thinking has led to much frustration with L, though, since she wants to be held so much. For some reason I have always equated being a good mom with having a clean house. I really do think a clean, orderly home is very important for children, but I've very recently come to understand that L's happiness and healthiness are first and foremost what make me a good mom, not the condition of my home. I know, it seems a no-brainer, and it's what I've been told over and over again, but I guess I just had to learn it for myself.

So, what this means is that when L starts getting fussy and attention-needy sometime after 2pm I sit down with toys and books and play with her. I hold and bounce her. I sing and read to her. I encourage her to sit up and roll around, and I do sign language with her.

But I also have the tv on. I watch Dr. Phil and Oprah almost every day now and you know what? I (finally) don't feel guilty about it one bit. They provide me a little bit of "adult conversation" while I provide L with much more of my attention and affection than I did when I was trying to clean the bathroom with her unhappily strapped to my body. The house is still clean, I just tackle the jobs when she's napping or playing by herself in the mornings. After doing this for one week I feel sooooo much less stress, frustration and guilt.