rock paper scissors lizard spock

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a huge dork. Or maybe I'm a nerd?

Either way, my tendencies led me to a little show on CBS called The Big Bang Theory.  I love this show!  I only started watching it regularly about a year ago when B was deployed.  I have since borrowed both the first and second seasons from the Pensacola public library, and B and I watched them straight through together.  Now I love it even more.

Dr. Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) is my favorite character, and sometimes I sit there and equate everything he does to Asperger's.  It's never been said in the show--they just call him an "anal nutbag"--but someone brought it up to me once as a possibility and now I can't stop thinking about it when I watch.  I also love most of the female characters.  It started out with just wannabe-actress Penny, but now they've brought on some other strong females that really give the boys their match.  Did you know that the girl who played Blossom is on this show?  Yep, Mayim Bialik, who in real life actually does have a PhD in Neuroscience, has been playing Sheldon's 'match' since the end of last season.

What's a rambling post about a great television show without clips?  First of all, the title of my post was inspired by this game:




And if you ever meet another fan of the show, they'll probably mention the wonderful lullaby "Soft Kitty":

Yep, definitely singing any future babies of mine to sleep with that one.

Also, the theme song was done by Barenaked Ladies (remember them?).  I think it's delightfully catchy, and every time I hear it I sing along . . . but only to one line:  "We built the pyramids."  That's probably one of my weirder quirks.  Yep, such a nerd.

If you've never seen it and want to give it a try, a new episode is on tonight at 8/7c on CBS.  Or you can watch it online tomorrow at the CBS website, like I have to do because it conflicts with choir rehearsal.


Anyone else out there love this show? 

weekly family meetings

I'm not gonna lie, I partially got this idea from the Mormons and their Family Home Evenings.  The idea was originally planted in my head from my studies in Child and Family Development,   Every week, B and I have a "weekly family meeting," and I get asked about it often.

So the first question is why is it called a "family" meeting, when it's just the two of us?  Well, in my opinion, I've always disliked the phrase "starting a family" in reference to having children.  I believe that your family started the moment you exchanged vows.  That's not to say that people don't start a family before legally getting married, but once you jump the broom, even without kids, you've made a new family.

Semantics aside, our weekly family meeting has a certain agenda but it is flexible and will definitely change as time goes on and we add little ones into the mix.  I think having the kids grow up in a household that does this once a week will make it a lot less awkward later when we need get through the big issues together.  It will just be something they've always done and don't question (here's to hoping!).  We're Catholic, so I infuse the Bible and religious practices into our meetings, but this practice does not need to be only for the religious.  (Instead of Bible stories, maybe you can read a book together?)

Here is our agenda (you can choose to open and close in prayer if inclined):

1. Weekly highs and lows.  Each person shares their favorite part about last week and also their not-so-favorite part of last week.  Oddly, this is is the only part of the meeting that B does not like and often refuses to participate in (see, it's like already having a child!).
2. Schedules.  When is little Johnny's soccer game again?  Do you want to go to trivia night?  When is that science project due?  Have the family calendar in front of you during this so you don't forget everything.
3. Issues/Conflict Resolution.  We use the "talking stick" method--basically, I just grab some object like a marker and only the person holding it is allowed to talk.  We try to use "I-statements" to air grievances and settle arguments.  There are a lot of books and resources out there on conflict resolution, so feel free to try some methods out until you find one that works (and don't be afraid to change methods based on development).  Once we have older kids/teens, this might have to move toward the end of the agenda so that the flaring tempers won't interfere with the rest of the meeting.
4. Bible Study/Lesson.  For now, B and I just pick a book in the Bible and read it aloud for about 15-20 minutes and then talk about it.  We did the entire book of Ruth in one night, but we've now been doing the Book of Job for about a month, reading it by sections.  For kids, there are a lot of Sunday-school references on the internet that you can pull from.  Adding an activity like coloring or a craft obviously requires more planning, but can be very helpful for children.  If you want to pick a verse of the week to memorize, this is a great time to introduce it.
5. Rosary and/or Prayers and Praises.  I won't lie; we generally don't do the rosary unless we have a short Bible reading (usually the end of a book).  I like doing it though, and I want my kids to be comfortable with it.  (I can't even imagine saying a rosary with my parents, and I wasn't comfortable leading one by myself until just a few years ago.)  Also, now is a good time, if you don't do this at dinner prayer, to give praises for all that you are thankful for, and to pray for those in need.
6. Words of Affirmation.  Each family member says something nice to each other family member.  Can just be a compliment, or it can be thanking them for something they have done recently.  I love this.
7. Treats!  Enough said.

You may notice that many of these can be incorporated into your family dinners.  Even though B and I eat dinner together every night, I do like to take the extra time to just focus on these things uninterrupted, especially the religious part.  Plus, I think having it scheduled keeps us more accountable.

Does your family have a weekly meeting ritual?

states I've visited

Joining another bandwagon. I've been to 47 states!  My mom and I have taken 3 cross-country road trips, and I have family almost all over (some used to live in Alaska, so we definitely went to visit), so I've done pretty well for my 26 years.  I even posted about one leg of our 2007 trip a while back--read about it here and get inspired.

I'm missing Hawaii, Utah, and Vermont.  Unfortunately, I don't think those will all happen in one trip.  But I have a friend living in Vermont right now, so maybe that will be next?

Where have you been?  Go here to make your map!