Happy Name Day!!!

Since we are leaving on Saturday to go to Wisconsin to visit Rob/Paul's family, I probably won't be able to post anything tomorrow. So, Happy Name Day to my husband, Paul, my sons, Pavlos and Petros, my dad, Petros, and my father in law, Fr. Paul (May his memory be eternal). Tomorrow is a big name day for our family. We are going to Liturgy tonight and I made Artoklasia (five loaves of sweet bread as an offering). Pavlos helped:)

Eight Facts Meme...

Here are the rules…
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I was tagged by Kiera/Kristin...

Eight random facts about me.

1. I've been deported by a communist country (China).
2. Rob/Paul and I met on June 24, 1998. June 24, 1999 (a year to the date later), he officially "asked me out"
3. My brother thinks that I do not hiccup normally.
4. My sister and I can both put our entire fists in our mouths (big mouth, small hands, I guess).
5. I know more camp songs than a normal person ought to know.
6. I speed read which can be a good thing (during college) and a bad thing (when reading a really good book and I have to force myself to slow down to enjoy it).
7. A goal/dream I have is to set foot on all the continents (been to three).
8. I love to Greek dance.

PS. I am not going to tag anyone because I think everyone has been tagged!

Happy Anniversary...

Ok, so I am a day late. We celebrated a day early (on Sunday... because of the Apostle's fast beginning yesterday). We packed the kids over to my parents home and we went to eat something and see a movie (Spiderman 3... Paul's choice... last year was Water... my choice:) I will not go on and on about how much I love my husband, etc. because that kind of stuff really embarasses him. I will just say that I love him and thank him for all of his support (especially last year). Happy 7 years:)

A good article about saying no to your child. It ties into the overblown self-esteem issues that we are seeing in high school and college students where they feel they deserve success. Remember that just say no campaign? Just say no... to your child:)

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Pavlos,

Happy Birthday to you:)

May God grant you many years!!!!

(PS. He's five... FIVE... I can't believe it)

Pavlos was born on bright Saturday, five years ago. It was the day before Mother's day. He's my best and favorite mother's day gift:) We made cupcakes (or "pupcakes" as he calls them) for his class today. Now doesn't that just make me feel like a mom:)

Yardwork Part 2...

Yes, a third post today...

My mom's first cousin, Bridgette, left a lovely comment about this picture on my myspace blog (click on the link if you want to be my friend:)

The comment is, "Oh, I think your pictures are wonderful. You guys have done a really good job (on the yard) and that tyke you planted in that hole. He looks like he's going to grow to be sturdy. I bet he smells good too. Just water with kisses and trim with love and he'll be just fine!"

Isn't that sweet?

Guns and boys (and girls, too)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18214871/site/newsweek/

The above article is about kids and guns. After having just finished reading Raising Cain, and with my almost five year old constantly talking about who is a bad guy and who is a good guy AND with this recent attack at VT, we need to not restrict normal, children's play. My brother had GI Joe's and Transformers and a plastic gun or two and he is a total pacifist. My husband grew up in rural Michigan. He spent many weeks of his life hunting. He is not a violent person by any means. It doesn't have to do with kids playing cops and robbers, it has to do with how you raise your child. What is right or wrong. And, anyway, this young man that attacked his fellow students was mentally ill! Even the best of parents cannot/may not be able to combat urges in a young person who is mentally ill! I hope there isn't a backlash against normal child's play...

Travelling...

Dad is flying to Greece tomorrow for 2 weeks. Please pray for safe travels. He is only going to go to Athens and Ios (and possibly Aegina to visit an old friend ;) This trip is just to spend time with my pappous! Kalo Taxidi!!!

(note: I tried uploading pictures, but blogger won't let me for some reason. I will try later!!!)

Second NOTE: blogger let me upload pics! That is my pappous with Pavlos (Pavlos was one) when we were in Greece 4 years ago. The other is a picture of the sunset on the village where my family is from:)

Yardwork

Christos Anesti! Ok, as you can see I'm terrible about posting pictures to blogger. I think I need to start with the "after" pictures and then post the before pictures. Ok, so the top three pictures (behind the swingset) is the back of our yard. Paul put up a retaining wall and, yes, that's Pavlos in a hole:) So that is a "new" garden plot for us. We are thinking potatoes or transferring our lettuce there. Anyway, the bottom pictures are shots of the side of our house. Paul built a raised bed (the first of, hopefully, three or four... depending on how the first one does this year) and a new little garden shed. Our yard is finally coming together:) I have tons of seeds to plant (flowers and veggies). And I just planted two planter boxes of geraniums (one of my favorite flowers... geraniums, pansies, and hydrangeas are my top favorite flowers) for our front porch railing. I also bought a clematis to plant in the front, on one side of the porch. Very exciting things going on. Now, if only it weren't so cold and rainy outside I could get all this work done:)

Finished Reading:

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert (whew, only one more left)

Currently Reading:

Genesis, Creation, and Early Man by Fr. Seraphim Rose (almost done)

Zoli by Colum McCann

Holy Week and Icons

Go here to read about Pavlos and The Bridegroom Icon/Holy Week from last year. Needless to say, nothing has changed in Pavlos' love of this icon. Forty days ago (well, today it will be 41 days ago), Rob/Paul bought the icon of the Bridegroom, we had Fr. place it back in the altar so that on Palm Sunday, we could pick it up in time for Holy Week. Pavlos' new favorite icon is the Crucifixion. He gets fixated on some small detail of the icon and stares at it, talks about it, etc.
We are all well. I know that I do not post often enough and this post has to be short as I need to make prosphora to take to church tonight for service tomorrow morning. Not a big deal, it's only one loaf:)
Have a blessed Holy Week!

Petition for Cyprus...

Another petition... this one regarding the Cyprus Issue. I did my college thesis on the US Governments involvement (or lack thereof) in the Cyprus issue. If Cyprus only had oil, maybe it would not still (32 years later) be half under Turkish control. A control that the UN and many, many nations around the world condemns but DO NOTHING ABOUT!
Thanks,
christina (I was not a politics major for nothing:)

The Global Campaign for the Return of Varosha/Famagusta/Cyprus, to its Lawful Inhabitants is underway here.
Sign the petition and forward the campaign to everyone you know!


Please also sign the petitions to Tony Blair on the illegal Turkish occupation of Cyprus if you have not done so already and are a UK national
Here
Here and
Here

First Flower....

I planted over 100 bulbs last fall and the fruits of my labor are coming forth:) We moved into a new home (brand new, we are the first owners) and so there aren't surprise daffodils in the spring from any previous home owner (we are the "previous" homeowner). We are also working on the side of our house... we have built a little shed and Paul has put in a raised bed for me to plant our garden (we will see how one raised bed does this year and if I can live up to my dreams, maybe we will put in another raised bed next year). Here is our first flower for the spring. And I have a before picture of the side of the house but have yet to take the after picture (with shed and raised bed) so I will wait to post those at a later date!

Finished reading:

Einstein's Dreams- Alan Lightman

God Emperor of Dune- Frank Herbert

Currently reading:

Genesis, Creation, and Early Man- Fr. Seraphim Rose

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys- Dan Kindlon & Michael Thompson

"if you really want a tour of your own dark impulses, have children; it, too, will put you in touch with all of your most uncontrolled and regrettable impulses."

NPR, Boys with Sticks, etc....

NPR had a nice report on boys and toy guns. Are we overly reactionary with some of our zero tolerance policies (such as when a boy turned a stick into a gun and pretended to shoot at his friend and then was suspended from school). This report was interesting to me as my son has, in the past five or six months, begun to turn everything into a sword or a gun. It doesn't help that he has the playmobile knight set and they have swords. Or that we let him pick out fake/plastic armor for himself. Or that all the other boys his age (and older) are doing the same thing. As in the report, someone called in (from Hillsboro, OR no less) and mentioned that their son played with sticks as guns, etc. and why wouldn't he? We are in the middle of a war and have been involved in some type of conflict for decades. Pavlos doesn't watch TV or the news, but maybe he picks up on it from children around him who are watching TV or the news. And maybe it's just that he is a boy (I'm also reading Raising Cain right now and they are writing about boys tendency towards violence). I do believe that their is a healthy violence and an unhealthy violence. As was noted in the NPR piece, boys playing war will, many times, go through the "we have to rescue our men who have been hit" and that is a values teaching tool (in a boys way)... values like courage, sacrifice for someone else, etc. Our only rule with Pavlos is he can't "shoot" people. I hope we are doing what's right!

Here is a link to a blog that I lurk around... this blog post regarding boys with sticks (not used as guns in this case) prompted me to write this blog based on hearing that NPR story. BTW... Pavlos is an avid collector of sticks. Everywhere we go he finds a new stick and wants to bring it home. He is also an avid collector of flower petals, too:)

Happy First Birthday, Petros!

May God grant you many, many years:)

Petition (or a note from my father)...

No Independence for Kosovo. Do whatever you feel is right:)

VOTE NO ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 36We, the signatories of this petition urge members of Congress to vote no on House Resolution 36. We do not support the United States position that Kosovo-Metohija, 15% of Serbia's territory should be taken away from her to appease Muslim insurgents who support Al-Qaeda and a thriving criminal element that imports illegal drugs and which also engages in human trafficking.CONSEQUENCESSuch a position will most definitely contribute to instability in the area and in those regions in Europe and Asia that are watching the Kosovo debate very closely. To continue to flagrantly disregard International Law which provides for the respect of the sovereignty of nations and for the right of such nations to non-interference in internal affairs will usher in an era of unprecedented lawlessness between nations states. Therefore, we urge you to respect the constitution of Serbia which the people of Serbia recently approved and which reflects the will of those who voted for it: that Kosovo-Metohija is an integral part of Serbia.HISTORYWe urge you to be mindful of the historical integrity of the Balkan region and the legacy of Josef Tito. Tito encouraged, during and after WWII, state sanctioned oppression of the Serbian peoples. He sought to displace Serbians in 1944 and in 1974 in an effort to create an Greater Albania at the expense of the Serbian peoples. He encourage illegal land grabs, disenfranchising the native Serbian peoples from their homes and their livelihood. It is telling that one of Tito's first acts after becoming the President of Serbia was to execute the Allied Forces greatest supporter against the Nazi regime, Draza Mihailovich. We urge you not to continue Josef Tito's legacy of oppression against the Serbian people with House Resolution 36.COMMIT TO A PRINCIPLED SOLUTIONWe urge you to commit to supporting a principled solution to Kosovo which would be acceptable to both sides. DO NOT RECOGNISE KOSOVO INDEPENDENCEWe urge you to respect the United States commitment to promoting peace in the world. We urge you, therefore to respect the United Nations Security Council votes on Kosovo-Metohija. We expect the United States to behave honourably in behalf of its citizens in this regard and to respect the legacy of both Theodore Roosevelt the first American to win the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts in the Portsmouth Treaty, and Eleanor Roosevelt one of the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The rights of the 100,000 remaining Serbian population is at stake. As a member of the United Nations, you have pledged to be a supporter of the rights of all humans not only of some. Any acts outside of this will mark the United States as a violator of human rights.SUPPORT PRINCIPLED SOLUTION ONLYTherefore, we urge you to support a principled solution that is aligned with International Law and aligned with due respect of Nation Sovereignty.We the signatories therefore urge members of Congress to vote no on House Resolution 36.