What Was I Thinking?!

I look around my [messy, cluttered] house and wonder what the hell I was thinking when I decided to: take that nap, foster those kittens, make that big [sloppy] meal, let the kids play "school", try to get all of the laundry done at once, etc.  I wonder why we agreed to let the dining room be the man cave/game room.  I wonder why the kitchen table seems to be the catch-all for papers, projects and miscellaneous junk.  I wonder why I don't have the energy or motivation to Keep Up With The Jones'.

Frankly, all of these things happen because I love my family more than I care about what others think of me.  I nap so that I can recharge from the umpteen-million things that need to get done.  We rescue and foster animals because it is a hands-on learning experience that teaches my children to care about what is happening in the world by taking care of animals that can't take care of themselves and to take pride in a job well done.  That big [sloppy] meal was made because it was requested by someone that I love more than I love clean clothes and counters.  I let the kids play "school" because I love that they still want to play together and because it teaches essential social skills for both of them.  I do as much laundry as I can in one sitting because it's anyone's guess as to what may come up at any given moment.  The dining room wasn't as important to me as my husband's sanity.  The kitchen table is the catch-all because the kids are proud of their accomplishments and want to share those with us.

All of those things are why I don't have the energy or motivation to be someone that I am not.  I'm pretty proud of the person that I am and I'm happy with the way my life turned out.

...does anyone want a kitten?

Parenting in an Atheist Household

I'll start this off by saying that our household is just like everyone else's.  We're a little unorganized, a little messy, a little pressed for time to do all of the things we'd like to do but somehow we manage to make it all work.  We love hard and fall hard; be it from disappointment or hurt feelings.  We base our actions on facts because there's safety and comfort in knowledge.

We don't focus on spirituality or religion.  We do discuss those things when we're faced with them; for example: when used as teaching material in History class or when we have someone come to our door wanting to share their "good word".  Openness and honesty dispel the myths and fears that come along with those things.

We live in the present.  We encourage each other to reach for our dreams and fight through the obstacles that may show up because there's no "ever after".  This is the only life we get and we should not only appreciate the hell out of it but we should encourage others to do the same and lead by example.  Find your happiness and never let go, and then offer others the support to find theirs.

We are good people.  We have morals and ethics.  We don't fear divine retribution.  We work to avoid disappointing ourselves and those we love.  We think of the long term effects of our actions.  We hope for change and enlightenment among mankind.  We lead by example and show our children that rewards come from hard work and honesty, not lies and fear.  The onus lies with each one of us to make our own choices and either reap the benefits or face the consequences.  That is how we learn and how we teach.

We live our lives in a way that we hope would make our ancestors proud and give our grandchildren the drive to emulate us.  We are your friends, neighbors, classmates, partners and even the stranger who stopped to help you when you were in need.  We're not evil.