The Callousness

I almost threw up when I saw this photo. It was taken at the March for Life in DC, of course by some anti-life protesters.

I'm shocked and appalled at the callousness shown towards this precious boy's life (talk about exploitation...see post below). This sign insinuates that this child's life was not a blessing from God, but was instead at the mercy of his mother and father. It implies that he (and all unborn children) is not a unique and special being, with his own soul, created in the image and likeness of God, but instead a simple decision to be made, depending on how his existence would affect the convenience of his parents. Ugh. I found this image months ago on a blog and it haunts me still. However, I do think it exposes the real mindset of the pro-aborts. Children AREN'T blessings and special individuals with their own souls and purpose. They're simply a by-product of sex whose entire existences are able to be determined by our conveniences. Please pray for this child's parents.

Sick Exploitation

Planned Parenthood has hit a new low (Is that a surprise? They kill children.). A fellow pro-lifer brought this to my attention today. Here was her email:

I just visited Planned Parenthood of Delaware's web site and guess what? They are hosting a Pledge-A-Picket fundraising drive! People sign up to pledge $X for each day pro-life folks picket PP organizations between April 5 - June 5 of this year. Whee! Isn't that special??

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/delaware/index.htm

This is ultra sickening. Exploiting (well, let's be honest, it's not new that PP exploits something) our right of free speech to raise money to perform abortions. We have a group of brave pro-lifers who vigil outside of PP on Friday mornings. This email was circulating among us and it was tossed around that we should stop vigiling while this heinous fundraising drive was going on. That could be the worst course of action. This "cutsie" little pledge drive isn't going to make much of a difference for them monetarily. They get loads and loads of money from the government. Money isn't what we, the pro-life movement is concerned with. We know that one save infuriates them more than any amount of money makes them happy. We can't play into their vile little games. That's exactly what they want - for us to recede so women don't actually have a choice. We have to stay the course...it's obviously working!!

View from the kitchen

Aahh...it's a beautiful day all around (note sarcasm). This is the current view from my kitchen window:

I don't know why it came out looking like a TV screen. I apologize. Couple this view with a sick kid, very little sleep, a cold coming on myself, and miscellaneous other maladies, and you've got yourself a party! I need some sun. And I should bookmark this.

Eggin'

Since the Disney Pixar CARS Easter Egg Decorating Kit has been sitting in my kitchen cabinet for over a year, I finally decided it was time to put it to good use. Jack was so excited to "make" Easter eggs! I thought the kit was going to include something a little more interesting, but all it was was dye and Cars stickers. Oh well. He's 3 - it's all the same to him!

Final Four, Schminal Schmour

So clearly I'm a tad bitter about this year's Final Four. And admittedly, I should be excited about Butler being in it, seeing as how they're the small school Cinderella team from Indiana (my home state). I just can't get past the fact that Purdue isn't!! I know, I've said this before, but I'm really, really bummed for my Boilers. True, they got farther than any pundit thought they'd get under the circumstances and I'm really proud of them for that. It's just a shame for them to have lost their best player so late in the season and have their Final Four hopes shattered. It's very disappointing. It was the first year in recent history that they had such high expectations on them. Even more frustrating is that Purdue has beaten two of the teams in the Final Four this year! We beat WV by about 26 points! We beat MSU once during the Big Ten season, and came close to beating Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. Oh well. I guess I should just be glad that Ohio State is OUT! They were finally exposed for the overrated frauds that they were! Sorry. Anyway, best of luck to everyone who has a team going to Indy. I think I'll be rooting for the Mountaineers this year.

Aaaahhh...Confession

Better late than never. I finally went to my Lenten confession today...the last available weekend before Easter...phew. I decided that this time I'm going to actually prepare for confession instead of winging it and not being able to think of anything (not for lack of material) when I got there. However, obviously I'd never really done an examination of conscience before, so I had to Google it. Yep...Google CAN save your soul! Ahem...sorry. I did, in fact, find a really great beginner's Examination of Conscience here. It was nice to go through it fairly quickly. It called to mind many sins that I might not have recalled on my own. I really like how detailed it is...even down to a few things you might not think of every day as sins! I highly recommend skimming through it prior to practicing the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I Heart Kickboxing

Just a quick little blurb on one of my favorite workouts - kickboxing! I started doing it regularly about a year ago at the Y (my second home) and really enjoyed it. It's an amazing cardio workout that gives me a whopping 9 activity POINTS (which is a LOT for those of you who don't do Weight Watchers)! I enjoyed it so much that I bought a kickboxing DVD to do at home when I don't make it to the gym. I did it for the second time today and realized that it's not nearly as hardcore as the fitness class at the gym, but it's still good in a pinch. I bought the Quick Fix: Total Cardio Kick DVD. Years ago I had a Quick Fix Abs video and loved it. For the most part the Cardio Kick is decent, and like I said, good in a pinch. But I noticed that sometimes the instructor mirrors you and sometimes she doesn't which is hard to keep up with. I can't remember which side I'm supposed to be on! In class the instructor always mirrors you, so you always know you're going the same direction they are. (Since she faces you, she tells you to go right, but she's actually using her left.) But in the DVD, when she's not mirroring, you have to remember to go the opposite direction and then what side you've already done, etc. It's too much thinking for a physical workout. On the upside, all the Quick Fix DVDs include 3 different 10-minute workouts. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 of them at a time. Which is really nice if you're in a rush. And Cardio Kick even includes a 4th bonus session, which I found was the most intense one! So...that's part of what I did today. What about you? Does anyone have any at-home kickboxing - or any other fitness - DVD they really enjoy? I'd love to get some more ideas!