The Combs Krewe

I joke with my mom that she has asked me if I'm pregnant every month since I was 15. Five times I've said yes.  A couple of weeks ago my mom shared her heart with me. "I hope you don't have any more," she told me. She explained that she wanted me to have a life of my own, things of my own. "It's a big sacrifice being a mother," she remarked.  My mom is seeing me be a mom. Seeing me struggle. Seeing me feel overwhelmed at times. Seeing me do without. And I know that's hard for a mom to see, because as parents I think we all want our children to have nice things, good experiences, and a happy life. It's pretty common for parents to want "better" for their kids than they had.  For many, "better" means bigger houses, shinier cars, more stuff. If you haven't guessed by now, it's hard to keep up with the Jones with a large family. There are a number of reasons I've heard as to why people shouldn't have "too ...

Knitting is one of my little hobbies. I don't know how to make all that many things or do anything too complicated but I love it. In some ways the rhythmic movements are therapeutic. With yarn between my fingers, I fret and pray and (usually) smooth things out in my mind. Lately I've been thinking a lot about the future. We are entering our last year at seminary and then....??? We have no clue. But whatever happens will likely be vastly different than the life we've led for the last four years. We've been praying and seeking the Lord's guidance and direction but answers have not been exactly clear. This is what I've griped and whined thought about a lot lately while I've been knitting. My latest project? A dishcloth. Sounds simple enough, huh? Except this one was supposed to have a border and a flower in the middle. Luckily someone else had already figured out the logistics of a pattern for me. All I had to do was accurately follow the directions. This,...

I met someone new last week and as we were talking I mentioned that I home school my children. As with many people, I got the response, "Oh, I could never do that!" I know that everyone does not agree that homeschooling is a viable, desirable option but no one has ever been rude to me (at least not to my face!) when I mention that's what we do. Almost always people bestow compliments on me. I try not to let this go to my head because I happen to know that I am nothing special. Yes, I have four children and their ages sometimes make things challenging. Although I have a natural creative bent and love learning, I didn't exactly plan that I'd be homeschooling a teenager, a preschooler, a curious two-year old, and a mama-lovin' toddler. It's hard juggling geometry and diapers! I like to think of myself as an innately patient person (when it comes to dealing with people) and that helps, but that is not my secret. Over and over I hear people say, "I cou...

Yes!  Before you throw me under the bus, allow me to explain.  So Hilary Rosen’s comment that Ann Romney “never worked a day in her life” has caused a stir lately. It even drew out a response from President Obama who said,  “There’s no tougher job than being a mom. . . Anybody who would argue otherwise, I think, probably needs to rethink their statement.”   Of course, this is not a new subject of argument. There seems to always be some sort of dissension among women.  This group is better than this group for this reason and that group doesn't understand what its like to be that group. Blah, blah, blah. Personally, I agree with President Obama's statement that there's no tougher job than being a mom. However, Mr. President, having a tough job doesn't necessarily mean that job will be performed to the utmost of one's ability. You know that. ; ) President Obama wasn't the only one who rose up to defend Ann Romney and the status of the stay-at-home ...

I was so excited to find a printable Resurrection set to make for the kids to explore the Easter story with. This set came from the blog,  catholicicing.com . She has all of the figures drawn and gives easy instructions for how to put your set together. Something to think about: I wish I hadn't glued our crucified Jesus to the cross because then we couldn't place him in the tomb. This morning we used our set during our Bible reading time (Some dinosaurs showed up!). Jathan and Ryland loved it! I hope that since we laminated our set it will last for several years. 

Last night during our family devotional time, the subject was kindness. When Jackie read, "God commands kindness," my first thought was, "YES! Maybe the kids will listen up and quite smacking each other and calling each other weird." Ha ha! Today I used last night's devotional as a gentle reminder that God COMMANDS kindness. It's not just a suggestion from your parents; the sovereign creator of the universe expects it from each one of us. This is something that I think even (especially?) adults forget. In fact I was recently reading a personal devotion about how we Christians will endure hardship and persecution from "the world" and my first thought was, "Who needs the world when we have other Christians to hurt us." = ( A while back the thought had occurred to me that the metal cover on the vent for the air conditioning unit at the end of our hall would be a good place to display Bible verses. You can't help but look at it as you w...

Today was Piper's one-month check up although she's technically 6 weeks old (the very popular doctor was booked for the last couple of weeks!). She enjoyed a little bath before her appointment to get squeaky clean and sweet smellin'. Today was the first day she really enjoyed her bath. As you can tell from the pictures she kicked and squirmed happily. That is until Ryland poked her with a Q-tip. It was all over after that. But it was probably a good thing he stopped me cooing and gooing and making pictures because I needed to get her washed and (gulp) wake Jathan up from his nap so that we could go. I was a little worried about going by myself with the boys but I had a plan. Park close by, carry Piper in the Sleepywrap, and hope Ryland didn't mind holding my hand. We got there and I parked in the parking deck, put Piper in the wrap, and was delighted that Jathan and Ryland walked quickly and happily to the elevators. We had some time to spare so it was no big deal that ...

About a year after we moved to New Orleans a new couple--Keven and DeAnna--and their two children moved into our building. We lived on the same floor and their daughter was around the same age as Jathan so our paths crossed here and there, mainly on the playground. I was delighted when DeAnna invited me over for a play date along with some other mommies and their kids as a sort of I-need-to-talk-to-a-grown-up fellowship. Because I really, really need to talk to grown ups. Since then DeAnna, a budding photographer, has taken my and my kids' pictures and our families have hung out a little. Keven works for Campus Police so we faithfully nod at him as we pass the guard shack each day. You know, normal stuff. Then I started hearing about Keven's book, some sort of Christian novel. Apparently, I learned, he's into writing and was trying to publish a book. I sort of dismissed the thought and there may or may not have been a slight eye roll involved because, c'mon, how many f...

Last week my cousin shared a link to an article from a natural health website about one "shocking fact" that you won't find on vaccine consent forms. It talked about the fact that many vaccines (polio; measles, mumps, and rubella, chickenpox and shingles; hepatitis a; and rabies) are grown in human fetal tissue which was originally obtained from abortions performed in the 60s. Our family was aware of this issue; in fact, this was one of the main reasons we chose not to continue to vaccinate our children. We are pro-life and want to live in a way that truly reflects that. The article also brought up some issues I was completely unaware of, however. Not only have companies begun to use human fetal cells in anti-aging creams but the atrocious practice has made it's way into the food industry as well. " Cells from an aborted fetus may have been used to create flavor enhancers for your soup or soft drink. Yes, you read that right. PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, and Nestle ar...

So I've been thinking about money. It's a topic that comes up a lot whether you have a lot of it or little of it. There's been much talk about the economy lately. Everywhere you turn people are saying, "With the economy the way it is these days..." Even the Bible contains over 2,000 verses that have to do with money, finances, stewardship, etc. It's something that no one can avoid thinking about. As a woman, a mother, and wife--of a seminary student no less--it's something that I've definitely had to think about. There are questions we all face but "Will I work outside the home?" is one at the forefront of marriage and motherhood it seems. I did work for several years but then when God called us to New Orleans, He blessed me with the opportunity to stay at home. This was 100% the best thing for our family and completely Biblical in my opinion (Titus 2:3-5). That's not to say it has been easy. There have certainly been times when I've ...

As of 2:16 this morning, Piper is 2 weeks old. Cue the reminiscent sighs of mothers out there and the eye rolls of the fathers. I happened to mention the fact that Piper was almost 2 weeks old last night to Jackie and got just that--the eye roll. I guess guys just don't get it. But being the sentimental female person that I am, it saddens me. Though I was quite round and somewhat uncomfortable 2 weeks ago I honestly wasn't in a hurry to have her. When I knew that she was going to be born the next day, I started paying attention to her every movement wanting to savor those last few moments of our ultimate connection. Maybe it's because I'm getting older or maybe it's because Piper's the fourth child but all of a sudden my "remember this" switch has been flipped. As the space grows wider between that moment when I first knew that she existed and the present, I cling more and more to the essence of those seconds, hours, and days. Not only her but Keeleigh...

My entire fourth pregnancy had been different than any other. I didn't have one bit of morning sickness and my baby bump didn't "pop" for months and months. At each of my first and second trimester doctor appointments my blood pressure was absolutely perfect. While I knew that whatever would happen would happen, I held out hope that the uniqueness of this pregnancy would extend into the third trimester and birth--that I would not have pre-eclampsia for the first time and that I would have the experience of going into labor on my own. At my doctor's appointment, one day before the 37 week mark, the nurse frowned as she took my pressure. It was 140/100. She took it again and the doctor took it and then they sent me to the hospital for an evaluation which included serial blood pressure readings and various tests. All the tests came back "stone-cold normal" as my doctor put it. I did not have pre-eclampsia. But the doctor did suggest I take it easy and try ...

References have been made to new believers as spiritual babes who are dependent on easily-digested milk and that over time we should mature and be ready for meatier matters. The thought occurred to me, however, that we might also go through a spiritual teenage-hood during which we fill ourselves up on junk and think we know it all. I’ve been there and hope to goodness that I’m finally emerging from that phase! During that time in my life when I was certain I had all the answers figured out, however, I did what teenagers—physical and spiritual—do: I ran my mouth. A lot. I wasn’t afraid to help everyone out by pointing out where they were obviously wrong and God and I were right. Ah, growing pains stink. Now I’m not saying I have arrived or anything but I am getting better at being slow to speak and quick to hear. I’m playing the Holy Spirit less and opening myself up to God’s guidance instead of filling in the answer to “What would Jesus do?” with my own logic. Recently, however, a fr...

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant. I have been taking pictures every 5 weeks during this pregnancy so I'm due to snap one today. The day that I snapped this one I was wondering if I would have a 35 week one. I've suffered from pre-eclampsia in each of my previous pregnancies. It came on suddenly (due to, I believe, tremendous emotional stress) when I was 37 weeks pregnant with Keeleigh and the doctor induced me immediately. Looking back I can't say that enjoyed one minute of her birth. I had a headache due to my high blood pressure, felt like I was on fire due to the magnesium sulfate that was supposed to lower my blood pressure, and hated the way the epidural made my legs feel. Eventually all of these feelings gave way to nausea and the next thing I remember is looking at my screaming, bloody baby trying not to cry. When I became pregnant with Jathan I believed what everyone including the doctor said, that I wasn't likely to experience pre-eclampsia again. So at around 30 w...