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Hey Everyone,

So, if you missed Part, it’s here.

Joy - she’s better today. She started looking like herself again this afternoon. And I’m glad - glad that she’s getting better, and glad that I won’t have to wear both hats much longer. I don’t see how single moms (or Dads for that matter) do it. Period.

Did you ever see the old Brady Bunch episode where Mr. and Mrs. Brady traded jobs? They were both convinced that each worked harder than the other so they switched roles. It ends with Mr. and Mrs. Brady slowly creeping away from the dining room table and up the stairs to go to bed. Alice (the live-in housekeeper) is clearing away the dishes, taking them from the dining room table to the kitchen - and everytime she walks through she says “Good night Mr. and Mrs. Brady”. A few seconds later, she’s coming through with another load of dishes in her arms and says “Good night Mr. and Mrs. Brady” … hardly noticing that they’ve only managed to walk a few steps because they are both so stinkin’ SORE from working so stinkin’ HARD. This goes on 5 or 6 times before they finally yell “Alice!” … and she hushes up.

I’d like to invite you to look at the timeline between 9:00 and 10:00 AM in Part 1. I kid you not … I could easily keep a timeline like that for every hour that I was Mr. Mom that last 2-1/2 days.

Andrew, at nearly 2 years old - is wild, crazy, loud, into everything, and dangerous. He’s fallen off the kitchen chairs. He’s fallen off the coffee table and almost fell off the dining room table. You might say “what in the world is he DOING UP THERE!?’. That’s what I say. Trust me, this 2-year old has full revelation of “Spare the rod, spoil the child” … the spanker is no stranger to him. But he’s 2. He is already beating up his sister, and she’s nearly 4.

Andrew shut his finger in a closet door today. At any given time when the baby gate comes down, he tears in and climbs up on the piano bench and starts playing. (reminds me of his Daddy)

Lunch time? Geez - how ’bout a peanut butter and jelly. Don’t forget to cut off the crust. Mommie doesn’t make it like that. Oh, you don’t like peanut butter and jelly? You require something different? It’s like these kids need their own personal chef. Yet, I see Joy just loving on them, fixing them what they like, keeping healthy things around … even though it’s more trouble … she is so great with them.

And homework … what homework? You mean my 7 and 5 year old don’t automatically just take care of that? I think the teachers are ready for Joy to be well again … who knows what they have missed.

I thought I was a good multi-tasker. I can be on the phone, IM’ing, updating Twitter, and planning a worship team at the same time. In my E-Biz, I can have multiple tabs open in Firefox browser - one uploading new inventory, one downloading order logs, another where I’m printing packing slips, another where I’m printing labels. Piece of cake -

Try doing any of that with a “daddy, I need you” ever 20.3 seconds. Better yet - put them ALL in the bed, asleep - and it’s just you … and try preheating the oven, putting in the waffles, getting out the butter, warming up the syrup, getting the kids to the table, not forgetting that waffles are still in the oven, picking up a baby who falls over, and harassing the ones straggling behind who still aren’t at the table. Then, you finally get it done and sit down to enjoy your own breakfast, only to hear “I don’t have anything to drink”. Oh, drinks. That’s right - they need drinks.

The good news is …. Joy seems to be doing much better. The antibiotics seem to be working.

The bad news is …. Rebekah has 101 fever tonight .. I pray this is not sweeping through the house.

Allz I know is … I’m ready to GO BACK TO WORK.

Dads … don’t wait ’til Mother’s Day to appreciate all the work your wife does for you … seriously, this woman pays her dues in 1 hour and your day at the office is a walk in the park.

Enjoy!?
Fred

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Joy rarely gets sick. Even when she does get sick, you can’t tell. She doesn’t complain. I’m a wimp. If I have one tiny bit of fever, I feel like it’s time for the hospital. Not Joy - she’s incredibly tough. Maybe that’s because she’s a leukemia survivor … she’s been through it.

So Joy started feeling kinda rough on Saturday - aches, sore throat. She made it to church yesterday (Sunday), but crashed as soon as it was over and didn’t come out of the room the rest of the day. When Joy won’t get out bed, she must feel REALLY bad. In 9+ years of marriage, I don’t think she’s ever been “in bed, sick” more than a couple of times.

I guess it must be strep or something … she’s definitely got fever, aches, a horrific sore throat, and no energy. She just lays in the bed, zonked out .. wiped out.

So, today I called in and asked to work from home so I could let her rest … I’ll take Joy’s place today. I’ll TRY and get some work done today … I typically work from my studio, which is upstairs. I have to leave the door open so I can keep listening out for the kids, but I have to put a baby gate on the door or Andrew will just come in and pull everything off the shelves and bang on the piano relentlessly.

Just for laughs, I’m going to journal throughout the day what life is like for a mom with 4 little ones … at least, the best I can.

So … today I will:

6:00 AM - Bible Study and quiet time …
7:00 AM - Get kids up, dressed, feed them breakfast, teeth brushed, get the older two out to school.
8:00 AM - get home from taking kids to school, help Rebekah get dressed, change Andrew’s diaper.
[insert multiple times climbing the baby gate, going downstairs to fix juice, find out who is crying, check on kids]

9:20 - Rebekah wants juice, and Andrew keeps messing with the TV.
9:29 - Rebekah interrupts again, saying Andrew keeps pushing the buttons on the TV, messing up Strawberry Shortcake”.
9:32 - Rebekah still standing at the baby gate outside my office talking, informs me “Andrew is stinky” .. “ooh, Andrew you are stinky”. “Daddy Daddy, now Andrew closed the door … Daddy”.
9:57 - Ok, so I’ve climbed the baby gate and answered questions, said “no” to more juice several times, gotten out some raisins, and pulled Andrew out of the bathroom where he was pulling everything out, and then he was mashing the buttons on the microwave .. so me thinks two things … (1) I pretty much will write off doing anything productive today, and (2) I pretty much will maybe update this hourly or a few more times throughout the day - the minute-by-minute chronology is .. well, no time for that, but I promise I could update this timeline by the minute.
10:20 - kiddos are wrestling, laughing, and screaming in the playroom - having the time of their live - problem is, that will keep Joy awake .. so upstairs they come to play in the bedroom.
11:00 - Joy comes forth … a quick appearance just to say “hi” .. she’s shivering cold … back to bed now .. only showing up makes Andrew cry for his mommie. Nothing will settle him down except letting him in my office to play the piano. We’ll go to lunch in a few!
11:30 - let’s get these two kiddos out of the house and to McD’s for some lunch.  Jon Michael and Will will be home from school around 2:30.

Stay tuned for Part 2 …

• Comments (9)

Hey Everyone,

HOORAY - Finally, a video worship confessional again. Yeah, yeah, too long - what’s new. Topping 11:00 is ridiculuos … I blame it on Bo.

Anyway, the “TextFessional” style has also proved helpful to some, so here’s a run-down of the lineup, followed by the video.

Walk In: I’m Not Ashamed (iTunes), complete with steel drum sounds and calypso beat
Song #1: Lord Reign In Me (iTunes), led by Kim Dixon
Song #2: See His Love (iTunes), led by Fred (me!)
Song #3: Sing to the King (iTunes), group led
Song #4: With All I Am (iTunes), led by Kim Dixon
Song #5: Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone (iTunes), led by Brent Barbee

Continuing in the “Face to Face” series …
I know we must’ve had at least a dozen or more salvations. David preached a piercing message called “Nic at Night” about Nicodemus and his “Face to Face” encounter. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again”. It was a clear, strong evangelistic message today, and as suspected people responded, committing their lives to Christ.

You can listen to the sermon on our SSCC Podcast.

Finally, the Worship Confessional Video:

How was YOUR Sunday?
Fred

• Comments (8)

Hey Ya’ll,

So, I’ve had a trusty Palm Treo 650 for a long time. I’ve never kept a cell phone this long. It’s an incredible piece of equipment. Over the last 6 months, my trusty Treo 650 started wearing out. The screws keep falling out of the back. The antenna is loose. It won’t hotsync to my computer anymore unless I push the cable in perfectly, hold my breath, stand on one leg, and hold my breath. This is only because the hotsync port is just worn out from use.

So, I started thinking it was time to upgrade. I constantly get these “new every two” promotions from Verizon because it’s been way more than two years since I bought the Treo 650 - so I’m no longer “under contract”. Of course, if Verizon would carry Apple’s iPhone, I would’ve jumped immediately. Unfortunately, AT&T (Cingular) and their 5-year exclusive on the iPhone is a bad deal for an Apple lover like myself, as AT&T’s cellular service around here is not so great.

I got a promotional mailing the other day offering about $250 in discounts if I’d renew my 2-year contract. In our area (and most other areas I’ve ever been), Verizon has the best network easily. So, since Verizon won’t have the iPhone for a long time, I’m not afraid of a new 2-year agreement so I headed down to the Verizon store. These trips take me HOURS - I don’t walk in and walk out - I ask a ka-zillion questions, work on bargains, work more on more discounts, and drive the sales people crazy.

That being said, I renewed my contract and walked away with a sleek, cool new Verizon Blackberry Pearl RIM 8130. The Pearl was sexy and I’d never had a Blackberry before. With all the discounts and rebates, it was free. Right away I knew it was going to be a tough transition - it was totally different than the Palm OS.

I tried it for about a week. I gave it my best. There were things about the Blackberry I loved … and several things I didn’t like at all. About a day after I brought the Blackberry Pearl (RIM 8130 model) home, Jay and Brooke mentioned that Verizon had released a new Palm Treo 755p. What? I didn’t see one at the store!?

So, I called Verizon a couple of days ago (after spending a few hours researching the new Treo 755 online) and the reason I didn’t see it was because they hadn’t even gotten them in yet, but they had just received a few … they weren’t even on display yet, but were in the back.

It took me about 1 second to realize that I wanted the Treo 755 over the Blackberry Pearl. The problem was - the Pearl was free. The 755 was $250.00.

Well, all I can say is that with the right discount codes, favor from God and some work - I walked away with a brand new Palm Treo 755p for $50.00. (and of course, a new 2-year agreement with Verizon).

Granted, almost all of the reviews I read of the 755 were lackluster. Nothing great - everyone is upset that Palm hasn’t updated their OS in years. I can understand that. But the features it offers and stability it has is fine for me - especially when my Treo 650 was on it’s last legs for a heavy user like myself.

So here’s the showdown - what I liked and didn’t like:

Verizon BlackBerry Pearl RIM 8130 versus Verizon Palm Treo 755p

1. Bible Software: WINNER - Treo 755p
   No MyBible or DailyReader from Laridian available on Blackberry: This was the biggest issue for me. I have used “MyBible” and “DailyReader” by Laridian for my daily bible reading schedule, etc., for years. Athough there are a few decent Bible packages for the BlackBerry, nothing remotely comparable to the MyBible/DailyReader combination. I missed it terribly.
2. SMS/Text Messaging: WINNER - Treo 755p
   The PalmOS “threads” incoming/outgoing SMS/text messages to and from the same person into one place. The BlackBerry makes every incoming and outgoing message a new message. So, if you have no messages in your BlackBerry, and then SEND an outgoing SMS … you now have a message in your message folder - YOUR own outgoing one .. and unless you want to see your own sent message, you have to DELETE it. Get a reply - boom, that’s a 2nd message. Send a reply - there’s a 3rd message. On the Palm, they all show up in one line “Chat Thread with …” which you can click and see the entire conversation in one place. Palm OS also keeps your “Sent” messages in a “Sent” folder instead of making you see them in your main inbox.
3. Email: WINNER: Treo 755p … but could be Blackberry Pearl RIM 8130 …
   Perhaps one of the things most loved about Blackberry is the way your email is “pushed” onto the device. I get tons of email, so this was overwhelming. Yes, I could turn it off … but it wasn’t manageable for me. I’d much rather use the VersaMail (or I’m trying a premium 3rd party app called SnapperMail now) so I can check my email when/if I need to … and ONLY then.
4. Keyboard: WINNER - Treo 755p
   The Treo has a full QWERTY keyboard. The BlackBerry has two letters on each key - so you have to learn how to hit a key twice to get the other letter, or rely on their “intelligent” typing which figures out which word you’re typing and fills it in for you. Actually, I got rather use to this quickly, and it was the last of my worries. I did miss the full QWERTY keyboard though, and have it back now on the Palm 755p.
5. Looks and Feel: WINNER - Blackberry Pearl RIM 8310
   Like I said, that Pearl was just sexy, period. The new Palm is cool, smaller, has no antenna, and is lighter than my old clunker Treo 650, but the Blackberry was light as a feather. It had a flashy chrome/steel look that was just “new”.
6. Sync: WINNER - Tie
   Using MarkSpace.Com’s MissingSync software, both phones sync’d beautifully to my Mac.
7. Interface: WINNER - Treo 755p
   It’s only the winner for me because I prefer to push, touch, and press (with a stylus) … that scroll wheel on the Blackberry was just weird for me … it felt cheap and loose, and seemed dirty.
8. Media: TOSS UP
   I can’t really call a Winner here because Blackberry doesn’t allow you to shoot video until you have a MicroSD card. I bought one on Ebay the other day, but it hasn’t arrived yet. The camera on the Blackberry Pearl is clearly better than the camera on the Palm Treo 755. But I like that you can shoot video on the Palm and store it in the internal memory if you don’t have a Micro SD card. So, it’s a toss up - 2.0 MP camera on the Blackberry was better, but storage on the palm was better.

I could go on .. I doubt many of my regular blog readers made it this far .. haha, but who knows, if people search for comparisons via Google, they just might find this post.

When it’s all said and done - it was just too hard for a guy who has been on the Palm OS for 4+ years to convert to Blackberry. Both work well, but I’m confident I’ve got the phone I wanted now. I’ll still miss my old Treo 650 - it was (and still is considered by many) to be the best yet. They moved the “home” and “menu” button on the 755p, so I find myself accidentally dialing the voicemail all the time now, until I get used to the new keyboard layout on the Treo 755p.

So there’s my unusual tech round up.

Now for the comments - what type of cell phone, PDA, etc., are you using these days? How do you use it in your daily life? Do you sync you calendar, contacts, ToDo, pics, videos, etc? Let us know!

Fred

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