Jesus, take the wheel.

I am out of my depth with this upcoming christening. I was raised in a resolutely atheist family and when I was younger, I was obnoxiously dogmatic (irony, heh) about faith and how stupid it was because COME ON. The earth is only 5000 years old and humans were hunting dinosaurs? Pull the other one.
 
Now though, I have a more gentle view on people who believe in God. I understand the desire to feel that something is presiding over life, and that in times of strife it gives people a lot of comfort to feel that it's all part of some master plan. Then, there's the sense if community that comes with organised religion - though it must be said that in rural Ireland, this can be a double-edged sword. GOSSIP IS THE DEVIL'S RADIO.

But truthfully (and here's where I alienate my non-existent readership for good), I can't shake the notion that it's some sort of cosmic crutch. There doesn't need to be a reason for why we're here. Just being here is amazing enough when one considers that astonishingly complex conditions that have had to align themselves for us to exist. This is usually where my religious friends pipe up that, exactly, impossible coincidence don'tyouthink?! And they raise their eyebrows like "Bet God is making a lot more sense NOW, eh heathen? BOOM!"

Well, no. Nature is pretty fucking complicated you guys. I used to go out with a physicist who explained some of the finer points of the universe and seriously, the symmetry and beauty of our solar system alone is pretty stunning. My point is that there are more plausible and equally beautiful explanations for our existence that don't involve someone using ribs to create women and zombie messiahs.

(Like my new "gentle view"? Look, I'm a lot better than I used to be. It's a process).

So when J and I had our daughter, I casually asked him if he'd want to get her christened, knowing as I do that he is a lapsed Catholic and fully expecting him to snort in derision and the idea. You know what's coming - he said yes. And so it began.
 
Let me track back some years here and touch on my last marriage. I hated his parents and they hated me in equal measure, so any opportunity to stick the boot in was seized by both parties. Childish yeah, but whatever. And the end result was obviously misery on all sides.
 
This time, though, I have a Good Thing going here. I love J's family. His parents are awesome. His brothers and sister are the best aunt and uncles a kid could ask for. And I'm shocked to see that I don't want to rock the boat by deriding their faith and refusing to christen their first grandchild.

And really, if they want to pour a little water over my baby's head at the baptismal font, what do I care? Maybe while they're at it, they can get in her chubby little neck folds where all her milk ends up, festering away. (Flippancy is how I deal with discomfort as you can see). So it's not the ceremony itself that bothers me (though the part where they make us promise to raise her in the Catholic faith skeeves me out; I can't shake the notion that I'll end up shouting "THE HELL I WILL!" and legging it out of the country church).

It's more the far reaching ramifications of all this. A christening today, a confirmation tomorrow, a Catholic school, a NUNNERY?! Where will it end?

When I was back in Ireland in December, J's mother and I paid a visit to the priest to arrange this whole debacle. I have never sat in the kitchen of an Irish country village priest's house, but it was everything you'd expect. One thing that surprised me is he didn't ask why J and I aren't married. Phew. Times, they are a-changing I guess.

After the thing had been arranged for February, we headed into the small town to shop for her christening gown. Apparently, her Rolling Stones logo'd onsie will not do. And so the bizarre world of baby Jesus bride wedding dresses was laid out before my sarcastic eye. These ...THINGS. Highly flammable sateen that feels like the tags sewn into the back of t-shirts, all ruffles and voile and bonnets. One was selected for a handsome sum and I cooed politely. See what I mean? When will this railroad stop?

So here's a question for everyone: have you ever been in a similar situation? At what point does being polite morph into being a pussy and not putting your own views forward as equally important?

I told you I could go on about this one. 

Well slap my face.

Well how about that? I said I'd write a post today about the upcoming Irish baby christening and FAILED. Let the empty promises begin. Today I achieved a trip to the hair dresser for a colour AND I managed to keep baby alive and content so I'm counting today as a win. I really will write a proper post tomorrow because damn, I can go on and ON on this topic. Strap yourselves in friends. Nearly midnight here so I should go to bed but tomorrow, a REAL post. Promise.

First post.

So, here I am again. I used to blog here and there, but always lost momentum a few weeks in. If there's one thing I pretty much rule at, it's half-assing my way through projects. But lately, I've been reading some great blogs and frankly, I could use a place to ramble so free Blogger template it was.

So, who am I? I'm a mother of three children (7, 5, and 3 months), living in Scotland, but originally from Canada. Divorced once, now living in SIN with our new baby. All the women I know keep squealing about "putting a ring on it". Hi, the 50s called and they want their moral outrage back. I mean, I don't have anything against marriage - I did do it - and I'll probably do it again at some point but it really pisses me off that it's still so pivotal to so many women's happiness.

I pretty much guarantee this first post will be clunky as hell, so I apologist for that. I'll get into the swing of things soon enough.

Gracelessly forging ahead - more bio info:

-I'm 32
-My partner is from the west coast of Ireland
-I have a French bulldog who I love (the face! The temperament! The laziness!) and hate (the snoring! The farting! The stupid itchy ears that he drives himself mad scratching!) in equal measures
-I knit. NOT JUST FOR GRANNIES ANYMORE BITCHES

Ok. So what can you expect from this blog? Probably a lot of bitching about these, and other great topics as they occur:

-dealing with an ex husband with whom you have two children
-the daily slog of parenting three little kids (mommybloggers take note: I love my children but this won't be some "every moment is a blessing from God" paean)
-whatever other minutiae I can think of

Aren't you enticed? This shit should be syndicated, I tell you.

I'll write a proper post tomorrow on the subject of our upcoming exodus to Ireland to christen the baby and how much of a drag it is.