Every morning I get to do this with my little blessing:

Autumn:  You know what, Mama?

Me:  What?

A:  I love you!

M:  I love you too!

A:  I love you infinity and beyond!

M:  Aww… you got me…

A:  I got YOU and YOU got ME!

M:  We got each other!

 

Warm and fuzzy.

It just makes sense.

Ignoring a baby’s crying is like using earplugs to stop the distressing noise of a smoke detector. The sound of a smoke detector is meant to alert us to a serious matter that requires a response – and so is the cry of a baby. As Jean Liedloff wrote in The Continuum Concept, “a baby’s cry is precisely as serious as it sounds.”

Stressful though it may be, infant crying should be seen not as a power struggle between parent and child, but as a gift of nature to ensure that all babies can grow to adulthood with a generous capacity for love and trust.

http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/babycries.html

Spiritual renewal.

I have so many mentors to thank for helping me lately – great people I have met that are so willing to help guide me on the path back to God.  I found a neat daily devotional site that I am going to begin following today, too.  I have already increased my daily prayers and thanks, and feel “lightened” up, in just the short time since I realized I needed to invite Him back into my life. 

  **********

Not only am I renewing spiritually, we (as a household) are taking physical exercise a step up too.  With the unpredictible weather here in the Midwest, we haven’t been able to get outside as much as we do in the Spring and Summer, so we’re trying to get the heart beating indoors.  I’ve been very proud of myself, doing 30 mimutes a day of step, jogging, or yoga.  My foot has been giving me just a bit of trouble, but I’m ignoring it.  I’m tired of it getting in the way.  I’ve integrated weights now so that it increases my workout.  Brett has been working with freeweights for quite a while now, so he doesn’t participate with Daddy, me, Justus, and Autumn yet, but he doesn’t need to.   He also runs.

What’s our great motivator?  The Wii Fit!   This thing is really great.  We got it shortly after the holidays and we’re all noticing the positive effects. 

I had my stepdad make a riser for the balance board which really increases the workout – takes it to a whole ‘nuther level, as they say.  So the family has been spending even more time together as we “play” while we exercise!  We already had the sports pack -  which the family delights in beating old Mama at tennis and bowling – and we got the outdoor games too, more active physical fun on a big mat.  One of Autumn’s gifts for her birthday coming up is the Dora Saves the Snow Princess game, which she will LOVE.  We’ve noticed Autumn’s hand-eye coordination really improving too, as she is a pro at boxing and tennis!

So, changes they are a’comin’.  I feel fantastic.  Now if I could just get eight hours of sleep!

There is simply nothing more delicious…

If you’ve never attempted making simple egg noodles, you really should.  It’s not as daunting as it appears – you don’t need any fancy machines, no drying racks, no special equipment.  Flour, eggs, water, and a rolling pin.  I cut mine with a pizza cutter. 

I find myself making these more and more – so much better than the dried pasta chips you get at the store!  Just a little bit of time, and a great idea of what to do with them when you’re done.  They freeze fantastic, and a bundle of noodles made from your heart makes a great gift too.  Give it a shot!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWdCNodGrA8]

back into my life.

I was doing some thinking last night, as I lay in bed nursing Ayla and listening to the sounds of my wonderful family.  I was thanking God for all that He has blessed me with, but I realized I must do more.  I am a Christian, I was saved many many years ago, but I fear I’ve let God get a little away from me. 

Which is sad, because He’s never forgotten me, nor has He ever left my side.  I just think I haven’t been giving Him the attention He deserves.

I don’t like organized religion at all, some personal experiences when I was younger have made that venue impossible.  I just won’t get up early on a Sunday morning, dress in fancy clothing only worn then, and attend a meeting with others, some of whom are just as tired and just as unwilling to be there as I am.  Yeah, I know the majority are willing participants, and that’s fine.  It’s just not for me.  I don’t believe for one millisecond that I have to show up in a building once (or more) a week to prove how much He means to me, to prove my dedication to Him.  My husband was raised Catholic, but he too doesn’t care for organized religion, probably not to the extent that I do, but I’m a good excuse for him to sleep in on Sundays. So that’s a non-issue. 

But I do find myself thanking Him more and more and more each and every week, and I think that’s a clear sign that I’ve been missing something in my life.  For the past couple of years, I’ve noticed that I’ve let some irritation and anger or even hatred and bigotry seep into my heart at rare times, and I think that’s a warning that He’s not filling the spaces that He should be.  I’ve never been one to direct hate at anyone.  I’ve never felt the ugly emotion of jealousy or bigotry. I rarely even get stressed.  But I find I can’t drive down the street without feeling anger at a fellow driver.  Or I can’t shop in a store without getting irritated at another person.   These are a few examples, there are many more.

I never get angry at my own children, however.  I mean, angry beyond a “normal parenting” angry.  That would be crossing a line, and I would have asked for professional help long before now if that was the case.  My children are my life, and I know that is a huge gift from God.

I know now that I really need to take that negative energy and turn it around.  I need to pray more often.  I need to revisit the Bible.  I need to let Him tell me what He needs me to do for Him.  I need to forgive those who have black hearts, they just don’t know better.  I need not pity others for their choices, their actions, I need to help them see the way.   I need to invite God into our home, to the children.  The boys are familiar with the concepts, but not the details.  Brett and I were talking the other day about the Rapture, and he didn’t know what “saved” meant.  I need to sit with Brett and help him invite God into his heart too.  I need to speak with Justus to see if he’s mature enough to understand.  I need to teach the girls to pray.  I need to get God back.

I know I am so blessed.  I do not take it for granted, not for a minute.  I know God was watching me when he gave me four perfect, healthy children.  When he gave me a loving, devoted husband.  When he gave us all the means to serve Him.  I need to recapture the peace, the love, the hope, the serenity of having God lead the way for our entire family, and I’m getting excited at the prospect.

Last night, I caught a moment of the Oscars, when the producer or director (I’m so sorry, I don’t know who) of Slumdog Millionaire was accepting an award.  He said some words that stuck with me - “When you get up in the morning, you can choose to hate or to love.  I choose to love”.  These are my new words to live by.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Shredded potatos (I make mine the night before in the food processor, then soak overnight in cold salt water in the refrigerator, but you can make them that morning too!), eggs, bacon or other meat of your choice, any vegetables and spices you like, and grated cheese.  The beauty of “Garbage” is that you can clean out the leftovers and put it all in! 

How much will you need?  Depends.  For my family of six (including a teenage boy!), I use about 5 medium potatos, 6-8 eggs, a small onion, two cloves of garlic, a pound of bacon, and two or three cups of cheese.  Depends on how much “garbage” is put in – I know by filling my large griddle, I have six hearty meals.  My favorite spices for this meal are seasoned salt, basil, oregano, S&P, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Depends on my mood.

I prefer to cut or slice up the bacon before I fry it (and then drain it on papertowels):

Brown the potatos in a little bit of the leftover bacon grease.  I also put grated onions and garlic in front to roast a bit, before mixing them into the finished potatos:

Now the fun begins.  Toss on the garbage!  I add bacon or sausage, sometimes if I have leftover meatloaf or steak or chicken it goes in either in place of the bacon or with it.  Diced tomatos, onions, peppers, mushrooms, whatever your heart desires.  Toss it all on top and stir a bit:

Now pour the slightly beaten eggs over the top:

Stir a bit to ensure the eggs are cooked, then sprinkle the cheese of your choice over the top (we prefer Cheddar):

(hat tip to Rixa, once again!)

From the article:

For many pregnant women in America, it is easier today to walk into a hospital and request major abdominal surgery than it is to give birth as nature intended. Jessica Barton knows this all too well. At 33, the curriculum developer in Santa Barbara, Calif., is expecting her second child in June. But since her first child ended up being delivered by cesarean section, she can’t find an obstetrician in her county who will let her even try to push this go-round. And she could locate only one doctor in nearby Ventura County who allows the option of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). But what if he’s not on call the day she goes into labor? That’s why, in order to give birth the old-fashioned way, Barton is planning to go to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. “One of my biggest worries is the 100-mile drive to the hospital,” she says. “It can take from 2 to 3 1/2 hours. I know it will be uncomfortable, and I worry about waiting too long and giving birth in the car.”

Much ado has been made recently of women who choose to have cesareans, but little attention has been paid to the vast number of moms who are forced to have them. More than 9 out of 10 births following a C-section are now surgical deliveries, proving that “once a cesarean, always a cesarean”–an axiom thought to be outmoded in the 1990s–is alive and kicking. Indeed, the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), a grass-roots group, recently called 2,850 hospitals that have labor and delivery wards and found that 28% of them don’t allow VBACs, up from 10% in its previous survey, in 2004. ICAN’s latest findings note that another 21% of hospitals have what it calls “de facto bans,” i.e., the hospitals have no official policies against VBAC, but no obstetricians will perform them.

Read the rest of the article here.

 

Rixa asks all of us:

I feel that access to VBAC is one of the most pressing maternity care issues in this country, along with the disturbingly high cesarean rate (31.1% as of 2006). Please advertise this article widely, making sure to link to the original article on Time’s website. The more traffic it gets, the longer it will remain online.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?fc_c=1353420×2841319x146360156&id=30761

A 2008 report by the Culture and Media Institute, “Unmasking the Myths Behind the Fairness Doctrine,” provides striking evidence that liberals dominate all but talk radio:

• Broadcast TV news (liberal, 42.1 million daily viewers vs. 0 conservative)
• Top 25 newspapers (liberal 11.7 million circulation vs. 1.3 million conservative)
• Cable TV news (liberal 182.8 viewers per month vs. 61.6 million conservative)
• Major newsweeklies (liberal 8.5 million weekly circulation vs. 0 conservative)

Conservative talk radio has an estimated weekly audience of 87 million listeners vs. liberal programs reaching 24.5 million. The top 13 talk shows are all hosted by conservatives such as Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin. Only four liberal talk show hosts even crack the top 20: Ed Schultz (14) Alan Colmes (17), Thom Hartmann (18) and Lionel (20). Liberal radio network Air America is on life support.

The American people still have a Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech. But it will become much less meaningful if a revived Fairness Doctrine or its equivalent deprives them of the freedom to listen.

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