Wish I Had More Time

There are lots of issues I'd love to sift through in my head and heart by writing more deeply here on my blog. Unfortunately, this season in life isn't that conducive. Even now, I'm typing with my right hand only while sitting with a sleeping one-year-old draped over my left shoulder and my left hand comforting his back. Today has been another clingy one but hopefully the 4th of his first round of molars will be completely through within the next day or so (making a total of 12 teeth!) I feel quite sure if I tried passing him to someone else or tried putting him on the bed, he'd be awake & grumpy for sure. These teething naps just aren't very deep.

Soooo, I'm typing this little bit now and reading through my blog reader while I have a moment. It was the reading of this post over at Amy's Humble Musings that prompted me to even write now. I love writing about subjects near to my heart (like Amy's that was SO well-done!!!) but my chunks of time for coherent thought are much slimmer than my waistline. That's why I've resorted to so many links lately.

As I watch the clock march forward, I'm struggling with "just" sitting here knowing the kitchen needs cleaning, I have schoolwork to grade, a shower to take, and grocery list to make. But this baby REALLY needs this overdue nap. And the rest of us REALLY need to make sure he gets it before church.

Oh goodie! He-Man just brought me my very loud cell phone screaming out Toby Mac's Boomin' ringtone. (Missed the call, though. Sorry whoever that was!) That means I'm no longer holding a napper, I'm comforting a nursing teether. Gotta change these cool ringtones to something not so....boomin'.

I am so impressed with how much I typed this time! Y'all better comment so I know it was worth it!

Painful Laughter

Did anyone else double over in painful, gut-splitting, throat-sore-ing, tear-rolling laughter Saturday night when watching this clip?

Thank goodness we could pause it during the pain!

ETA: embedded video

Tornatows

If you Google "tornatow", my blog is the first English-speaking one to come up! I actually get a bunch of hits from this. What a stat!

I talked to a friend from P'ville today that was witness to the twister that hit there a couple of weeks ago. She explained, in response to my question, that they do INDEED sound like trains. I asked if it sounded like, the "woo woo" of a train whistle or if it was a "chugga chugga" sound. I wasn't being smart alecky but wanted to know what sound meant "Run for cover!"

Her description said that it was like the low "whoooo whoooo" of a train bearing down on you. Gave me the willies. Please, Lord, I don't need to hear it in person.

Hope Monday doesn't bring us any reason to write more about tornatows.

SCORE!

3 things worth a little "whoo hoo" and exclamation mark over the past few days:

--43 great items of clothing for $41 during 75% off day at my fave consignment sale!
--all kids did great at first day of ball practices!
--nearly 100 people (at least 92) saw our showing of The Business of Being Born Tuesday night!



The blog has been really difficult to maintain these days. Thanks for checking in with it anyway! Maybe I'll have bigger chunks of time and attention in the near future.

Say No To Drugs

It's just not worth the risk to let your first choice be drugs when so many health benefits & improvements can occur by seriously pursuing a wellness-focused lifestyle.

CNN On C-Sections

A very good 3-minute-ish video from CNN.

By The Way

Yes, today is the day I'll be in a whirlwind of activity at the State House & BoBB screening but, for some reason, I felt it necessary to update you guys on the latest from my Wheel of Fortune pursuits.

After not hearing from the producers about a call-back, I reluctantly googled for information about others who auditioned for the Alabama round of play. What I found saddened, but didn't surprise me.

Call-back auditions were held February 11th. And I wasn't invited.

Guess I'll be sticking to this retro, hand-held version (we really have one!) if I want to buy my own vowels.

The Delivery Debate

In Newsweek -- mentions The Business of Being Born!

Kids In Crises

I assure you...I am NOT making fun of the Prattville tornadoes and I am NOT taking lightly how serious the recovery situation is in that area...

HOWEVER :)

Since there were no deaths and since the kid in this picture is smiling and appears to be healthy and strong, I just had to laugh at the "Kids In Crises" headline captioning it on the front page of yesterday's Montgomery Advertiser. I laughed because I thought, "This poor kid IS in crises! Sweet child doesn't have anything to wear but Auburn clothes! Tsk, tsk!"

Anniston Star Article

Whoo hoo!

FROM TODAY'S ANNISTON STAR:
Unexpected ally boosts midwifery bill
By Markeshia Ricks
Star Capitol Correspondent
02-22-2008

MONTGOMERY — A bill that would recognize and license certified professional midwives in Alabama received a boost Thursday from an unlikely ally: a retired physician.

During a public hearing on the matter in the Senate, Sen. Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, voiced his support for moving the legislation forward.
Griffith, a radiation oncologist and deputy chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said there is no scientific basis for continuing to block certified professional midwives from practicing in Alabama.

Many of the objections to certified professional midwives are theoretical, he said.
"I believe if 22 other states have midwives and after 15 or 20 years they have not rescinded their programs it is because it's safe," he said. "This shouldn't be an issue."

Griffith said that considering the health needs among Alabama's more than 600,000 uninsured people and its high infant-mortality rate, the state's existing health-care providers have had long enough to fix things.

Dr. Don Williamson, state health officer, said one of the solutions to reducing Alabama's high infant-mortality rate is expanding prenatal care through physicians, not licensing midwives.

"There is a reason that the other 26 states haven't done this," he said. "My fear is that we would lose even one baby or one mama because we did this."

Griffith said having the option of using a certified professional midwife would be an opportunity to deliver better health care through collaboration among professionals.

"What I want to see among health-care providers is cooperation, not turf wars and boundary issues because you don't like how someone was trained or because you went to school longer than they did," he said.

Dr. Tom Kincer, a family practice physician and director of Montgomery Family Medicine Residency, said the bill does not foster collaboration, and if it passes he believes physicians will resist working with certified professional midwives.
"There are already certified nurse midwives and they work in hospitals," he said. "The liability is an issue, but under-training is also a concern. I believe observing and participating in 40 deliveries is not enough training."

Dr. Lawrence Jones of Anniston OB/GYN said he believes hospital births are best and he has reservations about even a physician performing an out-of-hospital delivery.
"A lot of the complications of pregnancy can happen all of a sudden during labor," said Jones, who recently moved to Anniston after practicing medicine for 26 years in Nebraska, where lay midwifery is illegal. "With a certified nurse midwife, I don't think I would have trouble working with someone like that, but I don't think I would stick my neck out that far for a lay midwife."

Committee chairwoman Sen. Linda Coleman, D-Birmingham, said the committee would vote on the bill at a later date. She said she hopes the two sides can find some middle ground before the bill is taken up again. Coleman is also the sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

Jennifer Crook Moore, president of the Alabama Birth Coalition, said this is the first time the bill has had a committee member advocate so strongly for it. The House version of the bill was postponed indefinitely earlier this month. "It definitely gives us more hope," Moore said.

The Alabama Birth Coalition will march and then rally at the State House Feb. 26, starting at 11:30 a.m. The coalition also will host a screening of the Ricki Lake film, "The Business of Being Born," at the Capri Theatre in Montgomery.

State House Testimony

You might remember that I said yesterday's efforts at the State House were really GREAT. Today, I'd like to share with you just a teeny morsel of why it was so awesome!

I wish I could post all of the AMAZING advocacy given by the SENATORS for our bill but the notes are just entirely too long. Instead, I will post this. The following is the testimony given in favor of SB 240 :

(I doubt the Moms giving these testimonies would mind their names being attached online but since I've always been funny about it myself, I have removed their last names.)

TESTIMONY 1
Good morning, my name is Cristy _____ and I am a mother of 4 with our 5th blessing on the way, set to arrive in May. My husband and I have been married 9 years and reside in Birmingham.

We are the typical middle class family. We have a house near downtown Bham, two cars, too many toys for the kids to play with, a swing set in the back yard and of course a dog.

Recently, my husband, who has his masters in divinity from Baylor University and who pastors our church downtown was approached by the state to create a non-profit program to help men transition from prison back into society. We accepted their request and thus had to change insurance carriers to eliminate add’l cash outflow, as we started the non-profit with our savings account.

Well, along came our 5th little one and to our surprise our new insurance policy does not cover maternity services for 365 days, and as you can see we can’t wait that long!

We are not quite sure what to do at this point;
1) We can birth unmedicated at the hospital and expect to pay $8-$10,000 out of pocket.

2) We could drive to TN to hire a midwife who is state licensed, but with 4 hour labors we do not feel that is a wise option to spend 2-3 hours of it on the road.

3) We could hire a Certified Professional Midwife who *might* be willing attend us at home, while risking the chance of being arrested and thrown in jail.

4) Or we can have this baby at home with no professional assistance--not an option my husband is thrilled about.

And we are a middle class, well-educated, conservative family. Our family has access to 5 hospitals within a 2-mile radius of our home, yet we can't afford to birth with any of them.

Restricted access to maternity care in Alabama has many faces. The personal one I just shared-- the family who lives in one of the 31 counties with NO hospital maternity services-- the family who is one of the 650,000 Alabamians with NO health insurance-- the family who can’t attend birth classes or prenatal appts. b/c they have limited or no transportation…the list goes on…

The opposition would like to squash this legislation and they would like to incite fear in you all that the risk of homebirth is simply too great. That midwifery care is simply too outdated or not professional enough. Yet they have given you no evidence-based research …just fear-driven opinion.

Senators, there is NO scientific evidence to suggest that planned home births with a qualified attendant is any more dangerous that a low-risk hospital birth. You can refer to tab 3 in your Reference Guide that provides pages upon pages of documented research. The scientific evidence suggest that midwives who possess the CPM credential provide excellent and professional care AND is demonstrated by their national infant mortality rate. (Hold-up and Read the rates from hand-out).

Families in Alabama deserve access to maternity care. Hospitals are closing their doors in rural counties and physicians are flooding the more lucrative, metropolitan areas.

There is a great passage in the Bible from Proverbs 31 that says, "8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Today, I am humbly asking you to see the fear tactics for what they are and to choose instead to consider the scientific evidence and be a powerful voice for those who are looking to you for help.
Thank you!


Testimony 2
Good Morning. Thank you all for the opportunity to address you today regarding SB240. My name is Jennifer Moore. I am a Certified Professional Midwife living in Birmingham and licensed in Tennessee. I hold an MA and a Master’s of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health. I am also the President of the Alabama Birth Coalition and as such, am here today representing hundreds of Alabama families who are demanding access to state regulated Certified Professional Midwives.

I’d like to take just a minute to address one point with you. Our opposition refers to us as “lay” midwives. I’ve checked every dictionary in my home, and we have a lot of them because my husband is a professor. And they all say that “lay” means untrained, unskilled, unprofessional. I take exception to that because I trained for five years to obtain the CPM credential. I am not untrained or unskilled.

This morning I would like to draw your attention to two documents that should answer the majority of questions you have about SB240. The first is the Legislator’s Reference Guide. In it you will find answers to most issues regarding the licensure of Certified Professional Midwives. For example, you’ll find answers to questions of safety at tab 3, education at tab 5, and malpractice at tab 6. Members of the Alabama Birth Coalition are eager to discuss with you any questions you may have that are not fully addressed in this guide.

The other document, SB240 Discussion Points, is intended to answer your questions about the bill itself. In this overview of the bill, you will find an outline of every section and provision of the bill, and an interpretation, where needed, of specific provisions. SB240 has been over 5 years in the making, and is the result of many meetings with midwives, parents, and our opposition. Italicized text indicates our response to concerns or objections that have been raised.

If you’d please look at the section explaining the definitions, there is one final point I’d like to make. Under the definition of Licensed Midwife, you will find an explanation of the Certified Professional Midwife credential. We selected this credential as the single qualification for a Licensed Midwife for several reasons.

1. The CPM is the only credential that requires training in the knowledge and skills unique to out-of-hospital birth. Twenty-two of the 24 states which regulate out-of-hospital midwives also use this credential. No state has ever rescinded their midwifery program.

2. The credential is legally defensible and psychometrically sound, which reduces the costs of the regulatory process for the state.

3. Using the CPM as the basis for licensure eliminates the state’s responsibility and liability for all aspects of certification, including the ongoing psychometric evaluation of the written examination.

Thank you for your time and your willingness to consider this important piece of legislation.

Testimony 3
My name is Lisa _____. I am a mother of four and I live in Huntsville.

In 2006, AL’s infant mortality rate was 9.0. The Department of Public Health has identified five factors contributing to Alabama’s rising infant mortality rate: low birth weight; teen pregnancies; mother's health status; high rates of smoking, especially among young women; and lack of health insurance. Senator Coleman recommended last week that we find a mother on Medicaid who used a midwife to testify today. We were unable to do so. But I hope to convey to you some of the obstacles poor mothers face in receiving maternity care, and ways midwives could positively address those barriers.

My third pregnancy was covered by Medicaid. At the time, I was living with my in-laws. To get to a prenatal appointment I had to load up my one- and two-year old children and take my mother-in-law to work so that I had a way to get to the clinic. At the health clinic, we waited an average of 2 hours before I was seen. At every visit, nurses questioned why I was having my children so close together. It was clear they didn’t believe my answer that I was using birth control every time I became pregnant. That was one of many things I felt judged for. Why was I living with my in-laws? Why didn’t I get a job? Why did I care so much about natural childbirth? I hated prenatal appointments. I always left feeling like dirt.

Compared to some mothers, however, I was lucky. At least I had a car, and didn’t have to drive a long distance to the appointments. I spoke English, and so did the nurses. I was allowed to bring my children, and didn’t have to find child care I couldn’t afford. All of these issues can be huge hurdles to a mother receiving prenatal care. If a woman has to work so hard to get to the appointment, only to be treated with disrespect, it’s easy to see why our percentage of less than adequate prenatal care is highest in poor counties. And this is where midwifery care could make a real difference. I give my time to this cause because my midwives shared with me their time, their skill and their wisdom. Above all else, they respected me and their respect motivated me to care for myself better during pregnancy than any other time in my life.

I don’t intend to suggest that midwives are the solution to our high infant mortality rate. It would be difficult to overcome the perception that midwives equal racism and poverty. Furthermore, the number of women who will ever choose home birth with a midwife is very low. Just .3% of Alabama births in 2006 occurred outside a hospital. Nationwide the rate is about 1%. Given the low numbers of out-of-hospital births, and the very different kind of care midwives provide, I contend that Dr. Williamson’s claim midwives at home births will increase our infant mortality rate is not based on evidence. In fact, under tab 8 of your reference guide, you can see that in licensed states which track out-of-hospital perinatal and neonatal mortality rates, they are 45 to 85% lower than overall state rates.

The Best Thing About Cold, Rainy Days...

Is coming home from them...and putting on cozy lounge clothes...including fuzzy socks...ahh.

Actually, over the past week, it's just been nice to come home period! It's been a busy lobbying week but it's been good. I look forward to being a full-time SAHM again, though.

Today was a TOTALLY awesome day down at the State House. We ain't dead yet! Muahahahaha!

My brain is SO sleepy. I feel a little buzz in fact. Not a good buzz...a fuzziness. A feeling I should probably not be blogging through.

I know y'all have missed me so I thought I'd make this post tonight. Aren't you glad I did?

Night, night.

Late For Alabama

But still a good resource.

I just wish more info was out there when there was still time.

http://www.christiansforronpaul.com/

I Don't Have Time To Write Intelligent Posts

But there's (almost) always time to post a cute picture!

Wow.

The Fastest Year Of My Life!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Letter To The Editor

In response to the T-Town editorial.

So cool.

Sorry For All The Links & Stuff - A Little Update

I know I haven't written much personal stuff lately. I've had some things I could tell you about but then you'd think less of me so I've decided to just skip it.

Seriously, I've been pretty wrapped up in homeschooling (more tweaking needed and enacted today), lobbying, BoBB planning, house-selling, church-stuff-ing, etc. and just haven't done a good job blogging. Sorry.

I REALLY need to get an even better video of Captain walking because it is ADORABLE. He walks everywhere now and it's so darn cute!

Softball & baseball & T-ball sign-ups are this weekend! Here we go! Four playing this year!

Birthdays start next week on the 13th (Captain's) and run through June 22 (Rocky's.) Five kids' birthdays in 5 months. Good times! And, as the paragraph/sentence above states...right in the middle of ball season!

And did I mention lobbying? Yeah...AT LEAST once a month I will lobby at the State House for HB314 and SB240 (same bill presented in House & Senate.)

Thankfully, the children's musical ends this month, my creative movement group works through Easter, and the Adolescence class I'm going to teach only runs for 6 weeks. After those, please make me say 'no.'

I'm sad that I actually DID say 'no' to working at the kids' consignment sale this year. WAH! I will miss the perks that go along with that. I will be selling, though. Need the money for buying the next round of clothing for the kids!

Our house WILL SELL, ya know! The Redland Road Elementary School had its groundbreaking today. THAT is important!

God is working in my life.

OH! One of the coolest things we're doing right now is reading the Bible in a year. We're using this system and have been perfectly consistent so far (and praying to be able to continue, in Jesus' name!) We read one section silently while all sitting together (Psalms so far,) then turn to the OT "history" where Henry & I read (Genesis and starting Exodus this weekend) and finish with New Testament (Luke & Hebrews so far) where the kids each read portions. Of course, we've not completed any of those books so far but the schedule has taken us through large chunks of them. It's REALLY cool. I'm excited to know the kids will have already read the ENTIRE Bible at such young ages, by the end of this year! Isn't that awesome?

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

Good Point

The last sentence in this blog post asks a great question...

ACOG - A Trade Union - Not a Consumer Group

PushNews from The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
CONTACT: Steff Hedenkamp, (816) 506-4630, RedQuill@kc.rr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 7, 2008
ACOG: Out of Touch with Needs of Childbearing Families
Trade Union claims out-of-hospital birth is “trendy;”
tries to play the “bad mother” card


(February 7, 2008) — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a trade union representing the financial and professional interests of obstetricians, has issued the latest in a series of statements condemning families who choose home birth and calling on policy makers to deny them access to Certified Professional Midwives. CPMs are trained as experts in out-of-hospital delivery and as specialists in risk assessment and preventative care.
“It will certainly come as news to the Amish and other groups in this country who have long chosen home birth that they’re simply being ‘trendy’ or ‘fashionable,’” said Katie Prown, PhD, Campaign Manager of The Big Push for Midwives 2008. “The fact is, families deliver their babies at home for a variety of very valid reasons, either because they’re exercising their religious freedom, following their cultural traditions or because of financial need. These families deserve access to safe, quality and affordable maternity care, just like everyone else.”


Besides referring to home birth as a fashionable “trend” and a “cause célèbre” that families choose out of ignorance, ACOG’s latest statement adds insult to injury by claiming that women delivering outside of the hospital are bad mothers who value the childbirth “experience” over the safety of their babies.



“ACOG has it backwards,” said Steff Hedenkamp, Communications Coordinator of The Big Push and the mother of two children born at home. “I delivered my babies with a trained, skilled professional midwife because I wanted the safest out-of-hospital care possible. If every state were to follow ACOG’s recommendations and outlaw CPMs, families who choose home birth will be left with no care providers at all. I think we can all agree that this is an irresponsible policy that puts mothers and babies at risk.”


The Big Push for Midwives calls on ACOG to abandon these outdated policies and work with CPMs to reduce the cesarean rate and to take meaningful steps towards reducing racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes in all regions of the United States. CPMs play a critical role in both cesarean prevention and in the reduction of low-birth weight and pre-term births, the two most preventable causes of neonatal mortality.
Moreover, their training as specialists in out-of-hospital maternity care qualifies CPMs as essential first-responders during disasters in which hospitals become inaccessible or unsafe for laboring mothers. In addition, CPMs work to ensure that all babies born outside of the hospital undergo state-mandated newborn screenings and are provided with legal and secure birth certificates.
Currently, Certified Nurse-Midwives, who work predominantly in hospital settings, are licensed and regulated in all 50 states, while Certified Professional Midwives, who work in out-of-hospital settings, are licensed and regulated in 24 states, with legislation pending in an additional 20 states.
The Big Push for Midwives is a nationally coordinated campaign to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in all 50 states, the District of Columbia andPuerto Rico, and to push back against the attempts of the American Medical Association Scope of Practice Partnership to deny American families access to legal midwifery care.
Media inquiries should be directed to Steff Hedenkamp (816) 506-4630,RedQuill@kc.rr.com.

Yay for T-Town Newspaper!

It's that time of year again! The BIG PUSH for midwives! A big WHOO HOO to the Tuscaloosa News for a well-written article!

My Birthday Is In February

Don't you want to get me this?

Oh My! I Made The Perfect Video!

But you've got to go to the house blog to see it!!!

If I'm TOO cornball, you have to let me know right away!

Help Me -- QUICK!

I need to post some new things on my House For Sale blog because we're having a big Open House weekend! Saturday AND Sunday! YAY! I plan on inviting people to the Open House while reminding them of the blog, in an email sent out sometime tonight.

So, me and my youtube-loving self wants to put a fun video on there that could keep to the very optimistic theme I'd like for the blog to have. I don't think the theme song to The Jefferson's is exactly what I want but a "Movin' On Up" attitude is one I'd like to convey online.

Ideas??

Did I Tell Y'all?

Captain's walking! He's been doing it for a little while now but definitely not 100% of the time. And that's a good thing because I need some time to say goodbye to his awesome Bear Walk. Here are some of his first good steps:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

(edited to embed a better quality video!)

I didn't even know this Monty Python video existed until I saw snips of it in The Business of Being Born! HILARIOUS!

(Hey Locals!!! If you'd like to see The Business of Being Born, I have some tickets available for $10 each...or if you tell me you read this on my blog, I might be able to offer them at a discount...drop me a line at theglycofamily at gmail dot com and let's discuss it!)

God Speaking Through Rick Burgess

I struggle to figure out what to type right here.

But after listening to the last words of Rick, in the unbelievable message he gave at his son's memorial service, I realize I need to toughen up. I need to quit being so easily defeated. I need to be about Kingdom work.

Pasting these videos into my blog is but a mere fraction of what I can do but it is something I MUST do, nonetheless.

Please watch these to the very end. I'm praying very specifically about some of you I know come to my blog. Please receive Jesus. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life! Life's struggles are light when you are yoked with Him, and death is defeated when you accept His mercy and salvation.

Again, please watch these powerful videos. (turn volume way up)

Fox News Has Kinda Ticked Me Off

I haven't mentioned it much for several reasons but this article/blog gave me what I needed to stand behind a public mention of frustration.

Be sure to click on both videos.

My Cool Friends On The News

News website video link to cool ladies I've become friends with over this past year!

Montgomery Needs A Celebrity!

I know many of you lovely readers are as grossly curious about the celebrity world as I am so there's a chance some of you have already seen Celebrity-Babies.com.

I love this link because it lists so many celebrity Moms who have homebirths! I'd LOVE to get one of them to town for our big Rally / Business of Being Born screening on February 26th. Anybody have any connections? :)

Let It Sn....Nah...Too Easy

I wonder how many Alabama blogs have titled their entries from that famous song over these past few days?

Y'all know it's cold outside when it snows, right? That's why Ray is the only one in these pictures. P-Paw and Ray were the only two willing to brave the wintry elements for the Kodak cause. Indie and He-Man stepped outside for a little bit but they were much like their Mommy in realizing that snow is much more enjoyable from a window inside the house.

Poor Rocky has had a zany "sleep virus" accompanied by some fever and nausea, and it kept him from going out at all. Of course, I wasn't going to take Captain out in it (sorry if that makes me a 'bad' Momma) so these pictures show a very determined and happy little girl who knows the real meaning of making the most of a rare opportunity!

A snowman and snow angel were absolutely mandatory to Ray and I thank her for her dilligence! And a tip of the hat to P-Paw for helping her out when everybody else was being a whimp to the cold!

It's Snowing

Hopefully it will be a Kodak moment before the end of the day.

Milk - Not A Breastfeeding Post :)

I have been meaning to post a somewhat in-depth post about Rocky and our recognition of some food allergy stuff going on with him, and am just now getting to it. Close friends and family know that it was with him at 9 months old that I finally had to seek out SOMETHING to help with crankiness and colic and my post-partum depression. Long-story-WAY short, we realized there were MAJOR yeast issues mixed with some food allergies (in my breastmilk - mostly peanuts but possibly dairy, too) which ultimately put us on our path to supplements and careful food choices. When he and I both made MASSIVE improvements over the following months, I pretty much declared us "cured" as long as we stuck with the supplements and watchful diet.

When we moved in with the Gardeners, Rocky & He-Man both had these weird little bouts of puking. It wasn't a real serious thing because it happened in the mornings and then they got better. It lasted for a couple of mornings and then went away and then came back a little later for another few days and then that was it. I was able to logically conclude that it was their immune systems responding to a new environment and possibly new germs...whatever. They never were laid-out sick and always improved as the day went on. It was a "morning sickness" of sorts. Rocky was always sicker than He-man.

Soon afterwards, Rocky started with VERY annoying tics. It was almost like a pee-pee dance. We would say, "do you need to go to the bathroom?" He swore he didn't and it became evident he was telling the truth. He then started with a weird chapped mouth. A-ha! We thought we had figured it out again! HONEY MUSTARD! He's been known to get honey mustard "rashes" around his mouth in the past and we thought, Hmmm....maybe he's eating too much honey mustard and it's got sugar and it's making him wiggly?

No more honey mustard.

Still, wiggling.

(I really meant to make this a quick story...)

Fast-foward. Still we can't figure out the wiggling. It becomes amplified. He obviously can't control it. Last Sunday, we were informed by his Sunday School teachers that his behavior was getting out of control. We were even asked, "What's changed?"

So the REAL investigation started. If it's not honey mustard or condiments (because we cut them ALL out) what could it be?

I believe God divinely light-bulbed me.

What change occurred when we moved here that could possibly answer not only the wiggling, but the chapped lips, and the pukes? SOY MILK!

When we got here, the kids were introduced to dry cereal. Yes, they had spent the night here & other places before and have had dry cereal for breakfast but never at home and therefore, never in large quantities. Since we've always been very, VERY limited on cow's milk (because of Indie's sensitivity to it and for general health reasons) we decided to try the kids on the alternative soy milk.

Rocky LOVED IT! He ate double helpings almost every morning for breakfast. And guess what! THAT is the time the puking started (and took a break when we ran out!) And since he ate MORE than He-Man, it makes sense that he was sicker! And since he got better as he puked it out of his system, he felt better as the day wore on. And like many addictions that accompany food allergies, the 'effects' wear off after a little while. When his body quit trying to throw it up, he started getting the rash on his face. When the soy milk kept going into the body, I believe the toxicity level raised to a point where his immune system almost quit working on it. And the toxic reaction of his body caused the twitches.

After hearing the complaints from the Sunday School teacher, I started googling soy milk and ADD/ADHD. SURE ENOUGH (and I knew this and wanted to say 'DUH') the soy was very likely a HUGE factor. It also dawned on me that this could also be a reason for my struggles with him in the mornings during school.

So now we are back to NO milk, soy or cow, and very limited dairy altogether. Until his system detoxes a little bit, we're trying to stay very low on all condiments that might have soybean oils and products as well.

And I'm thrilled to say that THINGS ARE MUCH BETTER! I do believe we have finally come to some real conclusion on this. Hopefully, now that we're really paying attention, we can get him back to 100% normalcy (whatever that is.) His wiggling is WAY better and his SS teachers told us "perfect behavior" yesterday when we picked him up!

What a reminder to us that food allergies can appear/re-appear so easily! Now, it really doesn't surprise me, considering our dietary/behavioral history during pregnancy and post-partum but I just didn't put the pieces together as soon as I wish I had.

Thank God for helping us!

Is It Just Me Or Are More Moms Talking Politics Than In Previous Years?

When I was straightening up my links in the sidebar, and double-checking my google reader to make sure it was like I wanted, I clicked on the 'blog suggestions' that google had for me. One of the first to pop up was Amy at Humble Musings. I have read her off and on in the past but now she is a regular site for me to check.

Here's an interesting-enough post by her but the comments section is where things really get interesting. I love how nice everyone is, even when they disagree! Yay for Christian Moms who can be civil!

Ricki On Fox News

A short little video at Fox News about The Business of Being Born.

The Wave Of Paralysis

You know, waves don't have very long lives. They come to shore, crash, then wash away. Depending on what causes the wave, there might be similar ones following or there might be shrinking ripples which eventually smooth out to glassy surfaces.

With all this house stuff, I have waves of emotional & spiritual paralysis. I have no real serious complaints about our living situation but sometimes I just feel sick and homeless. I want a house of my own. I want my own bed again. I want an answer to prayer.

This scripture spoke to me more loudly today than it has in the many times I've read it in the past. I NEEDED it today. Praise God for giving me this wonderful reminder! It made the wave crash and wash away...

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

And THIS entry really drives it home.

THANK YOU, LORD. I am willing to wait while you re-adjust my gaze.

My Aspirations! :)

I had to REALLY LOL at this because we bought Rocky those speed stacking cups for Christmas!

The Business Of Being Born again

ETA (edited to add) that I just realized I have the term "born again" in the title of this post and obviously, this movie is nothing about being a born-again Christian.

This time, in the form of a trailer!

Will be screening locally at the end of February. Let me know if you're interested in attending! I can hook you up!

You Can't Escape Completely, Though

Sorry but this article in the New York Times makes me want to publicize (early to you guys, by the way) our viewing of the same movie next month! (Let me know if you want tickets!)

Edited - Some Of You Will Be Happy To Know

Lucky ducks, some of you are!

I'm taking on a new strategy regarding the educating of my readers about Midwifery in Alabama. As many of you know, I am involved with the Midwifery lobbying efforts going on in our state and, even though I'm anxious to share with everyone all of the info that I can, it has been decided by me to postpone (and remove) all the educational posts until after it's all presented at the State House. Even though the info is already "out there" in our publications, I don't want to provide spoilers so easily for the great adventure that awaits us in February.

This might not make sense to many of you and a lot of you aren't even reading this sentence because you moved on already, but I felt the need to explain a little about why my scheduled posts have changed.

You may now resume your day :)

As Promised

I won't be doing non-stop Alabama Birth Coalition posts and to prove it, I'm gonna blog about something y'all might actually read!

We're enjoying a couple of really great family passes: the local zoo (with unlimited train rides) and the McWane Center. Both pay for themselves after 2 visits (for a family our size anyway) and will bring us MUCHO enjoyment! Here's some fun pics from the MC...

I Brought You Flours

I absolutely love this scene from the movie "Stranger Than Fiction." Just saw it again on one of the Starz channels, decided to search for it on the web and FOUND IT! Gotta love youtube!!



You know, I'm married to an auditor :)

Sweet movie

Our Year In Review

I have a few things in my annual picture-palooza that didn't quite make the aka-blog-name cut so I decided not to post it here. It's still OK enough for the majority of the world's population to see but to keep the COMPLETE strangers from wandering too far into our biz, I thought I'd require readers to request the URL if you want to view it. It's 5 minutes+ of gratuitous Us but I'm quite proud of the way it turned out.

Most of you should have received an official link to it via email anyway, but if you didn't get one & would like to, just email me using the link in the sidebar & I'll make sure you get it.

(man, this has turned into a great excuse to pull you lurkers out of hiding!!)

Happy New Year!!

Video Message From Our Family To Yours!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Warp Speed Of Politics

Do y'all realize the history we are living? We are LIVING the amazing warp-speed change of how politics are done in these United States. It's mind-boggling to think how different life has become because of the Internet. Fascinating.

I'm no history buff (sorry, Steph) but I know that even just a couple of Presidential elections ago, things like this wouldn't have even been imaginable!

I personally LOVE it :)

One Video From The Local News

But not the post-audition video. I'm still looking for it.

This is from ABC 33/40 showing what they aired BEFORE the auditions.

LA Again? Sure Hope So!

How weird is it that ONE DAY after the 1-year anniversary of my Price Is Right Trip that I find out about Wheel Of Fortune coming to Birmingham THE NEXT DAY?

Do y'all remember after my failed attempts to be a contestant on TPIR that I said I wanted to try Wheel of Fortune next? After doing research on it, I soon realized that WOF wouldn't be NEARLY as easy as TPIR but I held onto hope. I signed up for the Wheel Watcher emails and assumed I would get an email about any WheelMobile stops in AL and possibly even neighborhing states.

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on Crystal's blog to do a little catch-up reading and finding THIS post! WHAT!? WM coming to Birmingham and I didn't know about it? Did I miss it? What's the date??? HURRY, little brain, FIND THE DATE! What is today's date? ACK! Panic, panic!

WHAT? It's TOMORROW?

Yep, Friday the 14th I saw Crystal's blog and was STUNNED that I hadn't gotten any emails about this and even MORE stunned to realize the WheelMobile was the NEXT DAY!

So the plans for our weekend started to change right away. (Sorry to those who were a part of our plans changing and THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT that we should do this!)

Saturday morning we got up early and Henry & I, along with all the kids, my parents, and my Uncle J went to Bham for the big auditions! It was SO dang crowded at the Galleria but we hoped it was because of Christmas shopping and not because of the WheelMobile. Turns out, our hopes were right and we were fine. We had plenty of time to eat lunch and then get in line approximately 1 hour before doors opened at the vacant anchor store where the auditions would be held. We stood in line, filled out applications, talked to some people around us, took a few pics, and kept a watch out for Crystal so I could tell her THANK YOU in person! Honestly, if it wasn't for her blog, I'd STILL be clueless about the WM! oohh....I shudder to think about how I would have felt finding out about this TOO LATE!

So we were 5 (18 & over) out of 500 (?) who made it into the first round of auditions. I won't re-type all of the process because you can find out all about that HERE but I will tell you that just being there was a step closer to being on the show but there are still tons of other steps that have to happen.

PRAISE GOD that my name was called SECOND! YES, that's #2!!! I was the second person called to the stage!! We were F R E A K I N G out! When I say "we" I know for a fact that me and my kids were freaking! I remember seeing Mom look back at me with a super-excited look and her eyes a little teary, kinda like mine were when I saw Bob Barker! Anyway, it was an AWESOME moment! When Marty (the travelling host) was reading the name he was handed out of the giant gold barrel that held all of our applications, time started to slow down. I heard my name in slow-mo and it was VERY surreal. It was the closest thing to "Come On Down" that I might ever hear!

So I handed Captain to Uncle J (and was so thankful I had already unhooked him from the Maya Tie because of the intense body heat we were producing in that CROWDED room!) I ran to the stage, had a Polaroid snapped and stapled to my application, and was hurried onto the stage. As we were REPEATEDLY told, THE AUDITION HAD BEGUN! (Ladies and gentlemen, your audition starts the second your name is called so make it count! This is YOUR CHANCE! Own the stage!")

Well, I don't know if I OWNED the stage or not but my game-show-prep studying I had done kinda started trickling through my adrenaline-flooded brain. Be happy (check) be enthusiastic (check), be a good sport and encouraging to others (hug fellow contestants -- check) have fun (check check!)

I looked down at the kids, who had made their way to the front of the crowd so they could see me better and they were TOTALLY flippin'! It was the coolest thing! Rocky was red-faced and smiling bigger than I've ever seen him smile. His hands were in the air and he was waving 'em like he just didn't care! Awesome.

The next few minutes were a blur. The 5 of us first contestants were called 1 at a time to the front of the stage to introduce & tell a little bit about ourselves. I was second in line so I was called forward almost immediately after gaining a bit of composure. I told my name and then it went something like this:

Marty : (standing on tip-toes -- ha ha - I'm tall.) "So what do you, Stacy?"

Me : "Well, I have 5 children and I homeschool them so we spend a lot of time together." (it just came out without much thought. the "homeschool" word seemed to get one cheer from one person in the back of the room!)

Marty : "Allright! 5 kids! So what do you like to do in your free time? Your STACY time?"

Me : (mustering courage to attempt humor) "You heard me say I have five children, right?"

LAUGHTER! WHOO HOO!

Me : "Well, I'm a little bit of an internet nerd and I like to blog."

Marty : "You're a blogger, huh? What do you blog about? Having 5 kids?"

Me : (something like) "Yes!"

Marty : "Are you ready to play the Wheel?"

Me : (something like) "Very much so!" (Did I raise my hand in the air??)

Marty : (his arm around me turned me back to my place) "Good job!....Next..."

I was shaking like a leaf! AGH! It was all happening so fast!

When I got back to my spot, I spoke again to Contestant number 1. Niceties. Then I looked for the producers/judges/whatever. Eye contact was made and the lady with the sparkly reading glasses nodded and smiled at me and then wrote some notes! I smiled ever so Southernly but didn't stare. I actually started making even more attempts at being cheerful for the other contestants. And then I noticed the puzzle was being put on the board. Hmmm....see if you can figure it out, Stace.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Something and something.

BRICKS AND MORTAR? Could it be bricks and mortar? Why did that pop in my head? Where's the category? THINGS. Wow, it COULD be bricks and mortar!

Looked over at Miss Sparkly Glasses and wanted her to know "I know how to play this game. I am SERIOUS about playing this game. I am already playing this game."

She noticed me again and smiled AGAIN and made notes AGAIN! Even Heidi, the traveling "Vanna" noticed me already working on the puzzle and smiled at me. YAY FOR SMILES!

The game started. #1 guessed R. 1 R.

Not BRICKS AND MORTAR.

My turn. "S"

2 S's!

Think, think, think.

I know the middle word is AND -- or so I think it is but it's going so fast...and didn't somebody guess N? If they guessed N, it's not AND because there's no N up there. My brain was racing...where's that list of already-guessed letters? MY TURN AGAIN!

I guessed D because I wanted to see if it was AND but didn't want to accidentally say a letter that was already guessed.

2 D's!

Contestant #4 guessed O and there was 1 O and I figured it out! PLEASE don't get it...please don't get it...please let it get back to me...

Contestant #5 guessed something but it wasn't in the puzzle. Back to #1 and she guessed L! I knew there was no L so it was making it back to ME!!!

"H" I said loudly and clearly into the microphone. Heidi signaled for the H and wrote it in. When it came up I clearly said, "HOPES AND DREAMS!"

DING DING DING! I won! The crowd cheered! WHOO HOO!

It was daggum exciting!

Oh, I forgot that the prize wheel was spun before the round started and our prize was a fanny pack so as we walked off-stage, we received our bags with a keychain and blinky lapel pin inside!

And that was it! We stuck around to see if anyone else in the family's name was drawn but they weren't. The audition lasted about 1 hour and there about 50 people who went across the stage by the end of the "show."

As we left, the waiting room was CROWDED with another set of folks waiting for the 2nd audition. There were 3 total on Saturday and 3 more today. I'm sooooooo thankful I made it through on the first round and we didn't have to stick around for the others!

So now we wait to see if I am one of about 70 from these two days' worth of auditions that get called back for a final audition to be held in a couple of months. From blogs of others who have gone through similar procedures, I should know the answer to this within 1 month. Sigh...the waiting...

We are so pumped at the possibility! I can't believe I'm actually in the long-shot running of contestants! Think about it...there are only 3 contestants per night for maybe 150 shows per year? (note to self - read show FAQs for info like this.) If there were 500 people over 6 sets of auditions, that's me needing to be 70 out of 3000 people they saw this weekend! OK, so I at least made it to the stage for them to see me so I'm actually in the running of about 50 that went on stage per show so that's needing to be in the top 70 of 300. Maybe??

Will keep you posted! In the meantime, read the "About Video" portion of this guy's youtube video. It tells a pretty good synopsis of the process he went through.

Already Up Too Late

We've got another early morning tomorrow and I'm already up WAY too late but I have a SUPER-DUPER exciting post I want to make! I would like to put a handful of links in it (kinda like Steph does) so it's not a post I can just slap together real quick.

But since the suspense might be killing you, I will tell you the topic of my upcoming post.

Drumroll please...

I AUDITIONED FOR THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE SHOW AT THE WHEELMOBILE!!

It was a fantastic experience and I want to share some pictures and the story and what steps we're hoping will come next. But I absolutely CANNOT get it all together tonight. Hopefully tomorrow night.

So in the meantime, here's a hilarious video of He-Man enjoying the Christian metal band Thousand Foot Krutch. The song is "Rawk Fist" which isn't one of their "Christian" songs per se (some of them ARE) but it's a fun one!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

December 13th

I know y'all are missing my house posts so I thought I'd update you!

We took ourselves off of house-viewing restriction and started looking at a few more again. I'm beginning to see that God might be answering our prayers for wisdom about our next purchase by giving us PLENTY of time to shop. Seriously, we I have fallen "in love" with a handful of houses already but today is the first time we've actually given 2nd visits to any houses. We've also left numerous houses saying, "yeah...this could be the one" only to have our feelings change over the following days.

What if we had jumped on any of those houses early on because of a quick sale? I shudder...

Although I REALLY DID love that one house...

So today we saw 4 houses and 2 of them were 2nd visits. The first house of today was, by all recollections, the first house we saw in all of this journey. It has been the kids' favorite and it IS REALLY REALLY cool but after checking it out again, we're close to officially crossing it off the list. I'm going to do a quick google search about eliminating mold/mildew in basements to see if any technological advances have been made to remedy this problem in aging houses but am pretty sure that we don't want to tackle this potential health hazard. (But dang, we could probably get them to REALLY drop the price!) Our re-visit today caused almost all of us to have itchy/fuzzy tongues and watery eyes when we were in the basement and afterwards. We are a very sensitive family and feel pretty sure it was something we breathed in that musty basement that caused these problems.

House #2 was also a re-visit and it was one that Henry initially didn't like. He was turned off by the price the first time we looked at it and just didn't see it in a positive light because of it. But THIS time (since they dropped the price a little bit) it has catapaulted to the top of our LOVE list. It is H U G E and we are really leaning towards it. It's still too pricey, especially considering it will need some massive updating (not repair, just cosmetics as far as we can tell pre-inspection) but it has really great space for our family.

Houses #3 & 4 were around the corner from each other in a great neighborhood. Number three was crossed off almost immediately. No side door. Too formal. Bedrooms too small. It was probably the most BEAUTIFUL of all the houses we've seen this whole time but just not a good fit for us. I'm really quite surprised at the square footage it says it has because to us, it just seemed really small. A retired couple needs to get it.

Number 4 is the one I stood in the front of yesterday and prayed for God to take out of my heart if it wasn't meant to be. Today, he might have answered that prayer. The neighborhood is SUPER-awesome and desireable, but the house, not so much. GORGEOUS on the outside, but small-ish (for us) and too needy on the inside. Good enough, though, to be #2 on our list right now. It costs the same as our SUPER-SIZED fave but might have better potential at accepting a lower offer, though. We'd have to decide which is more important...location or size. And the location is good because of stability of neighborhood and closeness to parents and inlaws NOT location of church/work/ballfields. If those were our only criteria, Super-Size house would be tops.

Sigh...so much to think about.

Of course, we can't forget...OUR HOUSE MUST SELL!

******

HAPPY 84th BDAY BOB BARKER!

It was one year ago today that we were in the audience of The Price Is Right. I can't believe how time has flown!

Today is Captain's 10 month bday, too!

Anybody Here...

Because of Alabama Baby magazine? PLEASE comment if so! THANKS!

Playing Wears Me Out!

This is one of the most entertaining things to watch Captain do: He will take a toy or two and bat it across the floor and then go to it to do it again. With these particular toys, he makes me think he might be good at air hockey!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Every day he's a little bit closer to walking on his own!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

After a long day of playing & learning how to walk, Captain likes to be rocked to sleep on the glider ottoman. P-Paw started this and Captain can hardly keep his eyes open when he does it!

Henry says he looks like a dwarf tap-dancer in his homemade baby-legs & Robeez!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You Know About News Alerts, RIght?

Might I suggest setting up an alert for Ron Paul? I've been getting some of the most interesting articles that way. Some are for and some are against him but I find that's some of the best ways to do research! It certainly takes more than one website to get the big picture.

How in the world did people decide who to vote for before the Internet?

Email From Our Realtor

Glad I didn't get my hopes up TOO high! The balloon of hope started deflating slowly as the days wore on so it popping at this point doesn't really cause any sort of wild flying across the room in frenzied collapse to the floor. This burst balloon was already settled onto the floor and just bobbing along wherever the drafts shoved it.

I talked with (___Buyer's Agent___) and he said that, unfortunately, the buyers' deal fell through. Looks like it's pretty dead, but I'll keep you posted

Another balloon will come this way again...just not sure when.

Anyone Else Appreciate This?

Or is this just something else to embarrass me because I find it hilarious? Of course, I am far from believing people are useless but the falling down part? THAT is funny!

I know, something is wrong with me but obviously I'm not the only one who thinks it's comical.

Dear Sister - Not An SNL Skit

Dear ol' sis...she's very good at posting the passion we Bama fans have about Iron Bowl game day.

We wanna win!

Roll Tide!

Because I Am Serious When I Say

I don't want this to become a political blog!

So we're back to an old standby...Dancing With The Stars!

Did y'all see this? OHMYGOODNESS!!!! LOVED IT! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!

Trying To Stay Light On The Politics

That's why I'm only embedding a Jay Leno video instead of a Fox News video. Again, I'm just trying to make sure I know what I'm getting into by saying I'm gonna support this guy but so far, he's saying a LOT of things I agree with and would love to see in the President of the United States!

There's LOTS more online...just google Ron Paul and search him at youtube.

______ For President!

I'm narrowing down my vote-getter. Since I'm not really political and don't have the brains to debate issues correctly here, I won't yet reveal my leanings. But if any of you would like to use my comments section to voice your opinions, I'd love to hear them.

Honestly, I'd like to hear some of your thoughts because I'm curious if any of you are leaning in the same direction I am! Anyone like to take a guess on which campaign is getting my most research time (and an actual consideration of financial support!? GASP!)

Because I Know Some Pregnant Moms Stumble Their Way To This Blog

After Indie's induced labor & birth, I became very aware that induction is not the safest thing in the world. And for convenience (my case) it's downright stupid. But thankfully, Cytotec wasn't involved with me back in 1998.

Unfortunately, it is still very much used in 2007, even with articles like these being published, warning of the dangers.

Ladies, PLEASE be informed of everything related to a medically-managed labor & birth! Just because you aren't being told everything doesn't mean it's not happening! I remember many things that happened in births (while I doula'ed) that doctors & nurses did without asking...and Cytotec was one of them!

The Bear Walk

You know he's named for a pirate but did you know his middle name was after a famous Bear? So it's no wonder he crawls like this! And he ONLY crawls like this!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There's One Nibblin'

PRAISE GOD! When I went up to the house today, there were TWO business cards on the table! TWO! AND, I got a call from the Realtor saying one of the families was very interested and asking questions and might possibly .... OK ... that's all I'm gonna say ... Don't want to get my hopes up ... But I'm so excited! PRAISE GOD AGAIN AND AGAIN!

A couple of new posts over at the house blog so check it out!

A Prayer I Have Begun To Pray

St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

Being the "words of affirmation" love language that I am, I struggle with being satisfied that following God's will is enough.

Take this house-selling stuff. I think it should be completed by now because of it being God's leading to do this. If God said to do it, shouldn't it be done by now? Shouldn't we be rewarded with an easy experience since we are being obedient and willing to sacrifice the luxury of our own large home?

"Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

And homeschooling... Shouldn't the kids joyfully bounce out of bed every day and gratefully get started on it and thank me profusely for being such a wonderful change from "real school?" Shouldn't we be in a groove by now? Shouldn't I feel accomplished at the end of a school day? Shouldn't I be gifted with perfect organizational skills and educational enthusiasm?

"Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

(NLT) Psalm 128:

1 How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
all who follow his ways!
2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
How joyful and prosperous you will be!
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
as they sit around your table.

So I will continue to fear the Lord and will continue to seek and desire and earnestly strive to follow His ways. I have faith that my joy will be full. And I pray, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

What Is That Noise?

Thunder? RAIN!?

Praise the LORD!

Now I'm ready to sleep. Love it!

My Babywearing Baby

How sweet is THIS?

Yeah I Stink At Daily Posting

Oh well.

And here's another video. I just can't think of anything good to say when I'm watching Conan (yeah, even when it's a rerun.)



Thanks to Amy for letting me know about this! Pretty amazing!

Not A Post With The Most

To continue with my attempt to blog every day this month, I am here.

But if you think I'm going to write about football, you'd be wrong. I'll leave that to Steph.

I could write about the time change, but that'd be terribly dull.

I could embed a favorite of my youtube videos but, that'd be repetitive.

I could whine about house stuff, but that would be unproductive.

So I'll just tell you what I'm wearing...cuz i know some of y'all are kinky that way! LOL

OK - here's what I'm wearing for PJs tonight....ready? A red softball tshirt from 1988 (eighty-eight!!!) and a pair of waaaaaay big/baggy purple shorts.

Nice, huh?

And From The Same Guy

This is pretty darn impressive, too!

Ladies Of The Art World

I know this isn't much of a writing entry for the NaBloPoMo but it's something I found tonight that really needs to be shared. It's not often that I can provide you all with a little bit of culture! Make that 500 years of culture!

I've seen some crazy stuff on youtube but I honestly don't think I've ever seen anything this artistically beautiful! There have been over 6 million views of this video yet none of YOU have ever shared it with me. I must be hanging out with the wrong people! :)

I'm Cheating - Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

I'm not going to enroll in the official NaBloPoMo thing but I will attempt to write a post every day this month.

But I'm not getting off to a very good start considering how it's already after midnight and therefore November 2. Since I'm still awake, can this count as a November 1 post? Yeah? You don't care? Thanks!

Shall I choose a theme for each of my posts to help motivate my writing?
This can be the Seinfeld post...

What is the deal with sweating at the park in November? I mean, who are the ad wizards who came up with a hot November day?

Ray added too much salt to the homemade tomato soup so......NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Captain's all drooly and slobbery again because he's finishing off the cutting of his 6th tooth! It won't be long and he'll be able to have a Junior Mint! Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious.

Sabrina totally got ripped off by being booted from DWTS. I guess now she can pretend to be a marine biologist.

Death Discussion

Most of you know we don't do Halloween but I figured y'all might not appreciate this topic on many other days. Am I right, or am I right?

AND, I don't have to write everything I want to say because Barbara already quotes, notes, links, and says most of the things I'd like to tell you. So, just click over to Barb's post and then come back here!

Go ahead...click over...I'll wait...

.
.
.
.

Read it? OK, you can continue here now.

Many of these thoughts began cropping up in my head after the beautiful experience I had with my Granny when she was called from earth to be with the LORD. I have never fully worked through all of my thoughts but I've had many of these ideas for a while now. I guess I'll have to truly discuss all of this with family some day but if the day for needing these decisions made comes sooner than later, all you blog-readers can attest to my wishes!

In a nutshell, I'd like:
-death at home without over-medication. Keep me aware of my situation!
-family at my side
-pine box, wicker or similar wooden/naturally decomposing coffin
-natural oils & spices in place of chemical embalming
-funeral time spent in praise and pointing people to Jesus with a time of invitation

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[g] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

***

(p.s. - I still nauseatingly cringe about all the plastic used to bury our dog, Lucy...I honestly can't stand to think about it....purposely thinking of something else now....la la la la...)