This is a comment I left in response to this blog post :http://toddnjenifermoss.blogspot.com/2012/01/politics-by-me.html
Being a long time Ron Paul fan -- I had a sign and bumper sticker for him in 2008-- this shed a little light for me on Republicans general refusal to consider him as a legitimate candidate. I don't think it has to do with logic and seriously considering the issues, I think it has more to do with being afraid to do something out of the ordinary. All the other candidates will give us more of the same-- keep the status quo.
Personally I'd like to see real change. I'd like to see a balanced budget and significant cuts in spending. I'd like to see us get out of these far away wars. He's the only veteran up there by the way, and he has the most money donated by military people. He wins the majority of voters in the 18-30 age group which I think gives the country as a whole hope for the future once the baby boomers get out of the way. It's time for a real change. People tend to like his consistent domestic policy-- if he's so smart that way-- can he really be so wrong on his foreign policy? And if you are voting by nice families and character -- he's got it. He doesn't flip flop at all. You know where he stands and he's done so 30 years. People are finally starting to listen.
Ron Paul is a legitimate choice and probably the only one with a real chance of beating Obama. Realistically though, I'll take Obama over the other Republican candidates because he'll be watched by Republicans. George W. Bush passed more liberal laws and did more damage to the constitution than any Democrat president could have done.
So there you go-- my little vent. To each his own!! We can still be friends!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Things I've Learned and Things I hope I don't Forget
When I started this blog, most of my posts were about books or works I read. I started this blog during a relatively slow easy time of my life. While pregnant with #5 I had time to start to learn the guitar, I was a member of 3 book clubs and I was part of some very nice homeschool groups and I had some very good friends. After having #5 I managed to read plenty, keep up with my book clubs, homeschooling, housekeeping, guitar and piano playing, running, yoga, cleansing, healthy cooking and other fun activities for both me and the kids. I was called to serve in Young Women's. I was in there about a year and learned a lot. It was very good for me to see what my girls were headed towards. A year later I was back in primary and about 6 months later I found out I was having twins. My life has not been the same since. I have grown as a person a hundred fold. That pregnancy was incredibly difficult. The following year and a half were also difficult for varying reasons. I have a sense now that we have switched wards (congregations), we'll be moving into a new house with an awesome layout, and my husband's work paying off more that we may get to experience some less stressful and growing times for at least a little bit. I know life doesn't slow down -- so I could be wrong about all that, but I still want to remember what I've learned these past couple years so that I don't ever forget.
Starting with the twin pregnancy: It was incredibly difficult. I was unable to keep up with most of what I had been doing before. No more exercising, playing the guitar or reading. It was all I could do to feed the kids and clean the house. By the end I seriously felt that I could better understand people with serious health issues. I have so much more empathy for people who are bedridden. At least for me it was for a wonderful cause and I had something marvelous to look forward to, and I knew it would end. How disheartening for someone for whom there may be no end to the pain and constant discomfort. That is the first thing I don't want to forget: I don't want to forget how it feels to be incapacitated. The first trimester I felt terrible-- I just let the kids watch TV and eat sandwiches and fruit. I just ate whatever I could get down. The house got so bad that we couldn't even walk down the hall. I am embarrassed to admit this on a public site, but it is the truth. The 2nd trimester was a reprieve, but the last trimester I got so big that I could barely get around. People were asking me all the time if I was pregnant with twins. I started to swell and I had to wash dishes and cook sitting down on a tall stool. I mostly just sat and slept.
The next thing I don't want to forget is how being a young mother alone feels. After the twins were born, I didn't have time to keep up my relationships with people and some of my best friends moved during this time. Also some of my friends were done having children and their youngest started school so they were no longer available for the get togethers I enjoyed with my older kids when they were young. Also, I essentially had a job teaching those older ones and I was unavailable for get togethers unless it involved my older children. Gone were the leisurely days of spending hours at the zoo or the museum or even the store. I finally realized and experienced how many first time mothers often feel alone and overwhelmed with their baby. All my babies have slept well and been calm and I'm pretty laid back so even 5 young children didn't slow me down or make me feel overwhelmed. Twins did it. I didn't have any time for anything besides caring for my new babies and my older children and my house.
But I still love my older children and I take my responsibility to care for them very seriously and I made sure they had friends and activities and schoolwork to help them grow. We didn't do as many outside things as before but we had these cute babies to play with and care for and it was pretty fun. We read a lot and got a lot of schoolwork done. Once the twins were about 6 months old I felt that we could breathe a little and I wanted to get back to being more involved at church and with our homeschool friends. One thing that was very annoying to me during this time were people who didn't want to "burden" me by asking me to help with things that affected my own children. I felt that I was perfectly capable and with older kids, I could certainly get away from the twins for an hour to help with something with the older ones. I didn't volunteer any help during the twins' first 6 months of life, but when I was ready I expected that others would be happy to have me back. This was not the case. I sensed that people wanted to keep me away. They didn't like me and were glad that I had been out of the picture and they wanted to keep it that way. This was mostly at church which I've written about before. But I don't want to forget how that feels because I don't ever want to do that to anybody else. People also assumed that I had to be so busy and because of that I was basically unable to do anything outside of my home at all. Especially the older women-- I think most of them had forgotten what it's like to have a bunch of little ones at home. It is very important for young mothers to get out of the house sometimes, interact with other women and do some things by herself-- not all the time, but it is necessary at least a little. Having a bunch of little ones is very physically demanding. There is very little leeway. If the mother hasn't thought out meals and snacks ahead of time, there will be a bunch of crying, hungry children and then it is almost impossible to make anything for them to eat.
It is not possible to just "run" to the store or check on this one thing real quick. Nothing is quick with little ones that you have to buckle and unbuckle in their carseats constantly. Going anywhere is a major undertaking that has to be planned ahead of time. The less stops, the better. There are lots of things that have to be packed like snacks and diapers and jackets and socks and blankets, etc. These children cannot be left alone at anytime. They have to be supervised at all times. It is a 24 hr. job. There is no "winging" it and when you have several children, eating out is just too expensive. Everything must be planned or you can't go. Older ladies especially seem to forget this-- so many of them just really don't have enough to do. They go shopping, they do projects, they read, they attend classes, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but they need to be sensitive to strain that young mothers bear. I hope I don't ever forget that. When I'm old I want to make sure I give a smile, kind word and encouragement to young mothers. I want to drop off homemade bread or just stop by to chat for a little bit. I want to reach out to their children and make them feel that they have a friend in me and I want the mother to feel at ease with me around her children and know that I really do love her and her children. I don't want to get caught up in all the projects and activities I'll finally be able to do. I want to be sensitive to the feelings of those around me.
Another thing I want to recognize when I'm old is that these young moms who will look sooooo young to me are full grown adults with personalities and opinions that are just as valid as my own. I never want to think that I am so much wiser just because I am older and have already raised my children. Those mothers deserve my full respect because they are working 24 hours a day and most do an amazing job. I hope I realize that I probably can't do half the stuff I was able to do when I was young-- and if I can, then I need to try to help out at least be respectful and encouragin and loving.
The other thing I experienced as I realized that I was being shunned at church is what it feels like to be subject to people who don't care about you-- how it feels to have no one care what you think about anything even though it affects yourself and your children. I sensed a lot of leaders willing to take my children and teach or serve them, but totally unwilling to reach out to me as a person. It was as if I didn't matter as a person-- just my children were important. The attitude was "thank you for bringing me your child, now please go away". They wanted zero input from me. Really they didn't want me to be me. They wanted me to fit some other mold that I couldn't. I closed up. I stopped interacting with these people. I avoided them, and I only went to church to worship and take the sacrament, not for social reasons. I finally understood first hand how inactive members and non LDS members must feel. I don't ever want to forget that because I don't ever want to make anyone feel the way I was made to feel. I want every person I meet to know that I care about them and love them as a person, not just because it is my duty to act like I care. I want them to know that I truly and sincerely care for them regardless of if I am in a leadership position in the church or not. I also want to remember what it's like to not have a calling and how ostracized it makes a person feel. It is much easier to deal with people's insecurities and letting your children go with them when you have another job in the church to do as well. But when you have nothing, no responsibility and not a soul who can help you that cares, how awful that feels. I don't forget that. I am so much more empathetic towards others. A lack of love, concern and care really does kill a person slowly. I never knew how bad until I experienced it myself and I hope I never forget.
It is so important to reach out. Even just an encouraging smile that shows your love can do wonders. Life is hard. You never know what people may be going through. We must love each other. We can all feel different and on the outside for various reasons and we need to lift each other and pray for charity for it truly is the greatest gift of God. Charity. Charity. Charity. I hope I will always remember this so that I never make anyone feel sad or lonely or weak. I hope they will feel love and that I will be able to love each and every person I meet.
I am really grateful for these hard times. I was strong enough to learn from them. I don't know if I would have been ready for these lessons earlier in my life. I am grateful to understand humanity better. I think I was very naive before. I loved people, I tried to be good and reach out, but some of the feelings people would tell me about, I just really didn't understand and now I do. I pray that I never forget. These have been most valuable lessons for me. I feel more connected to real people and to life. I don't think I'm scared of much anymore. I feel very empowered. I know that my worth and testimony are not based on other's opinions of me, but on my personal relationship with God. I feel that I understand better what our Savior went through with the hatred of those who should have accepted Him. I am so grateful. I pray that I never forget. I have much more to learn, but that's O.K. I will continue to learn and grow. It's O.K. to be wrong. Life is good, repentance is real. The Savior and the Atonement are real. Life is good. I am very thankful to have some new friends and a wonderful, welcoming, accepting ward where I can feel the Spirit and the Savior's love each week. Thank you new ward full of such wonderful people. Amen.
Starting with the twin pregnancy: It was incredibly difficult. I was unable to keep up with most of what I had been doing before. No more exercising, playing the guitar or reading. It was all I could do to feed the kids and clean the house. By the end I seriously felt that I could better understand people with serious health issues. I have so much more empathy for people who are bedridden. At least for me it was for a wonderful cause and I had something marvelous to look forward to, and I knew it would end. How disheartening for someone for whom there may be no end to the pain and constant discomfort. That is the first thing I don't want to forget: I don't want to forget how it feels to be incapacitated. The first trimester I felt terrible-- I just let the kids watch TV and eat sandwiches and fruit. I just ate whatever I could get down. The house got so bad that we couldn't even walk down the hall. I am embarrassed to admit this on a public site, but it is the truth. The 2nd trimester was a reprieve, but the last trimester I got so big that I could barely get around. People were asking me all the time if I was pregnant with twins. I started to swell and I had to wash dishes and cook sitting down on a tall stool. I mostly just sat and slept.
The next thing I don't want to forget is how being a young mother alone feels. After the twins were born, I didn't have time to keep up my relationships with people and some of my best friends moved during this time. Also some of my friends were done having children and their youngest started school so they were no longer available for the get togethers I enjoyed with my older kids when they were young. Also, I essentially had a job teaching those older ones and I was unavailable for get togethers unless it involved my older children. Gone were the leisurely days of spending hours at the zoo or the museum or even the store. I finally realized and experienced how many first time mothers often feel alone and overwhelmed with their baby. All my babies have slept well and been calm and I'm pretty laid back so even 5 young children didn't slow me down or make me feel overwhelmed. Twins did it. I didn't have any time for anything besides caring for my new babies and my older children and my house.
But I still love my older children and I take my responsibility to care for them very seriously and I made sure they had friends and activities and schoolwork to help them grow. We didn't do as many outside things as before but we had these cute babies to play with and care for and it was pretty fun. We read a lot and got a lot of schoolwork done. Once the twins were about 6 months old I felt that we could breathe a little and I wanted to get back to being more involved at church and with our homeschool friends. One thing that was very annoying to me during this time were people who didn't want to "burden" me by asking me to help with things that affected my own children. I felt that I was perfectly capable and with older kids, I could certainly get away from the twins for an hour to help with something with the older ones. I didn't volunteer any help during the twins' first 6 months of life, but when I was ready I expected that others would be happy to have me back. This was not the case. I sensed that people wanted to keep me away. They didn't like me and were glad that I had been out of the picture and they wanted to keep it that way. This was mostly at church which I've written about before. But I don't want to forget how that feels because I don't ever want to do that to anybody else. People also assumed that I had to be so busy and because of that I was basically unable to do anything outside of my home at all. Especially the older women-- I think most of them had forgotten what it's like to have a bunch of little ones at home. It is very important for young mothers to get out of the house sometimes, interact with other women and do some things by herself-- not all the time, but it is necessary at least a little. Having a bunch of little ones is very physically demanding. There is very little leeway. If the mother hasn't thought out meals and snacks ahead of time, there will be a bunch of crying, hungry children and then it is almost impossible to make anything for them to eat.
It is not possible to just "run" to the store or check on this one thing real quick. Nothing is quick with little ones that you have to buckle and unbuckle in their carseats constantly. Going anywhere is a major undertaking that has to be planned ahead of time. The less stops, the better. There are lots of things that have to be packed like snacks and diapers and jackets and socks and blankets, etc. These children cannot be left alone at anytime. They have to be supervised at all times. It is a 24 hr. job. There is no "winging" it and when you have several children, eating out is just too expensive. Everything must be planned or you can't go. Older ladies especially seem to forget this-- so many of them just really don't have enough to do. They go shopping, they do projects, they read, they attend classes, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but they need to be sensitive to strain that young mothers bear. I hope I don't ever forget that. When I'm old I want to make sure I give a smile, kind word and encouragement to young mothers. I want to drop off homemade bread or just stop by to chat for a little bit. I want to reach out to their children and make them feel that they have a friend in me and I want the mother to feel at ease with me around her children and know that I really do love her and her children. I don't want to get caught up in all the projects and activities I'll finally be able to do. I want to be sensitive to the feelings of those around me.
Another thing I want to recognize when I'm old is that these young moms who will look sooooo young to me are full grown adults with personalities and opinions that are just as valid as my own. I never want to think that I am so much wiser just because I am older and have already raised my children. Those mothers deserve my full respect because they are working 24 hours a day and most do an amazing job. I hope I realize that I probably can't do half the stuff I was able to do when I was young-- and if I can, then I need to try to help out at least be respectful and encouragin and loving.
The other thing I experienced as I realized that I was being shunned at church is what it feels like to be subject to people who don't care about you-- how it feels to have no one care what you think about anything even though it affects yourself and your children. I sensed a lot of leaders willing to take my children and teach or serve them, but totally unwilling to reach out to me as a person. It was as if I didn't matter as a person-- just my children were important. The attitude was "thank you for bringing me your child, now please go away". They wanted zero input from me. Really they didn't want me to be me. They wanted me to fit some other mold that I couldn't. I closed up. I stopped interacting with these people. I avoided them, and I only went to church to worship and take the sacrament, not for social reasons. I finally understood first hand how inactive members and non LDS members must feel. I don't ever want to forget that because I don't ever want to make anyone feel the way I was made to feel. I want every person I meet to know that I care about them and love them as a person, not just because it is my duty to act like I care. I want them to know that I truly and sincerely care for them regardless of if I am in a leadership position in the church or not. I also want to remember what it's like to not have a calling and how ostracized it makes a person feel. It is much easier to deal with people's insecurities and letting your children go with them when you have another job in the church to do as well. But when you have nothing, no responsibility and not a soul who can help you that cares, how awful that feels. I don't forget that. I am so much more empathetic towards others. A lack of love, concern and care really does kill a person slowly. I never knew how bad until I experienced it myself and I hope I never forget.
It is so important to reach out. Even just an encouraging smile that shows your love can do wonders. Life is hard. You never know what people may be going through. We must love each other. We can all feel different and on the outside for various reasons and we need to lift each other and pray for charity for it truly is the greatest gift of God. Charity. Charity. Charity. I hope I will always remember this so that I never make anyone feel sad or lonely or weak. I hope they will feel love and that I will be able to love each and every person I meet.
I am really grateful for these hard times. I was strong enough to learn from them. I don't know if I would have been ready for these lessons earlier in my life. I am grateful to understand humanity better. I think I was very naive before. I loved people, I tried to be good and reach out, but some of the feelings people would tell me about, I just really didn't understand and now I do. I pray that I never forget. These have been most valuable lessons for me. I feel more connected to real people and to life. I don't think I'm scared of much anymore. I feel very empowered. I know that my worth and testimony are not based on other's opinions of me, but on my personal relationship with God. I feel that I understand better what our Savior went through with the hatred of those who should have accepted Him. I am so grateful. I pray that I never forget. I have much more to learn, but that's O.K. I will continue to learn and grow. It's O.K. to be wrong. Life is good, repentance is real. The Savior and the Atonement are real. Life is good. I am very thankful to have some new friends and a wonderful, welcoming, accepting ward where I can feel the Spirit and the Savior's love each week. Thank you new ward full of such wonderful people. Amen.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Guantanamo and Mitt Romney contrast to Ron Paul 2002 Predictions
This is the story of an innocent man from Bosnia who was detained in Guantanamo Bay for seven years before he was finally allowed a trial and found innocent. It is not very long, but very worth reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/my-guantanamo-nightmare.html?_r=1
There are still prisoners in Guantanamo who have not received their day in court.
Look at what Romney said about Guantanamo during the 2008 election:
Is it any wonder I don't like Romney-- this is just one thing-- does he really know what's going on and is he willing to see the reality of many situations and deal with them?
Ron Paul on the otherhand-- Here's a video of his predictions from 2002:
My husband was the one who found all these links-- I liked them so much I wanted to share. Knowledge is power.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/my-guantanamo-nightmare.html?_r=1
There are still prisoners in Guantanamo who have not received their day in court.
Look at what Romney said about Guantanamo during the 2008 election:
Is it any wonder I don't like Romney-- this is just one thing-- does he really know what's going on and is he willing to see the reality of many situations and deal with them?
Ron Paul on the otherhand-- Here's a video of his predictions from 2002:
My husband was the one who found all these links-- I liked them so much I wanted to share. Knowledge is power.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Pregnancy
I thought I was past morning sickness, but I'm probably not as far along as I thought and although I had a decent week this week and was able to function mostly normally I started getting a headache last night and I've had it off and on all day today, and I haven't done much at all today. It is really frustrating and pregnancy is really really hard. I of course don't remember any of these hard things from previous pregnancies so my husband told me he really wants me write this down so I can remember. I have no memory of my only natural childbirth either. I remember no pain. All I see is my cute almost 2 yr olds and think oh they're so cute and then we decide to have another and boom-- I'm sick for 2 months. It is really crappy. I know it will be more than worth it in the end, but wow, pregnancy is tough. It truly is a sacrifice, very worth it, but very hard.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Baby #8 is already making his/ her mark in the World
I think each child I have had has taught me something. Having so many children has forced me to learn how to clean efficiently and organize my home-- I don't think I ever would have gotten around to it with only 3 children. I'm still not very clean, but I'm much better than I would have been without being responsible for so many. I've also learned to put my children first and read to them at night even though I'm tired, and make sure I am available to help them with whatever school work they need help with, and just take care of them and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. It has taken a lot of time and attention to figure out how to get it all to work. I'm far from perfect, but I'm much further along that road because of my children.
Even with 5 kids, I was handling my life fine-- I had time to learn how to play the guitar, time to read and time to learn all sorts of cooking and food prep. Enter the twins-- I went from 5 kids to 7 and it was rough. I am jut 5'2" tall, so the pregnancy was very heavy for me. By the end I could hardly walk and I struggled to finish the dishes by sitting on a stool, I also sat on a stool to cook. The pregnancy was hard from the beginning-- I was twice as sick the first trimester and twice as big the 3rd, the 2nd was O.K. I was too tired to do anything besides take care of my 5 children and my pregnant self. Once the babies were born I literally could do nothing except take care of those babies, pull meals together and read to the kids or help them with their schoolwork while I nursed those twins. There wasn't enough time to clean, our house was really, really messy. The kids would have helped, but it was so out of control that they just couldn't because they wouldn't know where to start. I did have meals brought in at first and my mom helped with laundry, but wow-- the whole year is kind of a blur. I loved those babies and enjoyed them, but there was no time for book clubs or playing the guitar. We barely made it to our homeschool group once a week. School was O.K. because I could do that while I nursed, but that is about all I did. I don't even remember much about Christmas because I think it was still a blur. Once those babies turned 1, my life started to ease up. I was ready to join back into life and social events as I am a very social person.
That was a rude awakening. My 3 best friends had moved during that year and 3 others the year before. The couple of friends who were left who I had done things with when my older kids were young no longer had babies. They were entering the phase of motherhood where the youngest child goes off to school and they suddenly have some newfound freedom and opportunities. I felt like everybody left me behind, and I think they did. It was time for me to grow further and it was time for our family to move to a better environment closer to my husband's work. That didn't turn out to be very easy, and only after it got really hard for not just me, but for the kids, we knew we had to force the move and just do it. We are in the process now- still haven't moved, but we are feeling much better because we are building a great house in a great neighborhood and area for our family. Things I've learned and experience I've gained from these experiences are really due to those twins.
I read that only about 0.5% of women nowadays have 7 children or more. In Utah, there are a good number of families with 4 and 5 kids, 6 is less common but accepted as normal, and very few families have 7 or more children. So I think I was considered "normal" with my 7 because the last 2 were twins and that is "acceptable". Those twins are so cute and so sweet. They are worth every pain I endured. With a promotion at work and a new house being built with plenty of room and a feeling of someone missing, we decided to have another baby. I am no longer considered "normal" even though it is just one more kid than my 7. Some people are having a hard time accepting it. I find myself growing again, going against the culture and defending my freedom of choice and being fine with staying away from negative people and just doing what I think is best regardless of what others say or think.
So far baby #8 has already changed my life forever. I am officially "unusual" now and officially in the BIG family club. I do have a very nice big family group I'm a part of and those ladies are wonderful and very encouraging. I have some good friends with varying sizes of families who are supportive of me and that make me feel good.
I read a quote by Joseph Smith the other day that perfectly describes how I feel about this:
( this is from Daughters in My Kingdom page 23)
I had no idea there was even so much to learn and do in this life. Thank you baby #8, I am already a better person because of you. Thank you to my husband for always being there for me-- at least we have each other!! Thank you to all my sweet and good children for putting up with me and loving me despite my weaknesses. Thank you to all the people who have shown love to me even though they may not understand me or even know me or have met me in person. Thank you to anyone who has been kind to me and smiled despite the throng of children usually following me around. Thank you for being nice. Going against the grain is not an easy thing to do-- there are plenty who mock and don't even try to understand. Thank you to you for being a true friend.
p.s., the morning sickness is finally starting to subside, I exercised for the first time today in about 6 weeks-- it felt sooooooo good-- I should be pretty much back to normal in a week or 2 so I'm sure I'll be back on here posting updates-- the past few weeks have been rather boring with me laying down and resting every time the twins go to bed. Fortunately my kids watch so little TV that they actually guiltily like it when I'm sick because then they pretty much get to watch as much TV as they want. My husband was sick last week too so they had a couple days of marathon Curios George shows on Netflix. They're hoping to watch a lot of Kipper too, but I'm starting to feel better and I made them all do aerobics and yoga with me today. They'll thank me later!!
Even with 5 kids, I was handling my life fine-- I had time to learn how to play the guitar, time to read and time to learn all sorts of cooking and food prep. Enter the twins-- I went from 5 kids to 7 and it was rough. I am jut 5'2" tall, so the pregnancy was very heavy for me. By the end I could hardly walk and I struggled to finish the dishes by sitting on a stool, I also sat on a stool to cook. The pregnancy was hard from the beginning-- I was twice as sick the first trimester and twice as big the 3rd, the 2nd was O.K. I was too tired to do anything besides take care of my 5 children and my pregnant self. Once the babies were born I literally could do nothing except take care of those babies, pull meals together and read to the kids or help them with their schoolwork while I nursed those twins. There wasn't enough time to clean, our house was really, really messy. The kids would have helped, but it was so out of control that they just couldn't because they wouldn't know where to start. I did have meals brought in at first and my mom helped with laundry, but wow-- the whole year is kind of a blur. I loved those babies and enjoyed them, but there was no time for book clubs or playing the guitar. We barely made it to our homeschool group once a week. School was O.K. because I could do that while I nursed, but that is about all I did. I don't even remember much about Christmas because I think it was still a blur. Once those babies turned 1, my life started to ease up. I was ready to join back into life and social events as I am a very social person.
That was a rude awakening. My 3 best friends had moved during that year and 3 others the year before. The couple of friends who were left who I had done things with when my older kids were young no longer had babies. They were entering the phase of motherhood where the youngest child goes off to school and they suddenly have some newfound freedom and opportunities. I felt like everybody left me behind, and I think they did. It was time for me to grow further and it was time for our family to move to a better environment closer to my husband's work. That didn't turn out to be very easy, and only after it got really hard for not just me, but for the kids, we knew we had to force the move and just do it. We are in the process now- still haven't moved, but we are feeling much better because we are building a great house in a great neighborhood and area for our family. Things I've learned and experience I've gained from these experiences are really due to those twins.
I read that only about 0.5% of women nowadays have 7 children or more. In Utah, there are a good number of families with 4 and 5 kids, 6 is less common but accepted as normal, and very few families have 7 or more children. So I think I was considered "normal" with my 7 because the last 2 were twins and that is "acceptable". Those twins are so cute and so sweet. They are worth every pain I endured. With a promotion at work and a new house being built with plenty of room and a feeling of someone missing, we decided to have another baby. I am no longer considered "normal" even though it is just one more kid than my 7. Some people are having a hard time accepting it. I find myself growing again, going against the culture and defending my freedom of choice and being fine with staying away from negative people and just doing what I think is best regardless of what others say or think.
So far baby #8 has already changed my life forever. I am officially "unusual" now and officially in the BIG family club. I do have a very nice big family group I'm a part of and those ladies are wonderful and very encouraging. I have some good friends with varying sizes of families who are supportive of me and that make me feel good.
I read a quote by Joseph Smith the other day that perfectly describes how I feel about this:
When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind.
( this is from Daughters in My Kingdom page 23)
I had no idea there was even so much to learn and do in this life. Thank you baby #8, I am already a better person because of you. Thank you to my husband for always being there for me-- at least we have each other!! Thank you to all my sweet and good children for putting up with me and loving me despite my weaknesses. Thank you to all the people who have shown love to me even though they may not understand me or even know me or have met me in person. Thank you to anyone who has been kind to me and smiled despite the throng of children usually following me around. Thank you for being nice. Going against the grain is not an easy thing to do-- there are plenty who mock and don't even try to understand. Thank you to you for being a true friend.
p.s., the morning sickness is finally starting to subside, I exercised for the first time today in about 6 weeks-- it felt sooooooo good-- I should be pretty much back to normal in a week or 2 so I'm sure I'll be back on here posting updates-- the past few weeks have been rather boring with me laying down and resting every time the twins go to bed. Fortunately my kids watch so little TV that they actually guiltily like it when I'm sick because then they pretty much get to watch as much TV as they want. My husband was sick last week too so they had a couple days of marathon Curios George shows on Netflix. They're hoping to watch a lot of Kipper too, but I'm starting to feel better and I made them all do aerobics and yoga with me today. They'll thank me later!!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Just be nice!!!
Life is too short for meanness and cruelty. Sometimes we think we're not being mean by making fun of someone-- we're just joking. Maybe we think we're not being by talking bad about someone's faults when they're not there-- we're just trying to find a way to help them. The worst is passive agressiveness by people who are supposed to be nice- so they won't be outright rude or mean to someone-- they will just be on the lookout for that person's failure in anything so that they can subtletly point it out at an embarrassing moment for that person. They take secret pleasure when life is difficult for others.
We don't know what each other is going through. We don't know the pain we can cause, especially to those who trust us. Betrayal is such a terrible feeling.
Just be nice. Look for the good in people all the time and let them know. Overlook their faults and build them up. Give them opportunities to do good things if you can and be happy for them when they succeed. Be kind, say nice things, don't make fun of people. A kind word and a smile can do wonders for anybody. Life is tough enough, it is almost unbearable when surrounded by ridicule. Be nice!!!
This is from 2 Nephi 27:31,32 in the Book of Mormon:
We don't know what each other is going through. We don't know the pain we can cause, especially to those who trust us. Betrayal is such a terrible feeling.
Just be nice. Look for the good in people all the time and let them know. Overlook their faults and build them up. Give them opportunities to do good things if you can and be happy for them when they succeed. Be kind, say nice things, don't make fun of people. A kind word and a smile can do wonders for anybody. Life is tough enough, it is almost unbearable when surrounded by ridicule. Be nice!!!
This is from 2 Nephi 27:31,32 in the Book of Mormon:
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
32 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.
Monday, December 19, 2011
go Ron Paul!!!!
I whole-heartily support Ron Paul's views on the Constitution, the Fed, economic policy and FREEDOM from big government. I think he totally understands the constitution and the proper role of government. I like his idea of being non-interventionist around the world and that we need to get out of all these wars, and use that money saved to take care of things here at home. Like he told Jay Leno-- his message hasn't changed in 30 years, but people are finally fed up with what's been happening to the country and the loss of our freedoms and his message is resonating with the people. Now he's ahead in the polls for the Iowa caucus which is a big deal. The Republican elites have been trying to ignore him, but they can't any longer. So watch for a smear campaign against him and we also need to watch the election and make sure it's not stolen. I read that Iowa is taking precautions such as using paper ballots as a backup in case there are odd results as there have been in other elections especially with these stupid voting machines that are really not very secure. www.infowars.com has lots of good article on the state of the nation and Ron Paul if you want to read more.
Anyway go Ron Paul-- keep it up and thanks for staying in the race and explaining so much about the constitution, gold standard, freedom and the proper role of government!!
Anyway go Ron Paul-- keep it up and thanks for staying in the race and explaining so much about the constitution, gold standard, freedom and the proper role of government!!
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