Wednesday's Women

Mothers of the 2060 Stripling Warriors



Alma 56:47-48; 57:21-27

I wasn't going to do this one for awhile because it sort of annoys me that they seem to be the only women ever mentioned in church, with exception of Mary and Sarah. But as I was reading about them a few weeks ago, I felt such a profound connection and understanding with them that I couldn't not write about them. Even if you already feel you know their story, I hope you will take another look at these AMAZING women. Really ponder about what they went through for their faith and their incredible understanding of the atonement. I hope they inspire us all to honor and live up to the sacred covenants we make to God.

Just in case you need another reason to support breastfeeding

I know this is sort of old news, but the more I think about it the more and more upset I get!

Babies getting kidney stones and infections! That makes me want to cry. Right after Asher was born I had a kidney infection and kidney stone that put me in the hospital twice. It hurt SO bad (in my opinion MUCH worse than labor) and I can't even begin to imagine a baby having to go through it.

Tian Yaowen, who is 15 months old and has kidney stones, cries in a ward of the Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. From CNN.com

All because they drank formula that had been PURPOSELY tainted with Melanine, a chemical they use to make plastic. The formula company was trying to cut corners and make it look like the formula had more protein in it that it really did. They KNEW that BABIES would be drinking their product and they DIDN'T CARE! Oh man, it make me SO angry I could kick something! (pause... envision Heather kicking the leg of the desk)

I realize that formula isn't all bad. When I was in the hospital for my kidney infection, and on nasty antibiotics, Asher had to have formula for a little while. I have to admit that I was grateful for it. So, I'm not totally against formula. I believe that how a woman chooses to feed her baby is personal decision and should be respected. But with that said, I think that the tactics that formula companies use to get women to bottle feed instead of breastfeed are down right unethical.

For example, in some 3rd world countries formula companies (cough... Nestle--makers of Good Start and Gerber) provide women with samples of formula while they are in the hospital. Telling them that is a better way to feed their baby. This interferes with a woman's breastfeeding, decreasing her milk supply and making her baby dependent upon the infant formula. For most 3rd world women formula is much too expensive and so they water it down. Often the water they have access to is unclean, and so not only are the babies malnourished but also get diarrhea. UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) predicts that one and half million lives could be saved each year by reversing the decline in breastfeeding.

Now for the classic shock effect picture.

If you haven't seen this picture before it is of a mother at the Children's Hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, taken by UNICEF. The babies are twins, a boy on the left and a girl on the right. The mother was told she wouldn't have enough milk to feed both and chose to breastfeed the boy and bottle feed the girl. The girl died not long after this picture was taken. UNICEF says that the mother said "Use my picture if it will help."

Formula companies make me SO angry! The WHO (World Health Organization), in order to protect mothers and babies, has passed a code that formula makers are suppose to follow when marketing their products. Here are the guidelines. See how many of them don't seem to apply in the US (am I the only one who got 2 free cases of formula in the mail-- that I didn't ask for?).

Code for the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes

1. No advertising of any of these products to the public.
2. No free samples to mothers.
3. No promotion of products in health care facilities, including the distribution of free or low-cost supplies.
4. No company sales representatives to advise mothers.
5. No gifts or personal samples to health workers.
6. No words or pictures idealizing artificial feeding, or pictures of infants on labels of infant milk containers.
7. Information to health workers should be scientific and factual.
8. All information on artificial infant feeding, including that on labels, should explain the benefits of breastfeeding, and the costs and hazards associated with artificial feeding.
9. Unsuitable products, such as sweetened condensed milk, should not be promoted for babies.
10. Manufacturers and distributors should comply with the Code's provisions even if countries have not adopted laws or other measures.

Before and After

The long awaited BEFORE and AFTER pictures of the Cottage Cheese Cottage! It isn't totally finished yet, but we got our new windows and blinds (for most of the rooms) and I feel like the house is FINALLY to a point where I'm willing to say that it is "finished." I've realized that with a house there will ALWAYS be some project that needs to be completed.

So... drum roll... after three months of hard work, numerous marital squabbles, way too much dust, and several unexpected set backs.... HERE IS THE almost COMPLETED COTTAGE CHEESE COTTAGE! (if you don't understand the name, click here and here)

The Living Room

Before:



After:



This room had casino style carpet. It was so old and nasty that when we pulled it up to refinish the hardwood floor, the carpet pad had rotted to the floor. It was a PAIN to scrap off. Also, when we pulled off the wall paper we also discovered that the original walls had been painted the same color we were already planning on painting them. That has actually happened several times, we feel like we are just restoring the house back to how it originally was!

The Dining Room

Before:



After:



This room had the least work to do on it, we just refinished the floor, painted the walls and added the antique wood burning parlor stove-- which I consider the BEST CLASSIFIEDS FIND EVER!

The Kitchen

Before:



After:



I swear that the previous owner of this house NEVER cleaned-- EVER. When I pulled the stove out there was about an inch of grease and grime caked on to it. The cupboards were disgusting and it took a VERY long time to clean them and paint them. We just painted over the wood paneling on the walls.

The Bathroom

Before:



After:



We decided to keep the purple tub, 1) because it would have been too hard to get it out, 2) because it would have been hard to find a new tub that fit, and 3) because it is actually a really neat old tub. It was the ultimate test on our interior decorating skills (which I have to admit are pretty sad), to try to find colors and tile that didn't' clash with the purple tub. The sink stand is an old sewing table we found at an antique store. Oh, and we got rid of the purple sink and the half hot pink/half purple toilet-- which sounded like a train engine when it flushed. They are outside in the backyard and next summer I am going to plant flowers in them!

The Master Bedroom

Before:



After:




I think this is the room that has transformed the most. I really don't have a good picture of how HIDEOUS this room was before. You can kind of see in the top picture the awful closet (that they used as the laundry room) and the red shag carpet. The carpet was SO nasty, I don't think it had ever been vacuumed and I am certain it had creatures living in it. We basically had to tear this room apart. We tore off all the lathe and plaster and put up new sheet rock, and rebuilt the closet, doors and windows. We still need to finish painting the closet doors and build the top ones. We moved the laundry room to the basement. Don't you love our beautiful window treatments!

The Spare Bedroom/Office

Before:



After:



This room had blue shag carpet, which once again I don't think had EVER been vacuumed. The wallpaper was fused to the wall and I couldn't get it off. We ended up just painting over it, which worked REALLY well. You can't really tell in the picture, but the paint color is quite different from the other blue in the house. I couldn't decide what color to paint this room; so when were at Lowes I held up three different color samples to Asher. This is the one he grabbed for-- and that my friends is about the extent of my interior design abilities!

The Nursery

Before:



After:



I don't have a good picture of what this room looked like before, but it looked alot like the Office room. It had the same blue shag carpet with creatures in it, and some of the same wallpaper (most of it had already been painted over). My little sister suggested this color and I really love it. It just happens to match his crib set perfectly.
Oh, and the dresser is an antique that the previous owner left. They also left the antique bed that is in the office. Our stairs are REALLY narrow and steep and I don't think they wanted to try to get the down the stairs. We sure didn't mind!

The Basement

Is not finished and is kind of scary and creepy.
We are going to set up a laundry room down there, and hopefully sometime will get a food storage room and sewing room set up. It will definitely be a future project. Oh, but we have found several treasures in our basement. Like old, old, old Mason canning jars, an old bug sprayer, some really neat old locks and keys, and a NEW pressure cooker! It is really fun to learn the history of our house. It was built in 1916 and lots of the people in our ward have lived in this neighborhood their whole lives and can tell us about the people that were here before. I guess one of the original children who grew up here was nick-named Squirrel! I think when I get the chance I am going to interview people and research a bit so I can write a history of our house.

TA DA!
And that my friends, is our new house!

Like I said it still has some work to do, but it has come SO far. It is funny, but when Jon and I first looked at this house, we thought it was nasty and gross (which it was) and couldn't see how anyone in their right mind would buy it. But when we got home that night it was all we could think about. I think the real estate agent was surprised when we told him we wanted to make an offer on it. It just felt right, and it seemed like miracle after miracle kept happening so that we could get it.
Despite the stress of the last few months, it has really been a lot of fun working on the house with Jon. I think my sister-in-law, who has remodeled 2 houses with her husband, gave me the best advice "Try not to hate each other." I pass that advice along to anyother couple who undertakes a remodeling project. :) I told Jon that we are staying in this house long enough to get some good equity on it-- so that we don't have to buy a fixer-upper next time!

This is how we've been feeling lately

Don't worry the baby is still alive. Just very flexible.

Wednesday's Woman

Lois



II Timothy 1:5

An ode to...

Our 2nd home,
We've almost spent as much time is this store as in our new house;
41,
times, according to our credit card, we have visited (ie. bought something at) this lovely blue giant of a store in the last three months;
3,
the number of times someone went to Lowes, on average PER DAY, during the "peak" time of remodeling the cottage cheese cottage;
26,
Gallons of paint,
I think the paint guy knows my name;
4,
times that I have returned or bought the same bathtub drain;
50
probably more,
tubes of caulk
(the baby was happy about this part)



8 PM,
the time at which your baby, after going the store for the 3rd time, will start looking like this;

Lil' Blue Eyes

Today at the store a lady asked me if I thought that my son would have those "big beautiful blue eyes" forever, because if so "he is gunna drive those girls crazy!" I thanked her but wasn't too surprised by the compliment because it seem like EVERYONE we meet tells us how beautiful his blue eyes are- because they are, if you don't believe me click here. But THEN she turned to me and said, "Wow, they are just like your eyes, you have the same blue eyes." Then I was REALLY flattered, because while Jon tells me that Asher has my eyes no one else has said so. It made me feel pretty.
I've decided that having a baby does wonders for your self esteem. This is because whenever someone tells you that your baby is beautiful or adorable, they might as well be telling YOU that you are beautiful and adorable. Where do they think that those dashing good looks and beautiful smile come from!



By the way, this is just about the most AMAZING tire swing I've ever seen. Jon took LOTS of pictures of it so that one day he can make one.

Wednesday's Woman

Huldah

II Kings 22:12-20
II Chronicles 34:22-28


"Treasure the Word" by Elspeth Young

"We need more women who are gospel scholars and more men who are Christians."
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Urabus

Scene: Heather, Jon and Asher in the car, country music playing, car slowing to stop at stop light behind a Subaru Outback. Heather mildly annoyed (about what...who knows?), Jon overly enthusiastic (like always), and Asher entertained by the handle of the plastic bag (don't you wish you could still get excited about a plastic bag?).

J: Hey (enthusiastically)

H: What (annoyed)

J: What is Subaru backwards?

H: I don't know (annoyed)

J: URABUS (fits of schoolboy laughter) Yeah U-R-A-BUS (more laughter)

H: Laughs because his laughter is contagious, and is ashamed that she was being grumpy. Result is-- that now she can't drive past a URABUS with out laughing.

It's my tooth and I'll cry if I want to

Asher is getting his first tooth! It hasn't broken the surface yet, but I can see the white bump pushing up and his gums are harder. How long do they take before they break through? I think it has really been bothering him because he has been a grumperpuss. Not to mention he is a drooling and chomping machine. I think in the last few days he has put EVERYTHING he can get his hand on into his mouth. In fact in one day he managed to chew (and sometimes swallow) on the grossest molidest aprciot you've ever seen (it was lying in the grass), several clumps of plaster, a tube of caulk (his favorite), a pencil, the dirt out of the houseplant, my shoe, some rocks, a leaf (which he gagged on and then threw up), and the leg of the dinning room chair! I think this chew-a-thon was the result of his new found crawling freedom, combined with the fact that chewing on anything makes his mouth feel better. Any suggestions for more sanitary things I can give him to help with the soreness?

Woman Singing During Contractions

I thought this video was strangely beautiful. I don't know if I would personally choose to handle contractions like this, I think one flash of the camera and I would have lost it, but I am impressed with her. It just goes to show that there are as many ways to birth as there are women and babies. It is neat to watch how she handles the contractions, you can tell she is pretty far along because of how long they are. I wonder if they would let you do this in the hospital :)



Um... but what is up with the room she is in?

Wednesday's Woman

I've started a new blog called "Women in the Scriptures". I've wanted to write this blog for awhile but never could quite pull it together. I took a class on women in the scriptures from Camille Fronk when I was at BYU and loved studying the scriptures with that perspective. The last few months I have started keeping a list of all the women mentioned in the scritures, as well as all the references to women, women's work, and women's body parts (like wombs and breasts). I am only part way through the Old Testament and already I almost have a notebook full or references. I have been AMAZED at how many more women, mentioned by name even, there are in the scriptures than I thought.

In my study I have been learning SO much and wanted to share what I was learning. Also, there isn't really another blog/website out there that deals with women in the scriptures (at least I couldn't find one), and I thought it would be wonderful to have a forum for people who wanted to discuss the amazing women of the scriptures. I know there are lots of women, and men, who struggle with the fact that women seem to be excluded from the scriptures and from parts of the religous life. I am hoping that his blog will stand as a witness to the fact that God loves His daughters just as much as He loves His sons, and that there are amazing and strong women mentioned in the scriptures.

So if this is something that you'd be interested in click here to see my new creation. PLEASE feel free to add you thoughts, insights, and testimony. And pass the link on the other people you know who would like to participate. I plan on adding a new woman every Wednesday.

This week's Wednesday Woman is

The Widow of Zarephath

1 Kings 17: 9- 24
Luke 4:25-26

Blog as a Witness

Ever since the Ensign article came out about using the internet as a missionary tool, I've really wanted to find a way to use my blog to bear witness of Jesus Christ. As I was playing around ways to update my blog I found some buttons you can put on your blog that will link visitors straight to www.mormon.org so they can find out more about the LDS church. The author said she had gotten permission from the church to use them and I think they are FANTASTIC. There are several different types click here and here to see them all. Notice mine in the left hand corner! I like it. It is one way to stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places (Mosiah 18:9). If you are a member, I hope to see one on your blog sometime soon!

Pardon My Mess

Sorry about the messy looking blog, I am playing around with it. Mostly I was trying to figure out how to make it three columns wide, and it took me forever! I have NO clue how to write html and all the explanations on the internet might have well been written in German for all the sense they made to me. BUT, I found this wonderful blog that explains how to make your blog three columns, and it is written for the html idiot (ie. Me) So if you have been yearning to have three columns but didn't know how, this link is for you. Oh, and let me know if my blog is hard to read-- sometimes I can't tell if the light on dark is better than dark on light. Or if you have anyother blog-beautifying tips I'd be happy to hear them.

You know you're a Redneck (or remodeling a house) when...

You have a toilet and a bathroom sink in your yard, and they just happen to be purple;

You are using towels as drapes on your windows;

You have more broken windows than whole windows (don't worry we are getting new ones in about a week);

Your baby's favorite toy is a tube of caulk and he cries when you take it away from him;

You have more of you furniture out on your porch than in the house (not true now, but for about a month it was);

You've let your baby play with semi-dangerous objects (ie. hammers, nail guns, electrical cords, boxes of nails) because it keeps him happy;

You have to keep a bucket of water in the bathroom in order to flush the toilet (we had to do this for awhile and euphemistically told each other we were going to "dump the bucket");

Everything you own is covered in a fine layer of dust;

You perpetually have paint under your finger nails, and at church realize you still have paint in your hair-- and it's green;

Your baby has to sleep in the bathtub because his pack-n-play is too dusty and his crib is packed away (it was only for about a week-- he has his crib back now!);

A Mouse in the House

We have a mouse (mice?) in our house! About two days ago I noticed some suspisous looking black droppings on the counter, and then the next day saw that our big bag of oatmeal (that was sitting on the floor) had a hole chewed into it. Then yesterday I saw the mouse (mice?) two times, one ran under the door of the utility closet and the other ran behind the stove! Those both happen to be places where we still have holes in the wall leading down to the basement (and hence outside). We even heard them in the wall the other day! YUCK!!!!!!!!! I guess it is just to be expected though when you live across the street from the mountains and your backyard is a field. I am sure we are going to have many more animal encounters (deer, rabbits, coyotes, and other varmints) at this house.
Jon wants to trap the mouse/mice as humanely as possible. I am all for squashing them. But to appease my husband I am going to at least make an effort to find a humane way of trapping them. Then I'll taken them for a ride up the canyon and let them take their chances with the hawks. Any tips for catching mice? Too bad this wouldn't work!

Women and Careers?

I posted a comment similar to this on a friend's blog the other day, and since then I've been thinking a lot about the issue and wanted to say more.

In the last week there has been a lot of talk about Sarah Palin and her qualifications for becoming the VP of the United States. One of the harshest criticisms brought against her is that her teenage daughter is pregnant, insinuating that because of her career she has been a negligent mother. There are also cocerns that if she is VP she won't have time for her family, namely her baby with down syndrome.

While I have personally made the choice to stay home full-time with my baby, I beleive that what a woman decideds about working outside of the home is a VERY personal choice. It a matter that is between her, God, and her family. No one else has the right to judge her decision. I beleive that having mothers in the home is VERY important and I belieive the words of modern prophets that state "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of thier children." Yet I also beleive that God has different plans for us all, and he gives us different opportutnies in order to fulfil what he wants us to do on this earth.

We owe so much to mothers who balanced demanding public careers and offices with demanding family obligations. Without these mothers we wouldn't have the right to vote, public schools, mental health care, the Red Cross, unions, and numerous other social and political organziations that have improved and enriched the lives of American families. I beleive that there is a place for women, especially mothers, in the public sphere and that mothers have a responisbilty to be activly involved in shaping their communites and nations. Just because a woman works outside of the home doesn't mean that she will be a worse mother, or that she is neglecting her family responsibilities.

True, a woman can't have it all at once. When you choose to stay home you miss out on certain public and social expericnces, and likewise when you have a career you miss out on home and family experiences. The great irony of the sitation is, that women are critized for making either decison. Women who stay at home have defend their position just as much as women who have careers; and often times they feel guilty no matter which choice they make. That really bothers me! There isn't one right way to be a mother, and different things are right for different families.

I don't think it is fair to make judgements about Sarah Palin's decision to have a demanding public career. Just because it isn't what you or your family have chosen to do, doesn't mean that it isn't what is right for her and for her family. True, she and her family will have to sacrafice some things, but that decision is between them and God. It will be hard, and I think they need our support more than they need our critisim.

My Job Just Got Harder

Watch out! Asher is now a mobile quadraped. Yes, you should be scared. He may be slow moving, but once this kid has his eye set on something you better not get in his way. He has been known to hurdle Mom's body in one lunge, grab the calculator right out from dad's nose, and take off with cell phones before you can say snuffleupagus (can you believe the spell check didn't pick that one up-weird). He is a master of floor swimming, tippy toe scooting, and army crawl wiggling, and is working on the advanced skill of hands- and- knees- one- leg-toe- scooting. He has single handedly forced the evacuation of interesting items off the lowest shelves of the bookcase, and was last seen tipping over the garbage can. Beware, he is coming to a cupboard near you!
Here is the latest footage of the quadraped, just so you know what to watch out for. Don't worry their not very long ;)

The Master of Floor Swimming and Toe Scooting!



The fine art of hands- and- knees- one- leg-toe- scooting

Ramadan

Jon and I started Ramadan yesterday. Ever since we got back from Jordan three years ago (is it really that long ago?) we've made it a tradition to observe Ramadan. We were SO impressed with the faith of the Muslims we met and became friends with in Jordan, and wanted to incorporate some of what they taught us into our lives. We were surprised by how many common beliefs there are between Muslims and Later-Day Saints.

Ramadan is a month of fasting. You fast during the hours of sunlight, only eating and drinking before the sun rises and after it sets. Because we aren't doing it as real Muslims, Jon and I usually just fast from 7 am to 7 pm. The purpose of Ramadan is to learn patience, humility, and empathy for those less fortunate. You fast for the sake of God and focus on asking for repentance and strength to overcome your weaknesses. Jon and I also try to make it a point to fast for a miracle, or something that we feel is impossible without God's help.

Ramadan is hard. I have to admit that the first year I only made it half way through, while Jon held out the whole month by himself. Last year I was pregnant so I didn't do it (being pregnant is one of the valid reasons a Muslim can skip Ramadan). But this year I am bound and determined to finish Ramadan. I think that my problem the first year was that my heart wasn't in the right place. My real motivation behind fasting was to loose weight (pathetic I know) and the novelty of doing something different. I've learned that fasting doesn't work if you do it for selfish reasons; it must be for God and God alone.

This year I've found a real purpose behind my fast-- sorry if I tell you it won't come true-- that I think will make all the difference. Yesterday when I was hungry and sorely tempted to snitch some of Asher's Cheerios, I remembered the women and children in this world who don't have anything to eat. All those mothers who carry and nurse children when they don't have enough to keep their bodies strong and healthy. Every time I think about cheating and eating something I just have to remember how GRATEFUL I am that I have the option to eat and that I have a fridge full of food waiting for me.

I posted this awhile ago, but I think it is a great visual depiction of how great the inequalities are in the world, and a reminder that there are people (and babies-- that thought just BREAKS my heart) starving right this moment. If you feel prompted I'd challenge you to try fasting for a day, week, or however long you can, and when you get hungry say a prayer for someone who is much hungrier than you.

Is anyone else as excited about this as I am?

I think McCain made a BRILLIANT choice in choosing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Not only is she a major conservative (to woo in those who feel McCain is too moderate), and a woman (to woo in the women voters), but she gives a whole new feel and energy to the Republican ticket. She just spiced up what I thought was going to be a pretty boring election, but now I think Obama and Biden are going to get a real run for their money. I still don't know who I am going to vote for-- I'm not really thrilled with either Obama or McCain, but I am excited that there is a woman in the race after all.

I think the most interesting thing about Palin's nomination is that illustrates the dynamic shift of feminism in the US. It was so interesting to me that the women who supported Hillary Clinton were older women, while younger women didn't like her at all. I heard young women (in real life and on the news) say that they didn't support Hillary because she was "not the type of woman they wanted in the White House", because they didn't trust her, or because they saw her as a "sell out". The truth of the matter is that Hillary Clinton represents the old face of feminism, one in which women are expected to "play" just like the men, and are told they have to sacrifice family and marriage for a career, and where women and men are pitted against each other instead of encouraged to work for common goals.

I think Palin is everything Hillary Clinton isn't; she is happily married, a mother of five (including a child with down syndrome), she's not entrenched in Washington politics, she's got a record as a political Maverick, she's got a son in the military, she is SUPER pro-family and pro-life, and is young and beautiful (no offense Hillary). Basically-- she's got it all. I think she is going to succeed better than Hillary did because she is a better representation of the "type of woman" American women want to see in the White House.She represents the new face of feminism, one in which women are boldly stating that they CAN have it all. They can be mothers, wives, and brilliant forces for change and good in their communities and nations. It is a feminism that celebrates the things that make women different from men, rather than tries to turn women into men. Besides I think it will be easier for Americans (in general) to swallow the idea of a woman as second in command, rather than as commander-in-chief.

I really don't know a whole lot about her policies yet, except that she is for drilling in ANWAR, which I don't really know how I feel about. But I like it that she has a reputation for crossing party lines (like McCain), and that she has strong stances on family and against abortion. I am concerned that she doesn't have much of an emphasis on health care or social issues, and hope that she won't neglect focusing on the more traditional "women's issues" if she is elected. All in all, I am WAY excited to see a woman as a VP candidate and am VERY interested to see how this election turns out. Be prepared to see LOTS of mud-slinging-- women tend to get it worse ;)