Updates

Well they are still not finished with my basement, but we are surviving! I am reading this awesome book by Lawrence Cohen called Playful Parenting and that has helped. Basically it encouraged me to spend time playing with my daughter every day and that would help her have the desire to do quiet time. It has helped immensely. I highly recommend that book to anyone and everyone, it is an amazing parenting book and has some really neat concepts. The other thing that has helped is that I researched how to do quiet time (we decided nap time is over:) and decided that I need to build up to an hour (today we did 35 minutes) and I also started some quiet time boxes. Basically I put special activities that are only for quiet time in a box and I have one for each day of the week. I get it out about lunch time and put it on the fridge so she can see it and be excited for it. Then I put her down about 2. It has worked wonderfully every day except Wed. (I don't think he activities I put in for Wed. were that cool). I am so grateful that my mom suggested to me to research quiet time online and that I found this amazing idea!!!

Frustration

So while I was having my baby at the hospital, our basement flooded. I had everything worked out perfectly, but all my plans had to change, because our basement is now uninhabitable. Luckily it wasn't a fire, and none of our stuff got damaged, but we have been living upstairs with my in-laws for the last 2 1/2 weeks and still have 2-3 weeks to go. The most frustrating parts were bringing home a new baby and having to move that weekend, and my 2 year old. She is doing wonderfully for all the changes that have been thrown into her life, but she is struggling. She recently discovered how to open doors and that she can reach the light switches, so putting her to bed is a nightmare. She will not stay in bed (she is currently in my in-laws tv room) and plays -- last night we put her to bed about 9:00 and she didn't go to sleep until after 11:30. If we were in our own environment, then I know a lot of the problem would be solved, but she wants to explore this new room and it is driving me crazy. I wonder if really need to worry about it or not, because we will be going back to our basement soon enough, and in a few months we will be moving into our new house, so is it a big deal and do I teach her now, or do I wait for a while until she and I am more settled? I'm just not sure, but I know that I am really struggling with this trial right now.

ramblings on childbirth

So, I am about to have a baby and my husband and I decided that we wanted to go natural. I have a friend who used hypnobabies (I used hypnobirthing for my first, but ended up with pitocin and an epidural). I have learned so much about birth from this program, and from my own research in the last few years, that I thought I would share some of it. Some background on me: I try not to take medicine, but I occasionally do. I believe that eating healthy is the best way to get nutrients into your body, but I do take prenatals. I don't eat organically, probably because I can't afford it, but I do try to eat fresh fruits/veggies and cook more than eating from a box or eating out. I have tried to eliminate hydrogenated oils from my diet, but I am not perfect at it, basically I try to live healthily, but I'm not perfect at it. I also plan to have my babies at a hospital. My daughter was born on her due date, from an induction because of low amniotic fluid and an old placenta. I am glad that I used pitocin -- because I believe that she would have been stillborn if we hadn't intervened. I am also glad that I got an epidural because I couldn't relax without it and once I was able to relax my body accepted the pitocin and I was able to have her (I labored 14 hours with pitocin before I got an epidural - 7 after). However, I know so much more about natural inductions now then I did then and if I were to ever be in a similar situation I would try to do natural inductions first. So I don't know why pregnancy in America is so risky. Partly I think it is because doctors and moms are on schedules and babies need to fit into their schedules. And I think that part of it is hospitals run a business and the more patients they can get in and out the more money that they make. My aunt was under the impression that her body didn't know how to go into labor on its own (really?). She had 7 children using pitocin and chose several of their birth days when it was convenient for her. Child number 8 decides to come on the convenient birth day that my aunt had chosen, without any help -- all natural. So that tells me that her body can go into labor on its own. So she gets pregnant with child number 9 and still picks her baby's birth date (this baby decided to come 5 days early). I just don't understand. Anyway, I guess I just wish that people would have more knowledge about childbirth. You don't have to get a c-section, in fact it is more risky and the more that you have the riskier it is. Childbirth is natural, and sometimes a woman is pregnant for 41 or 42 weeks and that's okay - as long as the baby is okay. Sometimes labors last for a long time and that is okay too. Everyone is different, and instead of having a factory for child birth, we really should be allowed to birth in the way that is best for us!

Choose your words carefully

Every word that we speak has meaning and origin. Nevertheless, a word may mean something different to me than it does to another person. We use words to record thoughts to preserve our memories and express the ideas from our minds to other people. (Locke 2: 12) Consequently, words are very personal; each person selects words that describe what he is thinking and then shares it with others hoping to convey his ideas to that person. Yet people come from different experiences and therefore create different meanings and ideas for those words and use different words to share the same ideas. To truly understand one another we must first seek to understand the words and ideas of each other.

The first step in seeking to understand one another is to not dispute words and ideas that we do not clearly understand. (Locke 1:28-29) It is better to listen fully and ask questions than to argue. Even when we clearly understand one another disputations will still happen. We should keep our friendships and peace, though, since we cannot expect our friends to suddenly quit their opinions and adopt our own. (Locke 2:254) When we choose to listen instead of argue our understanding will be enlightened and our friendships will remain strong.

Second we need to choose our words carefully. Often we use words for which we cannot give a clear definition. (Locke 2:90) A simple solution to fix these problems is to have a dictionary close by all the time; however, it isn’t practical to carry around a dictionary and constantly look up words. Instead, if someone questions the meaning of a word that we use and we cannot define it, then we should choose a different word.

“There are not words enough in any language to answer all the variety of ideas that enter into men’s discourses and reasonings.” (Locke, 1:23) Because the English language has thousands of words to choose from, Locke’s statement may be surprising. However, it makes more sense if we think about how many words mean more than one thing. Locke defines two words: “spirit, in its primary signification, is breath; angel, a messenger.” (2:10) Today those words have many more meanings; in Oxford’s online dictionary the word spirit has eight distinct definitions and angel has five. With so many definitions it is difficult to always know if what we are saying is the same as what is being understood. “A definition is nothing else but the showing the meaning of one word by several other not synonymous terms. The meaning of words being only the ideas they are made to stand for by him that uses them, the meaning of any term is then shown or the word is defined when, by other words, the idea it is made the sign of and annexed to, in the mind of the speaker, is as it were represented or set before the view of another, and thus its signification ascertained….” (Locke 2:27) Good speakers will establish their words and the intended meanings so that they are understood by their audience. Thus both can benefit from the conversation.

Words are powerful. Great men (and not so great men) have coined phrases and words that live on. When we speak we must choose our words carefully and if someone questions our diction we must analyze our words and make sure that the meaning is clear. “I shall imagine I have done some service to truth, peace, and learning if, by any enlargement on this subject, I can make men reflect on their own use of language and give them reason to suspect that, since it is frequent for others, it may also be possible for them to have sometimes very good and approved words in their mouths and writings, with very uncertain, little, or no signification. And therefore it is not unreasonable for them to be wary herein themselves, and not to be unwilling to have them examined by others.” (Locke 2:42)

“angel.” Oxford Online Dictionary. 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. 8 Oct. 2010

John Locke. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Vol. 1. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 2003

John Locke. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Vol. 2. New York: Everyman’s Library, 1974

“spirit.” Oxford Online Dictionary. 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. 8 Oct. 2010

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Teaching Primary

So about a month ago I received a new calling to be a primary worker. I teach the girls in our ward that are 8-12, which in itself is a little intimidating since they are all on such different levels. But I love teaching them. The first week after I was called I taught on David and Bathsheba, which was a tough lesson. But the next two have been better. This week I taught on Elijah and the priests of Baal. I love this story in the Old Testament. It is probably one of my favorite stories!!! I just love the faith of Elijah, and I find it really amusing when he mocks the priests and says, maybe your god is sleeping and needs to be awoken, or maybe he is busy or on a journey. It just cracks me up!!! But I wonder how much faith the people really had. Before the whole competition, Elijah asks them who is God and the people say nothing (this is after a famine had been in the land for 3 years). Then after God sends down the fire, then the people believe in him. I wonder how often I am like that - I'll wait and see and if god proves himself then I will follow Him, but if not then I will remain undecided. It takes faith and courage to stand for something even when no one else is. I hope that I can have that faith and courage, because I know there have been times in my life when I haven't. I was so impressed with my girls today though. The lesson suggested starting the lesson by asking who we pray to when we have problems, then asking them if they would pray to a rock. All of the girls vehemently said they would not pray to a rock, and gave most of the reasons that the lesson book gave for why they would not. I was pretty impressed. I love being in primary!!! I get to learn things and teach at the same time!!!