Alaska Joke

I just love this joke, so I had to share....

A Texan was boasting about his home state. He went on and on about how it was the biggest and the best... eventually an Alaskan stepped in and corrected him.
"Alaska is actually the biggest state."
The Texan was flustered and frustrated.
"Well, if all the ice in Alaska melted, then Texas would be the biggest state!"
The Alaskan smiled.
"If all the ice in Alaska melted, Texas would be a lake!"

A Dozen Reasons to Have a Ring Sling

Thank you to the several people who gave me permission to use their photos here!

I was starting to work on this post last summer, and then uprooted and moved in a great hurry...months of sporadic internet access and simply having a lot to do have delayed its fruition...but here it finally is.

This is the post where I tell you that you need a ring sling...and then I show you why!

1--most commonly seen--newborn cradle carry

2--kangaroo carry
3--nursing cover4--upright on the front (even with a newborn!)
5--cuddle with dad
6--go exciting places

7--hip carry (for older babies/toddlers)

8--changing pad (with super-cute mommy-made diaper!)

9--provider of shade10--naptime snuggly11--chew toy
12--playmat/protector of baby from pokey grass

See, I told you that you needed one too.

Next I want to do a post with pictures of wrap uses...if you've got one you're willing to share, please let me know!!!

Quirky Thursday--Got Water?! (updated)

Another quirk to share with the world...
I do not drink milk. I don’t really object to milk, I'm not vegan, I'm not allergic or even lactose intolerant. I just don’t drink it. I eat butter, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt. I use milk in cooking, in my cocoa, on my cereal, but I can’t stand it straight out of a glass. With my last pregnancy I was working hard on drinking lots of water to stay properly hydrated, so I just never had any room for milk, and I guess I just got out of the habit…Hubby is entirely supportive of drinking water, but thinks I’m odd to not want milk at least with brownies or cookies…so I tried a few ounces of it last month with brownies—it was disgusting.
Upon consideration, while I find nursing a perfectly wonderful thing, weaning is also a natural part of the cycle, and all mammals I know of give up milk sometime during childhood...except humans. We just start drinking some other mammals' milk... I'm not saying that I see this as a bad thing, because actually I'm not sure what I think. I have just observed....

For what it's worth, we were drinking local, organic, and even raw when I finally gave up milk. I didn't like milk at all as a child, but in my pre-teens through young adulthood I drank a LOT of it. Then I developed a milk intolerance (as in, it turned my stomach) during one of my pregnancies. I could eat yogurt and cheese, but plain milk (even just the little bit on cereal) made me feel really ill. So I stopped drinking it (I won't touch psudo-milks like soy milk, especially when pregnant...but I'll have to blog about the evils of soy some other time!). Even after that pregnancy I never drank as much as I had before...I didn't have that intolerance with subsequent pregnancies, but with this last one I was working so hard on drinking water (summer in Utah!) that I didn't have any room left to drink milk...and you know, I just never re-developed the habit!



On a somewhat related note, if you haven't visited my cooking blog, you might want to...here are some photos of recipes that have gone up lately...

What they Don't Tell You...About Those First Hours After Birth

(My favorite Anne Geddes photo EVER!)

A few hours after giving birth to *Bear,I noticed movement in my abdomen. It felt just like when the baby moved around--a very familar feeling by that point--except that the baby was in my arms and I did pretty clearly remember having pushed him OUT, so I knew it couldn't be him! What, then, could be moving around inside of me? I finally figured it out (I was having a brilliant moment, truly!): It was all my internal organs settling back down into their normal places after having been pushed and shoved all over creation during the final months of pregnancy.
I was so glad I figured it out. NONE of the books talk about this! And yet it must happen to everyone...it was such a strange sensation, and would have really scared me had I not determined what it was.
So, yeah, since probably nobody told you either, after you get the baby out, everything inside will play musical chairs for a day or two. It's ok. It's normal.


*yeah, so I got tired of initials. It's true. S's middle name is Bjorn, which is a common Norwegian name, but literally translated is 'Bear'...after some months of calling S "Bear," W decided he needed an animal nickname too, and dubbed himself W Wolf. So now I have two preditory children. It has on occasion caused me to pause and ponder... Hubby joined the game and became "Daddy Dragon" (he is a green dragon, in case you wondered--hobbit blood is strong in our family!)
Yeah, and I'm just a little bee. Hmmmmm. (Although Hubby says I can be a fox!)

Finished the Stranded Hat!

This hat is my first experience with stranded knitting (which is knitting with two or more colors, and carrying the strands along inside the work when not in use). KF said I did really well with keeping my tension even (the biggest concern with stranding, as too tight will make puckers, and too loose will snag). Here it is from the inside. See my pretty stranding!

And here is the outside. I figure that's the part you actually came to see...

I had found several patterns online, but ended up deciding to design my own, because I wanted to feature both colors more evenly. I also hope to be able to sell the hat, and most free online patterns are copyrighted. Now that I have a pattern as well as a hat, I am thinking of selling the pattern too! I need to make it again, make sure I don't have any kinks in it, and then I think KF is going to give it a try, and see how well another person can follow my pattern...but assuming all goes well, it'll be going up for sale in my store in the not too distant future! Yay! (I am thinking of adapting it slightly--expanding the purple section at the top so that it's a little more prominant, more equally balancing the grey at the bottom...thoughts?)

***NEWSFLASH***
I have decided what the prize is for my who-reads-my-blog drawing! I love etsy, and wholeheartedly believe in supporting handmade cottage industry etc, SO, the prize is a 'gift certificate' to etsy. I know, there isn't really such a thing, but the way it works is I grant you a dollar amount, you browse around and let me know what you want from there, and I will buy it and have it shipped to you! You can buy from ANY etsy store you like! I decided this was more practical than choosing an item myself, because my readership is pretty varied, and I don't think any one thing would appeal to everyone...

What Is It With Those Big Families Anyway?

I am the oldest of 9 children. Throughout my life, when someone learned of my family size, they immediately asked “Mormon or Catholic?!” Then there were often questions about “Don’t Mormons believe in birth control?” and “How many moms did you have?” Polygamy is a thing of the past for the LDS church (breakoff denominations still practice it, but it is neither promoted nor tolerated by current leadership). And, just in case you wondered, we are not told to have a certain number of kids, nor is birth control forbidden.
The truth is, most LDS families that I know have 3-5 children—higher than the national average, sure, but not THAT high.

In the hopes of clarifying some of these misconceptions, here is what we DO believe:
• We believe that the spirits or souls of all people (past, present, and future) are literal children of God. We believe that there is a finite number of spirits, and that all must have a chance to live in a mortal body before Christ can return—therefore, many LDS want to provide bodies for as many spirits as they are able.
• We believe that all people who have ever lived or will ever live will have the opportunity to learn the gospel. (We believe that after death there is a waiting time prior to final judgment, and that during that time there will be missionary work until all have heard, and been able to choose to accept or reject the teachings.) With that in mind, there is some advantage to bringing children up in the church, because that’s one more person who knows the gospel now and won’t need to be taught later.
• We believe that the command given to Adam and Eve to “multiply and replenish the Earth” is still in force. Therefore, we encourage couples to welcome children, and not to delay them for selfish reasons (such as ‘financial stability’ or finishing school). We believe that when we welcome these children to our families, God will help us provide for them. (As one of 9 children in a family with the single-income of a school teacher, I can attest that this is true.)
• We are counseled that it can be appropriate to delay or avoid pregnancy if there are health risks (mental or physical) for the parents, and that this should be considered prayerfully.
• We are asked to look to the Lord, and not to the world when making decisions about the number or timing of our children.
• We believe that children deserve to be raised in a family with both a mother and a father, therefore we encourage unwed mothers to either marry or allow the child to be adopted. We strongly support and promote adoption.
• For more information about the LDS stance on families, read The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Hopefully that helps to clarify why it is that many of us choose to have large families. Sure, we are encouraged to do so, but nobody is laying down a law against family planning. It is always a personal choice, it's just that many of us choose large families because of the things we believe!

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.

~Psalm 127:4-5 KJV

Sushi Cake

This was the cake I made Hubby for his birthday.

I decided this didn't really belong on my cooking blog, because there's nothing spectacular about the recipe...it's just a plain white cake recipe and plain cream cheese frosting (of course they're scratch, not boxed, but simple, nonetheless).
However, I wanted to share pictures...



I baked the 'sushi roll' parts in tuna cans which I lined with foil--it gave a more even round shape than if I'd used a cupcake pan. I used coconut for the 'rice' on the sides of the rolls, and 'filled' them with chopped mandarin oranges and my mom's homemade blackberry jam. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Beloved Gift from God

I had my first miscarriage in April of 2004. In the months that followed we very much wanted to conceive again, and I read book after book on fertility trying to figure out what had gone wrong the first time. Finally, on Thanksgiving Day 2004, we conceived. (Yes, I know the day, that is one of the beauties of charting!)
The pregnancy was hard for me from the beginning: my morning sickness was horrible (I literally could only eat about a dozen foods, and constantly felt as though I would vomit at any moment), and of course I was really scared of losing this baby as well. It was difficult to feel so awful, and not even know if anything good would ever come of it. Around Christmastime I asked Hubby to give me a priesthood blessing, which he did. In the blessing, I was told that God wanted us to raise this spirit in our family, and that I should feel comforted. Of course I felt better after that! After all, God wanted us to raise this child! I moved forward with renewed hope and trust.
In early February I had my second appointment with the midwife. She was not able to hear the baby's heartbeat, but I was only 11 weeks along, and we knew that I had a tilted uterus, which makes it harder to hear the baby in the earlier part of pregnancy (because it is farther down in the abdomen), so we didn't worry much. We tried to listen a week later (with a more experienced midwife), and she could not hear a heartbeat either. We still assumed all was probably fine, but decided to schedule an ultrasound just to make sure.
On Valentine's Day 2005, I had my first ultrasound...
There was no heartbeat.
Our little one had stopped growing nearly a month prior, but my body (which is really good at being pregnant), had not miscarried the body.
We evaluated our options and chose to have a D&C that night, because I had had so many complications during my prior miscarriage (including heavy bleeding, retained placenta, anemia, and a trip to the Emergency Room).
In the days the followed, I struggled to understand what had happened. The weeks of pregnancy had been healing in many ways, but the actual miscarriage had torn my heart open again. Hadn't God told me we were going to raise this child? No, I realized, He had said we would raise this spirit...and so I know we shall. I do not know when this child will come to us, or whether she will come biologically or via adoption, but she will come to us, because God wants us to be her parents.
And yes, I believe she is a little girl. I felt her presence when I carried her. I have had a feeling about the gender of each of my children, and in the cases where we could tell, I was right, so I have no qualms about assuming that my feelings were correct in this case also.
Naming my angel helps me with the grief, and so we named her. I spent several days pouring over baby name books and websites, but had not found anything that seemed appropriate. I wanted her name to reflect the love and healing that her pregnancy had brought, as well as the fact that her angel day was Valentines. Hubby speaks Norwegian, and we'd often talked of using Norwegian names, so finally I asked him the Norwegian for "beloved." It was perfect. As we discussed middle names, one jumped out to us both...I later discovered its meaning: "gift from God."
And so our precious little Valentine's baby, our Kjersti Eliana ("Cher-stee El-ee-ahn-a") was, indeed, our Beloved Gift from God.

I miss you baby. I'm waiting for you.

On True Love

For some reason February 14th has been dubbed the day of love. Why this, over other days? I know, there was some guy a long time ago, and this is his birthday, or something... Honestly I think the whole concept of the day is skewed. We get all wrapped up in one day of gifts and treats and special favors, and somehow that is supposed to compensate for another 364 days of negligence. Flowers and dinners and chocolates and lingerie on February 14th mean nothing unless there is true love on the other days as well.

And what is true love?

It's not giving candy or balloons or flowers, although those things can be nice expressions of it.

It's not laying your coat in a puddle for her to walk on (does this really produce anything more than a wet coat?!)

It's not making wild declarations or performing daring deeds.

It's not kisses or hugs or long moonlit walks.

What is true love?

It is when Hubby took an hour every night with the colicy baby, singing Beatles and James Taylor songs to him, so that I could take a shower or even sleep for a few minutes.

It is when my 7 year old asked me to teach him how to wash dishes, because he wanted to help more around the house.

It is when my Hubby can look down at the mess where our baby was just born, and then look back up at my sweaty face and wild hair and say "I love you. You're beautiful."

It is pumping and freezing your breastmilk to share with mothers who don't have enough.

It is getting your wife the unscented lotion, not because you're not sure what scent to get, but because you know that perfumes make her queasy.

It is making your son's favorite cookies for him, even though you think they're gross.

It is being a doggie, and letting the baby climb on your back and sit on your head, because you know he's still learning to be gentle.

It is when my baby takes a break from running around the house to lay his head in my lap.

It is hearing the plaintive word "Nurn?" for the forty-third time today, and still smiling as your toddler climbs into your lap to nurse for six more seconds.

It is spending your whole day off helping someone move.

It is teaching someone a skill.

It is giving up the easy life for the good life as you welcome a child to the family. It is giving up the simple life for the concerned one when you send them out the door.

It is giving up Your Only Begotton Son to save the world.

Our children will view the world through the glasses we give them: what perception of love am I teaching my children?

As a culture, we have developed the idea that 'true love' is a romantic thing. Something that develops between couples. We are wrong. The truest kind of love is the kind that goes far beyond romantic, couples, or red hearts with lace. It is the love that gives.

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I would love to hear your thoughts on true love. I was inspired to do this in the first place by a series of "true love" posts that Nessa was doing (hopefully she doesn't mind my putting them here!) Please leave your link!

Own Up To The Odd

So, apparently great minds think alike, because just after I came up with Quirky Thursday, a friend of a friend came up with “Own up to the Odd” which is, essentially, a meme challenging people to confess to their special little quirks… along with it though, she’s setting up a link forum on her site, so you can go read about the weirdness of MANY people, and hopefully feel a little more confident in your own special oddities. Heeheehee!

Some more confessions of genuine weirdness from me:

I never thought this was unusual until other moms started telling me how weird I was…but laundry does not pile up at my house. Occasionally we’ve been known to run out of somebody’s socks (usually because he went through 2-3 pairs a day stomping in puddles or playing in snow). But in general, I do laundry one or two days a week. I do hate folding the clothes, but I don’t mind washing them.
I also don’t like anybody else to help with the laundry (except folding/putting away). I have my own little system and I have a really hard time not getting frustrated if somebody messes with it. I also get annoyed if someone drops an item into the wrong basket (we have separate baskets for the different loads).

I do not mind doing dishes or loading the dishwasher. I HATE unloading/putting them away. I do not know why this is, but it’s a big deal with me. One of the nicest things Hubby can do for me is put away the dishes, regardless of whether he washes the next batch.