New Years Resolution

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27


Oh, idleness. I must confess something to you - I am definitely prone to be lazy. It's probably my biggest weakness. 


Sure, I wake up with all of these ideas of how to be productive...but then somehow time just slips through my fingers. I go to check my email "real quick" and next thing I know, hours later, I've ended up watching random Super Bowl commercials on YouTube ( a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean). 


I then am in a rush to cook supper, get the house straightened up for my husband...and when he gets home and asks what I've been up to all day I feel so ashamed. I also again feel ashamed laying down at night feeling so unproductive. 


You see, my husband is very self disciplined and plans out practically every minute of his day. He LIVES for his to-do lists and he always has a plan! Me???? Not so much, but I know that I MUST start making plans and to-do lists to get things done. I'm the person who waits until the last minute to do pretty much everything, thus, it's an adequate job, but not my best. Not only will be being productive please my husband (drives him NUTS when time is wasted - can't tell you how often he has reminded me of Ephesians 5:16), but because it pleases the Lord for me to be productive and to not be given to idleness. 


Every time I read Proverbs 31 - which I try to do every day, and I recommend every woman to do the same - I not only feel convicted but soooooooo inadequate. I keep thinking "I don't even have children yet, how in the world am I going to manage once there are all these little people running around???" 


One thing about the virtuous woman is she was BUSY! The woman was always cooking things, making things, selling things, buying things, planting things, etc. Lately I've reflected on why the Lord wants us women to be busy and not idle, and I've come to a few conclusions:


1) Idleness can lead to sin. I know this for a fact! When I'm busy being lazy and not attending to my home I am more likely to fall in to sin which includes not spending time with the Lord, therefore, leading to bitterness against my husband, etc. etc. Not to mention, as women, how much more likely are we to gossip or put our noses in other people's business when we're not busy!


2) Idleness makes me neglect my home. This is kind of a "duh." If I'm being idle, then obviously I'm not attending to my home. Now, it's not a sin to relax every now and then. For me, since I do not have any children (at least not for a few more weeks), I do have more free time on my hand - but even during those moments I need to guard myself in what I do to make sure that it's still glorifying the Lord. For example, during free time this is a great time to read a book about homemaking or something to encourage me in my walk with the Lord, in my marriage, and as a mother. 


3) We, as Christians, need to "redeem the time because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16). This verse isn't just geared towards women but to ALL Christians! We are in the last days, and we need to make sure that in EVERYTHING we do we are glorifying the Lord. Again, I'm not saying that it's a sin to relax, we certainly need it at times and God even set aside an entire day of the week to rest. But, we need to always be conscientious of what we're doing to further the Kingdom of God. Our reason for being on this earth is to glorify the Lord in everything we do!! Always keep that in mind!


So...I say all this to say that this is my New Years Resolution. I usually don't do these, but, since the Lord has recently laid this on my heart and it's a new year, I think it's appropriate. 


If it didn't look so tacky, I would have post-it notes of Proverbs 31 all over my house as a reminder lol but for now, I think I'll just stick it in certain places - like my computer, over my oven, etc. Also, I'm going to be making up a schedule so I'll always know what I'm doing and when! 


I hope this encourages you all! I'm sure that those of you who are mothers of children laugh at this post because relaxation is probably the thing of the past for you - but for us who aren't as busy, it's a good reminder :-)


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A Mother's Sacrifice

Today I received a copy of the January 2012 American Baby magazine. Not really sure why I'm receiving them - I think it was from signing up with Publix's Baby Club, but either way, it has some good info in it.

At the beginning of the magazine, they had these quotes that were posted on Facebook about moms and one of them especially caught my attention:

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." 


This immediately made me think of my mother. She passed away November 21, 2010 from cancer, and I miss her so very much. I think I miss her more throughout this pregnancy - I can't go to my mom to ask what it was like for her, compared to what it's like being pregnant for me, etc.

Since she passed away I've had so much time to reflect on who she really was as a mother, a wife, as a person. My mom was such a hard worker. No, she wasn't a stay at home mother - she worked full time as a teacher, played the piano at church (about 7 times a week between rehearsals and services), not to mention being a mom and a wife. To be honest, I have NO idea how she did it. I think the only times I saw my mom sit down was when she was at the piano lol She was up later than everyone and woke up earlier than everyone else. She always looked amazing - she was the most beautiful woman I've known.

One word, among many, that can summarize my mother is sacrificial. Looking back she did SO many things for her family despite how tired she might be or how much she might have desperately wanted to sit down. She always stayed up late to make sure my dad's shirts were ironed for Sunday morning, always made sure she was attractive for my dad, she was our biggest cheerleader, always gave hugs freely. She was fiercely protective of her family and loved the Lord and serve him with all her heart.

As Baby J's due date comes closer and closer, I've been thinking about the type of mother that I want/hope to be. To be honest, I hope I can be half of who she was. I hope I can serve my family and be as much of a hard worker as she was. I hope that I can love my family as much as she did. I hope I can be as self-sacrificing as her.

Mothers are very special people. They have the ability to love like no other. They can go from dealing with a dirty diaper to making a meal for her husband. A mother's kiss can magically heal wounds and a mother's hug can suddenly make the world a better place.

Momma would have said she never liked pie so her family would be able to have some. I do hope I can be the same as her.

I love you, Momma, and I look forward in seeing you in Heaven one day. We all miss you like crazy, but thank you for teaching me what it means to be a sacrificial mother.

Why I'm Choosing a Home Birth...sorta

Hello everyone :-)

I do hope everyone is having a fantastic week. I figured I would do a post on why I'm choosing to have a home birth just in case there are any woman out there who are wanting to get feedback about this.

To clarify, the reason I say I'm sorta having a home birth is because it won't be at my actual home. Thanks to the strict laws of Florida and neighboring Alabama, I will be traveling to Mississippi to give birth at a little cottage there. Yep....2 1/2 hour drive - oh boy lol

I've had mixed responses from people about having a home birth in the first place, but when I state that I'm driving to Mississippi I REALLY get some looks. So...here are my reasons on why this is so important to me to drive 2 1/2 hours away!

*Note - when I use the phrase "natural birth" I am meaning not only non-medicated, but no IVs, no inducing, no c-sections, no fetal monitoring, nothing.

1) The majority of pregnancies are perfectly normal and are fine with having truly natural births. When giving birth in the hospital, from the moment you step in to the ward they are prepping you for surgery. Hence the IV, why you can't eat anything (can't have a full stomach for surgery), the epidural, all the monitoring so you can't move around, etc. The hospitals due A LOT of unnecessary medical intervention which, a lot of times, result in something going wrong and needing medical intervention like a c-section. For example, women who are induced are at a huge increased risk for a c-section because you're forcing the baby to come, against nature. Don't get me wrong, this sometimes works just fine, but the majority of the time I see that it results in a c-section. I have several friends where this has happened.

2) I HATE hospitals. I do not trust the medical establishment when it comes to dealing with pregnant women. Don't get me wrong, they certainly have their place, but when it comes to labor I find more ignorance in doctors than midwives. Doctors are taught to see pregnancy as a medical issue, not a natural process. Doctors are SURGEONS, and most of them have never seen a true, natural birth (yeah think about that). Pregnancy to them is just something they need to cure women of hence why they don't know how to handle bigger babies, what to do when babies are late, when they're breached, delivering twins, etc.

3) I want complete control of my birth experience. I want to be able to walk around, eat when I'm hungry, and let God be my physician - not humans.

4) I choose a midwife because she sees pregnancy as a beautiful and natural element of life. She also knows how to handle breached babies, large babies, etc without just resorting to cutting me open. My midwife has delivered many breach babies with no complications and even has delivered twins naturally.

5) My midwife is with me the whole way during labor (except when I'm driving, of course). It's crazy to me how people spend all this money on doctors or even the nurse midwives with OBGYNs, but when you're in labor it's the nurses that you've never seen before in your life that tend to you and your doctor is just there to check on you every now and then and catch the baby. I like to have a relationship with my midwife and not be reduced to a 15 minute appointment. I have the ability to email her and even text her when I have a question.

6) When a woman gives birth, her body immediately releases a huge amount of oxytocin (sp??) This is also known as the "love hormone" that both her and her baby feels. This helps with bonding. When ANY kind of medical intervention is used, whether it's pitocin, c-section, etc this disrupts the release of this hormone which cause issues with mother/baby bonding.

Now...please do not get me wrong. I am VERY grateful for hospitals and the technology because it can save lives. There are women who, I know, need to be in hospitals due to being a high risk pregnancy and for their health and/or their babies they needs those doctors and that is a good thing! I will be giving birth only 6 miles away from a hospital so, if something does go wrong, I can immediately be transferred.

I also know that not every woman is comfortable with a home birth. Ultimately you need to give birth where you feel the most comfortable - HOWEVER, I highly encourage all women to do their research about labor/delivery. One place to start is watching the documentary The Business of Being Born *note this does have nudity because it shows women in labor, so I wouldn't watch it with children and just decide for yourself if you're comfortable with your husband watching it.* This is a WONDERFUL documentary that is a great starter!!!

Again, to clarify I am not judging ANY woman for choosing a hospital birth. It is YOUR decision, and not mine. I'm not saying it's a sin to give birth in a hospital or  anything like that. All that I encourage you is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Do not take your doctor's word as absolute truth. They are human, and they can make mistakes. Ask questions....understand what you're doing and then stand by your decision.

Hope this might help some ladies out there, or at the very least, you know where I stand!! Have a wonderful day!

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Parental Rights

Just got this video off of A Bowl of Moss and Pebbles blog. I do believe EVERY parent should watch this and wake up to the fact that America is going down the toilet. We the People need to stand up and speak out for our rights.

Take time to watch it - it's only 36 minutes.

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I'M A MOMMY!!!

Well...just thought I'd let everyone in the blogging world know, that I am PREGNANT!!! :-)

My husband and I just found out on Thursday and, even though we're scared out of our minds, we're also very excited. It's amazing to think that, together, we have created a little life (with God's help, of course). This is our first born and know that the Lord has amazing plans for our little poppy seed right now :-)

I'm trying to get out of the habit of saying "I'm going to be a mommy" to "I AM a mommy" because, after all, it's still a life even while inside the womb. I'm already a mother. I'm already responsible for taking care of this precious life inside of me.

I'm 4 weeks along, and due March 12th (of course that means nothing) lol Just two days after my birthday, so we'll see if I'll be 25 or 26!

We're determined to have a home birth, and do everything naturally the way the Lord intended it to be. Please pray for a healthy baby and healthy pregnancy!

Oh...and for you mommies out there, any advice would be greatly appreciated! :-)

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Women Living Well Wednesdays