Getting a Credit Card

Is HARD!!!!! I don't qualify at all...I hear all about how almost anyone can get a card, but I can't. How messed up is that?!

Lost: My Apartment

So, I haven't posted in a while, and I thought I'd give you all an update. I have officially lost my apartment. The tenth I came home from a camping trip and there was an eviction notice taped to my door. Not surprizing, seeing as I've been unable to pay on time every month, but stressful nonetheless. Caelin is potty training at 15 months, and I am worried the change will hurt his progress. I am worried we won't be able to find a new home as soon as we wanted. Like, now.

We are selling our TV, our fishtank, and can't get ahold of the apartments that are income-based that we originally wanted. I am so worried. We will probably end up in a shelter, and Scott may end up moving out of state for a while so he can find a job.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Primal Mommies

WOW! I have found a blog I LOVE! It's called primal mommies, and you should totally check it out!

Here's the link:


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Caelin's Birth

This is the room that I delivered my son in. It's the room that brought his father and me together as a family. Here is where my water broke, my contractions deepened, and my little boy brought into the world surrounded by loving and caring people, who supported me in my need to birth traditionally, safely. This is one room in the Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center.

When I first became pregnant with my son, I knew I wanted a safe, natural birth. I was strongly drawn to the idea of a water birth, but had only one option in delivering, Salem Hospital. I was told that I would probably receive a C-section, due to the apparent large size of my baby. Caelin's due date was only three weeks away when I heard of Bella Vie through a breastfeeding advocate through WIC. Certain that they wouldn't accept the potential risk that I was, I was even hesitant to try them out, but went to visit and see what I could accomplish. Amazingly, Desiree agreed to take me. She told me there were things that I needed to do, but when it came down to the wire, she told me that she was comfortable with the risks and was willing to do it. This culminated days before my labor began. I went into labor, and was amazed that I was allowed to leave and walk as much as I wanted. I was truly delivering this baby on my own.

As my labor progressed, everyone was amazing. Without any pain or undue discomfort, I progressed through my labor, until my water released at 10 cm. I had yet to be checked. Immediately I started to push. I was worried, thinking I shouldn't, but everyone assured me that it was okay. The contraction overwhelmed me, and I almost gave up. But I didn't. I delivered Caelin at almost midnight, May 13, 2008. It was an amazing experience. I would recomend that anyone delivering a child go there. It was a beautiful, life changing happening in our lives.


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Caelin is Growing Up

Caelin has turned one year old now, and really displaying it. He wants what he wants, when he wants it. He wants anything I have or am doing. He's officially a toddler.

He is also really, really cute. Every day that goes by I just think of how lucky I am to have him, healthy and sane and so so smart. I love my baby!


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

H.U.G.S.

HUGS is a non profit orginazatioon dedicated to helping out mothers of disaster as well as spreading the baby wearing concept here. Their slings are ony twenty dollars and very pretty. All proceed go toward buying new slings for the victims of disaster.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Richard Garner

I have found this amazing blog that I just had to share with all of you (if anyone reads this) richardtgarner.blogspot.com is kind and sweet and has good veiws on the Jon and Kate plus 8, for instance. Go there and read. Revel in the prayers and the positive feelings eminating from the posts. Do it. Do it now.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Hanging Laundry to Dry

Hang drying clothes is an easy and inexpensive way to save money on your electric bill and help out the enviroment. All it takes is a clothes line and pins or a clothes horse. I don't know much about using a clothes horse, but I do know that hanging cloths outside can be a fun thing to do and is definately more "involvd" than using a dryer. It can allow you the time you need for yourself, or give you something to do outside while your children are playing.

After you are done washing your clothes, either by hand or in the washing machine, you carry them outside and begin the process of hangng them out.
Some pointers:

1. Hang your shirts by the hem, not the sleeves, this will keep the shoulders from having that "pointy" look.

2. Pants hang best by the legs.

3. Rags, cloth diapers, and socks can all be folded in half. This reduces the need for pins and can save them for the bigger items.

4. Blankets and towels are probably the hardest to dry, but if you have some place you can kinda open them up for the hanging process it really helps.

Have fun and continue learning about ways that you can become more self-sufficient! Enjoy!
(Disclaimer: now I love to hang laundry, but as a kid, it was my least favorite chore, after dishes)


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Hand Washing Clothes

I have been handwashing my own clothes for about a week now, and have had pretty good results. For some people, handwashin is merely a way to experiment, or to feel better about the way they are living. For me, it is mostly about money. You see, my apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer, and I would need to take my clothes to the laundrymat. To do that, I would need quarters. I don't even have pennies right now. So I began to fill up my bathtub each morning with the equivalant of two loads of laundry, wash, rinse, rinse, and hang out to dry. Yes, that's two rinses, not a typo. I can't stand the thought of having soap or dirt left in my clothes.

I use cold to lukewarm water, to keep the electricity down, and my regular liquid laundry soap. I like liquid because I don't have to desolve it, but I'm sure a well desolved powder would work just as well.

I fill up the bathtub enough so that I can freely smush laundry around, and will swish and knead with my hands and stomp and dance with my feet. I wash, drain the bathtub, fill it up, rinse, drain (squeezing all the water out) and rinse again. I then take it outside and (squeezing as much water out as I can) hang them to dry in the sun and wind.

It takes about a day to dry it, if the weathers nice.
Ayways, I thought I'd throw out that information just in case anyone else would like to have a go. Just remember, you will be amazed at how hard the work is, but it gets easier really fast. Just push through the pain, girlfriend!

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Dressing Girls as Sluts

We as parents need to be very careful anymore to watch what our children are around and how they dress.


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Caelin and Daddy Having a Good Time

Caelin and Scott were hving the time of their lives here. Caelin is over-tired, so torward the end he gets really cranky. This is right after Caelin's first birthday. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Urban Homsteading

I have been practicing something that I only thought of as doing what I could, what I had to. It had no name in my head. I thought of the things that I was doing as stewardship, as lowering my own bills, and of trying to get back to my own roots. I have struggled with the thought that I cannot move out of the city, I cannot move and live where I would like.
I have found a name for what I have tryed to practice. It's called Urbam Homesteading. Most people have some land, I do not. Yet I have been able to clain a small amount of footage for a victory garden. I have strung up a clothes line on my balcony, allowing me, if I am careful, to hang more than two loads. I wash my clothes in my bathtub. I save electricity this way, and use my own muscle to clean my families clothing. My husband and I bike everywhere. It saves money. No car payments, no insureance payments, no gas. It lowers pollution and allows our world to remain that much healthier.

I would like to raise rabbits for food and fertilization for my garden. I would like to have some chickens, for eggs, and the occasoinal dinner hen. I would like to have goats for milk, and weed control on the land I would like to have. I'd like a donkey. I can't do any of this. I don't have thhe money to get my own home, and my husband recently lost his job. I don't have anything I would need in order to fufil any of these things. However, I DO have my brain, and my body. I have the internet and I can think that I can do my best. I like to think that we can still call back our original calling, that is, mto be stewards of the earth. People in the city have the same God given responsibility as anyone in the country, that is, to take care of and love the earth as God's own creation.


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Adoption: A Birth Mother's Perspective

I finally got in contact with my daughter. She is adopted by a family in Pendeton and is doing great. But I may not be as much. Every time I think that I am learnin to accept the fact that she is gone, and at the same time she is both my daugher and yet is not, something happens to throw me for a complete tailspin. Last night I talked to her on the phone, and the feelings inside me were rampant. I don't think I've every experienced such extreme jealousy. Every thing I heard things she's doing, evry time I was reminded that she is no longer my daughter, ters welled up inside of me and I just wanted to cry. I did cry. Big, massive, tears of loss and pain and anger over what could've been and yet never will be.

I try to be thankful for what I have, I try to remember that this was my choice. But I never wanted it for me. I wanted it for her. The choices I made because I wanted her to be safe. I wanted her to be happy and I felt like she needed to not lose another family again. I felt scared, what if I became abusive towards her? What if I followed in the parenting I was taght? I didn't want that and decided I wasn't ready for another bby. I couldn't have a child in good consience. But I loved her so much, and it kills me to think that she is never going to be my daughter. She won't feel like I'm her mom, because I'm not the one she goes to when she's hurt. I'm not the one who cares for in her times of illness.

In a way, my son is now the joy of my life. He is beatiful, fun loving, and a total ham. And when I think about her, I get kinda lost inside. I feel guilty because my son deservres me to love him for himself, and I am learning to do that, however, I think that I have a long way to go before I can fully let go and just be a parent to my son. Maybe it will never happen. I hope so, bt I know she will always be my first child, Caelin my second. Does that make me a bad person? Sometimes I wonder.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

Trusting in God Through a Job Loss

My husband has lost his job. Because I didn't have an income and will be going to school in the fall, we are now without any incoming money. What does this have to do with Christian parenting? Plenty.

How do you handle losing all the income in the home? You pray if you're smart. I know that It's been hard for us. My husband has actually been discriminated against for going to church on Sundays, and we are working on getting that fixed, however it works. But it's so hard to trust that we will be cared for, so hard to trust that God has the best at heart for us even now. Caelin is watching us, even at 11 months children are so impressionable. We want to teach him to love and believe that he will be cared for.

With no savings and still being in debt though, we're not sure where we will end up. We may end up going to a shelter and relying on God's people to provide for us. That is hard to contemplate. I don't want to think of not being able to provide for my baby, and my husband and I both suffer from some degree of pride. That is something we both need to work on, and maybe that is something that God will teach us through this experience.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed"

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” this made me think...

Circumcision

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

A New Breed of Sociopaths

Scociopathic tendencies are on the rise, according to every newspaper and common reports on the street. More kids are stealing, more murders are being committed. People are reclusive and shy away from loving touch which used to be so common and welcome. Many people decry these as signs of "spoiling" at a young age, a sign that more parents need to hold their ground and spank their children. I see it as a sign of detatchment from our children.

Here is a link to a website that I have found to be an amazing resource for my own parenting, called The Natural Child Project.

http://www.naturalchild.com/james_kimmel/sociopathic_parenting.html

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said,
“and I will make you fishers of men.”

Sling I Created

Right now I am wearing (and taking orders for ;) ) a little creation I am working on based on the asian baby carriers. A peice of cloth in the center and four straps comong off of it. It's not COMPLETELY finished, and I am already changing things in the pattern to make it a bit more user-freindly, but Calin loves it and it's comfy for me. This version has a flannel inner layer which is white with purple roses and an outer layer of dark blue. the straps are all dark blue as well. It ties on, nothing else, and so it is highly adjustable. And we all know the benifits of holding our babies, right? Let's review: Babies who are held frequently:

1. are sick less


2. less fussy


3. more adventurous and secure as toddlers


4. learn to talk earlier


5. have a higher IQ


6. have a better bond with mom (or dad)


7. have enhaced communicatoin with their various caregivers


8. have enhanced physical and emotional developement.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Stop It Now

I found a good website that deals with all aspects of sexual abuse. It can help you if you have had sexual fantasies about children or if you know someone who abuses children, or if you are the abused person. The link to the site is here:

http://www.stopitnow.org/

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said,
“and I will make you fishers of men.”

Abusive Potty Training

I happened upon a website that I feel compelled to share. I wasn't aware of the horrible problems that potty traing can cause when there is punishment and ridicule involved, and I think that this is a good website for EVERYONE to check out.

http://net-burst.net/sex_abuse/toilet.htm

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said,
“and I will make you fishers of men.”