Book Reviews

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood is a wonderful book. As some of you may know, I am a very big fan of Ms. Atwood's and this book did not disappoint. In fact, I spent an entire day reading it because I could not put it down.

Unlike some of Atwood's more well-known books, The Robber Bride does not contain any of the sci-fi that some might expect. This is a more traditional, or at least as traditional as Atwood can get with her standout style, fiction tale. Without giving too much away, the book is about a woman who carves her way through men without much thought. It is told through the eyes of three of her female casualties in a way that has Atwood's signature ebb and flow through time and characters in a way that keeps your attention until the very end. I would suggest this book to anyone that loves a good mystery.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is good even if you usually get drained by nonfiction. However, if you are the kind of person that needs to be ignorant to the problems with today's consumption of food, this is not the book for you.

Throughout this book, Pollan constantly leaves you wanting to join the slow food movement while at the same time not making himself seem to righteous to take in. Although there is plenty of problems with today's food systems pointed out within the book, you still read it with a spark of hope. Pollan has done a great job of offering solutions to the problems that are presented within this book. After you are done reading this, you will feel not only more powerful when choosing what you eat but also more knowledgeable about corn and grass than you ever thought was necessary and yet, you will love it!

What are you thankful for?

So, awhile back, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Shrink Rap Radio , and Dr. Dave was interviewing someone who was discussing ways to make people happier. One of the suggestions that was made was to make what I have recently heard referenced as a "Gratitude List" in which you list a few things that you are grateful for each day. Well, I thought that it was a great idea and decided that Clay and I should try it out.

Although it sounds easy enough, it is difficult to add to an already busy lifestyle and although our "Gratitude Lists" did seem to be very fulfilling, we can't seem to keep it up. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought that I might reattempt my "Gratitude List" routine and share it with my readers. I know that I may not be able to make this a routine blog but I will make an attempt.

So, here is my Gratitude List for today.

1. My wonderful husband.
2. My beautiful daughter.
3. Our dogs who always make life interesting.
4. Our house because even with its idiosyncrasies it is a pretty nice place to live and a perfect location to support some environmentalist actions in a not so eco-friendly town.
5. My family because they are as fun as they are crazy!

And although I'm sure that I could go on, I will save the rest for another day. I hope that my readers will consider joining me in writing a Gratitude List and maybe even share it as a comment here!!!

Aubrey's First Birthday: Birthday Banner Craft

Well, I did it. I managed to distract myself with tons of party planning so that I didn't spend a week crying about the fact that my daughter is now a year old. Oh, and I did it well! So now, I will begin to share my birthday crafts with all of you!

To start, I made a birthday banner following the tutorial linked but with a few alterations that I will share so that you do not have to spend as much time going through the trial and error phase of party planning.
1.  I cut my cardstock into 5 X 7 rectangles and my scrapbook paper was cut into 4 X 6 rectangles.
2.  I used double-sided tape to adhere the papers and letters to each other because it gives a smoother look.
3.  After numerous issues, I bought a ribbon punch and used it to make slits long enough for the ribbon to slide through.
4. I used one piece of ribbon instead of tying each letter individually which allowed me to adjust spacing and gives me the option of using individual letters for other banners in the future without lots of tying and untying.

And that is the first of many birthday crafts that I will continue to share. Let me know if you have any questions or if you do the project and would like to share pictures, that would be wonderful!

Let's Talk About Sex

So, yesterday evening I attended a screening/ discussion entitled, "Sex, Brain, Body: Make the Connection," which featured a video of the same name discussing issues with women's sexual arousal. I thought it would be an interesting event to attend because I had issues in that area of my life prior to having a baby and because my ultimate goal is to become a marriage and family psychologist and attending lectures is my only outlet to education at the present time.

The video was good in that it let women know that they weren't alone. Women of many different ages and in very different areas in there lives were facing the same issues and getting the same feedback. For me, it was reassuring to know that many other women had gone to doctors and been told that nothing was wrong or had just been brushed off without even the simplest tests. In my own life, having no sex drive seemed like a death sentence without any chance of a pardon. To doctors, since my hormone levels were normal, it was all in my head.

Well, I will say that the video also showed that there were a lot of new studies going on that demonstrated how much women were in their heads during sex. In fact, it gave an interesting tid-bit about how women with hypoactive sexual desire had different areas of their brain light up on an fMRI when they became aroused which suggested that they were spending more time judging themselves and their partners than women who retained normal desire. Thus, in a way, it may be all in our heads.

However, the video and lecture also explained how little we really know about women's sexual desire and therefore how little we can actually do. But, what was even more discouraging to me personally was that the entirety of the film focused on medical interventions. Being an advocate for alternative therapies, I was disappointed in the fact that these wonderful new institutions for women would not think to incorporate homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, yoga, etc. into their treatment plans. I guess for them, suggesting erotic materials and exercises stays within the medical model?

Overall, it was a good experience and I would suggest that other women with arousal issues watch the video because it does make you feel a little less like an outsider. However, I would also suggest that they entertain other options. After all, we owe it to ourselves and our partners to find solutions now and not wait for the medical community to catch up!

Aubrey's Birth

After months of attempts at writing and editing, I finally feel as though my daughter's birth story is ready to share with the world. I'm sure that some of you are thinking, geeze, why would it take that long to write a birth story. Well, at one time in my life, I may have agreed but at that time in my life, I wasn't married to a writer! In fact, my obsession with editing as if I were writing a book for thousands to read, is probably why I have stopped blogging for such a long time. However, I hope to brake that habit in most of my blogging; but for the really important stuff, you're just going to have to wait! Hope you enjoy!

On October 11, 2009, I did not have a baby. That’s right folks, nothing happened that day or the next; in fact, to start this story, we have to skip ahead  eleven days, two rounds of acupuncture, two painful doctor’s appointments, and numerous walks, spicy foods, prayers, and tears. But alas, on October 22^nd, something finally did happen.

On the night of the 21^st, I had just received my second round of acupuncture and while I was there, my acupuncturist suggested that I make sure that I wasn’t blocked by “flushing out my system”. Unfortunately, I had lost all patience and when the herbal supplements that were given to “flush me out” didn’t start working in 15 seconds, I took more. This bright idea led to a night full of trips to the bathroom and not much sleep. By morning, I was somewhat glad that I hadn’t started having contractions which was very different from most days at that point.

Besides that, my morning began like most others in the past two weeks with yet another doctor’s appointment. I had my midwife swipe me again and scheduled my induction for the next Tuesday with the hope that I wouldn’t make it that long. After seeing my midwife, I had an ultrasound to make sure everything was alright (and I had them check to make sure it was a girl…just in case). While I was waiting for the ultrasound, I started having back pain but still no contractions. I thought maybe it was starting but was afraid to “scare it off” by getting too excited so I went home and tried to get some sleep.

When I woke up, the back pain was gone and I was very discouraged. I called Clay and begged him to skip his college class and come help me try anything and everything to get things started. He wasn’t so happy with the idea but came home anyway. Not more than 15 minutes after Clay got home, I started having green liquid come out of me. At first, I thought I might be peeing myself so we decided to wait and see. However, less than an hour later, I had clogged the toilet with all of my trips to the bathroom cleaning myself up and we decided that we would go get a plunger and get dinner and then call the midwife.

As soon as I told our midwife what was happening, she told me that my water was definitely breaking and to get to the hospital. Clay and I packed up everything, I picked up the house (yes, I cleaned up even in labor), and then we were off... that is, after I straightened my hair (you know, for pictures.)

When we arrived, things proceeded very slowly. I was having some back pain and continuing to leak small gushes of green while we filled out paperwork and spent one of the longest hours of my life in very uncomfortable office chairs in triage. They finally finished figuring out insurance stuff and brought us back to a triage room where we were informed once again that I was in labor and my water was breaking. Of course, this news came after the final gush of nasty green liquid which had already made things quite obvious to both Clay and me.

Now, I won’t spend a long time ranting about this but I will say that triage was the least fun experience of labor. That’s right, it wasn’t the excruciatingly painful, back-to-back contractions that I remember as being awful, it was triage. Our first nurse made the green water breaking experience (also known as mecomium) out to be such a small thing that Clay and I started to discuss going back home to labor and our second nurse made a stark contrast by telling us that we were going to have to be constantly monitored and making me feel as if our entire birth plan was out the window. My mom and Clay tried to keep me calm during this time of switch backs by reminding me that I would not be in triage much longer and I would be able to switch nurses if necessary. (Of course, the most important part at that time was that I made it to a birthing room before Grey’s Anatomy. They did get that part right.)

When I was taken to my birthing suite, things were cleared up and I began to regain peace and I started to watch Grey’s( still not having contractions). It was obvious that I was going to have back labor because the back pain had been persistent for a while but I still thought that I might get lucky and not start having strong contractions till I finished my shows… I was WRONG!

When contractions started, they went from every few minutes to back-to-back in a matter of thirty minutes. After that, there was no stopping them. My memories of that part of labor are a long blur of breathing, relaxation techniques, water, trips to the bathroom, and my three laboring positions: 1. Leaning over the bed on my knees 2. Hanging over Clay while standing 3. On all fours in the bed. This constant rotation lasted for about six hours without rest when I was calmly informed that I was only at a six and my blood pressure was very high and I might be preeclamptic. I was told that this may be due to my level of pain and that something may need to be done. So, despite all my preparation, I began to consider getting an epidural.

Although to some women, an epidural is just something you get when you have a baby, I knew that it came with a lot of negatives and it was not something that I wanted. However, nothing was more important to me than having a healthy baby and trying to have a vaginal delivery; and I felt that an epidural would be the least invasive way to protect Aubrey while still attempting to have a vaginal
delivery; so I surrendered to the epidural.

When the epidural was given, things changed drastically. After hours of work, Clay finally had the chance to go to the bathroom, eat, and even take a nap. I was able to say, “Hi!” to everyone that had joined us in the birthing suite (i.e. Desi, Steve, and my dad). And my blood pressure dropped enough to continue laboring without further procedures.

The epidural itself was funky. It numbed my left side more than my right and I couldn’t even keep my left leg from falling. Despite my numbness, I was still able to move onto all fours and help rotate the baby and get rid of my remaining lip by doing pelvic rocks and after a few rounds of Pitocin, I began to push.

The pushing stage was long and drawn out so Clay was able to sleep during part of it. Desi or my mom helped hold one of my legs while my midwife or nurse held the other. It was overall a very calm experience and my midwife, Leanna, stayed with me during most of this time.

Eventually, Clay was woken up and it was time to get to the finish line. So much build up had been going on in my head that I wasn’t certain what to expect when the baby actually came out. I had been so focused on the birthing process that I hadn’t had very much time to prepare for the part where the baby comes out!

I was very focused and determined while I was pushing. I could feel the head come out a little and go back in as she ebbed and flowed her way toward the surface. I remember visualizing the head popping out and the way the baby just seemed to slip out after that. I kept thinking, “just get the head out and she’ll slide out!”

I was told when I was having a contraction and allowed to push when I was ready. Leanna asked me to give her three good pushes during each contraction but most of the time I felt that I could do four so I did. Everything was guided around what I could do and as I felt the burning sensation become more and more intense, I became more focused, determined, and powerful. It was the most powerful moment in my entire life and I don’t think that you could ever feel more like an amazing goddess of a woman than you feel when you push a child out of your being.

When Aubrey finally emerged, things seemed to be so eerily quiet. She slid right out after her head came through with more of a grunt than an actual push. She was a bluish white and the pediactric team scooped her up quickly and began to work on her. It was so exciting and so scary at the same time. I kept asking, “What’s going on?” “Is everything okay?” “What are they doing?” “When is she going to cry?”. Everyone was focused on different things.  Leanna was dealing with my placenta and stitches, Clay was following my request and staying with the baby, Desi was crying and telling me how amazing it all was and that it was okay to cry, my mom was trying to keep me calm and telling me to focus on my breathing, and all I wanted to do was hear Aubrey cry and finally, she did.

I will never feel as relieved as I did when she cried for the first time. That is when the tears really started to flow. That is when I knew that my baby girl was safe. And that is when I fully and completely became Miss Aubrey Delyse’s mother.

Soon after, she was handed to me and I began to unwrap her and put her to my skin. Clay encouraged me to start feeding her but I soon realized that I had no idea how to breastfeed so I had to wait until a nurse could guide me. Aubrey wasn’t quite into nursing right away but she soon latched somewhat and it was a really weird but neat feeling.

I never did all that count the fingers and toes thing. I just stared at her a lot. She was so beautiful! She had the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen and her hair was so full and her skin was so white. She looked nothing like most newborns. I told everyone that she must have waited till she was extra pretty before she decided to come out.

She also had a big personality from day one. When people were trying to give me suggestions on how to nurse her, they would tell me to direct her head to the nipple. However, Miss Delyse was not okay with that and would pull her head away from me when I would try. So, I learned very quickly that I had to let her feel that she was in some sort of control, or I would be butting heads with her (which did not surprise me since I had spent almost ten months learning that I was going to have a strong, stubborn daughter).

That day will never leave me. It was the day that my life became complete. After having found the love of my life, God had given us this beautiful, strong-willed, little girl to guide, nurture, and protect through life. My life’s longest dream had been fulfilled on that day and I will always cherish it. I love you Aubrey Delyse and no teenage rebellion or stealing my clothes or whatever other craziness may come in life will ever change that fact. You are my child and I know that I will do everything in my power to help you become a great woman.

Facebook's Battle Against the Breastfeeding Breast (not to be confused with all other breasts)

Lately, there seems to be an uproar on facebook every time a mother posts a picture of herself while breastfeeding. Facebook has deemed these pictures inappropriate and is constantly deleting them from profiles. So the question comes to mind, what is so bad about seeing a woman breastfeed her child?

My first assumption would be that it was the visual of an exposed breast. However, as you can see from these pictures (gathered from random people's profile pics), facebook does not seem to have an issue with exposure!

So, I am led to believe that breastfeeding pictures have some other indecent feature to them. Perhaps it has more to do with the belief that breastfeeding is gross, shameful,or maybe just something that should be hidden from public view? What do you think, does this seem shameful to you?

If breastfeeding is viewed as gross or offensive, it is based on that individual's own hang ups and should not be deemed worthy of deletion any more than a person that doesn't like seeing obesity should cause facebook to start deleting all obese people's profile pictures.

In fact, if less people treated breastfeeding as such a big thing, maybe we wouldn't be having the same problems trying to increase the rate and duration of breastfeeding, which would ultimately lead to healthier children and less obesity and childhood diabetes (among other things). Does anything sound bad about that?

So please join me in the fight against facebook and join this group to show your support for allowing breastfeeding pictures on facebook. In addition, the next time you see a mother feeding her child the best food on earth, let her know that you commend her for a job well done! Maybe with a little support and encouragement, we can lead our society into a healthier and happier future!

Podcasts Gallore

So, I've recently gone a little podcast crazy. I always get into phases were I listen to more or less podcasts, depending on my like or dislike of my music library. But this time I've been going a little over the top. I think that this is mainly do to my newest attempt to cutback on internet time (trade one habit for another).

Needless to say, I thought that I would share with you some of my favorites. They are all free on ITunes so check them out!

-Democracy Now
-60 Minutes
-Mommy's Milk and More
-VerbaLearn.com's GRE Vocabulary
-Shrink Rap Radio Psychology Interviews
-The Princeton Review's Vocab Minute (This one is just hilarious!)

Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, my husband took me to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see an amazing exhibit on costume design. It had a little bit of everything, dresses from Gone with the Wind, Charlie Chaplin's famous hat, and the notorious dress Sharon Stone wears in Basic Instinct. It was the perfect thing to do on Mother's Day.

We also caught a movie at the museum and it was terrific. I would suggest that all of you try to check it out!

I hope all of you mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day! And I would love to hear how you spent it, so leave me a comment!

Middle Eastern Monday

After weeks of lagging behind on cooking and a weekend which included way too much meat, I finally got to make a delicious meal that I must share with all of my viewers!

 Hummus Recipe

16 oz. chickpeas (cooked or from can, drained)
4 T tahini paste (I make my own out of 2 T olive oil and 4 T toasted sesame seeds)
2 T lemon juice
1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic
1 t coriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t seasoned salt

-Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend till smooth


Couscous Recipe

2 c. uncooked couscous
2 c.vegetable broth
1/2 c diced fresh parsley
1/2 c diced bell peppers (or other veggies)
1/4 c diced onion
2 T butter
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt
cumin & coriander to taste

-Boil vegetable broth, salt, and butter. Add couscous & veggies stirring quickly. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes and add seasonings.

Falafel Recipe (found here and altered)

16oz. chickpeas, drained
1 diced onion
1/2 c fresh parsley
1 T garlic
1 egg
2 t cumin
1 t coriander
1 t salt
1 t lemon juice
1 t baking powder
1 T olive oil
1 c bread crumbs
seasoned salt and pepper to taste

-Preheat oven to 400.
-Heat chickpeas in microwave 1 min. or until slightly softened. Mash chickpeas with a fork.
-Combine onion, parsley, and garlic in food processor and blend until smooth. Add to mashed chickpeas.
-In separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add to chickpea mixture.
- Make mixture into balls and put onto greased cookie sheet. Cook 10 min. Flip. Cook another 10 min. Then broil each side for 2-3 min.

Cucumber Sauce Recipe (found here)

1/2 large cucumber, seeded
6 oz. plain yogurt
1 T mayonaise
1 t dill weed

-Combine ingredients and refrigerate at least 30 min.

A New Obsession

Lately, my daughter has started grabbing at whatever she can put her hands on while she is eating. Unless, I have a toy ready, I am being slapped, pulled on, and having my clothes and worst of all necklaces yanked every which way.

Well, I recently stumbled onto what I think is a brilliant solution to this sometimes irritating event. They are called nursing necklaces and they are basically brilliant. They are supposed to be durable enough for a child to pull on without being broken and they are also I nice accessory for moms, most of whom have probably stopped wearing jewelry if they are going through anything like what I have been experiencing.

Now I must attest to the fact that I am yet to be in possession of one of these awesome necklaces and therefore cannot fully review their functionality. However, I would like to give you a few websites that seem to be the neatest at the most reasonable prices so that you can try them out for yourself. I would love to here from anyone that has a nursing necklace so feel free to leave me a comment!

Mommy Necklaces

Stones of Healing

Some of My Favorite Money Savers

1.www.surfthechannel.com  or www.sidereel.com 
 These two websites are my favorite way to watch some of my shows. As a mom, I can't always sit down to watch my shows and without these two websites, I would rarely get to enjoy my shows. Also, I like to watch shows that I can't get without cable and I hate to wait until things are out on video so for those of you that wait for the next season of Weeds, Big Love, or The Tudors, you can stream them each week at one of these websites! Oh, and if you can't afford to rent a movie, most new releases will be available at these addresses as well!

2. Meatless Meals
 You would be amazed at how much people spend on meat. I constantly hear my parents and my brother mention what a deal they got on this, that, or the other that is still astronomical and would most definitely blow my budget out of the water. So if you are wanting to live a long, healthy life and/or you have a small food budget, cut out the meat!

3. Breastfeeding
 Nothing is better for your child or your budget than breastfeeding. The only cost that people always try to bring up for breastfeeding is the extra food that you must consume to do it. However, most of us that have recently had a child are not very interested in keeping on weight so adding calories is not as common as some people think. I prefer to burn the 300-500 calories a day while eating as much as I did pre-pregnancy.
  Breastfeeding is also linked to less cost in the future. Children that are breastfed are less likely to have medical issues of all kinds. They have also been shown to have less chance of obesity throughout life which saves your food budget even after they eat solids!

4. Cloth Diapering
 By using cloth diapers, I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars a month on diapers. I have a one time expense of a few hundred dollars that I can use on all of my subsequent children. In addition, I use cloth wipes and a water-filled spray bottle to clean my daughter; therefore, avoiding any routine costs while diapering. (Another option which we use part-time is Elimination Communication)

5. Child Friendly Cleaners
 Before our daughter was born, my husband and I decided to get rid of all the chemicals in the house.  I looked into buying all sorts of safe cleaning products and then decided that the best thing to do was stick with baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda is my basic scrubing product for any built up nastiness and vinegar covers everything else. The only thing I still buy is dish soap(which I also use to mop tile floors and get rid of fleas) and Murphy's oil soap (which is98% natural). However, in the future I would like to switch those too!

Well, I hope that I've thrown out some ideas that some of my viewers haven't thought of and if anyone would like to give more suggestions, please leave me a comment. Also, if any of you have purchased supersized boxes of baking soda, I'd like to know where!

Environmental Party Decorating

Recently, I watched the new movie, Motherhood, starring Uma Thurman. Now I know that it probably isn't something that most of you have seen since it got such horrible reviews but it definitely hit the spot for stay-at-home-moms.

It also got me thinking about party decorations. In the movie, there is a scene were Uma's character debates doing goody bags for what reason, I'm not positive but my hypothesis is that it had to do with being environmentally unfriendly.

I told my husband that I had never really thought about the waste that is caused by always sending people home with junk that they will never use again and now I was torn between wanting to throw the best parties ever and wanting to protect the environment as much as possible.

My conflicting views were then put to the test when I began to plan my sister-in-law's baby shower. How was I going to make centerpieces and goody bags without buying a bunch of stuff that I would never use again?

Well, it turns out that I was up for the challenge! Although not completely successful(due to a small budget and the need to supply tablecloths and other misc. decorating items), I did manage to create fun centerpieces that would be used over and over again!

The basic idea of these was to use baby pictures of both parents-to-be and add baby items that could be used after the shower. Also, the buckets that I used were dumped of sand and sent home with all of the attendees that had children!

I then decided that the goody bags would contain only edible goodies which went over really well. Each bag contained cookies and an assortment of candy.

Not only were the decorations and goodies reusable, they were also purchased on a shoestring budget! All the tablecloths, candy, picture frames, and buckets were found at Dollar Tree; and all of the baby items were purchased at a consignment sale. I did however purchase sand (pretty cheap)which I could have avoided with a little more time and ingenuity.

All in all, I'd say that it was a pretty big success without being a giant failure for the environment! Now if only I could make sure that my brother and his wife start cloth diapering!

Well Hello Again!

Good morning followers! I'm afraid it has been quite some time since my last post. Hopefully, I can get back into a better routine soon and start sharing with you all once again.

Well, to start things off, I had a wonderful doula workshop this weekend and learned all sorts of amazing things! Although I was already somewhat well versed on childbirth and newborn care, I now have tons of information on c-sections, back labor, circumcisions, and much much more. It is looking to be an amazing journey that I am embarking on.

For those of you who have no idea what a doula is, a doula provides support to a couple during labor and delivery. She helps a laboring mom with coping methods, information about interventions, and any other non-medical issues that may come up during the labor process. A doula also helps the dad be involved to whatever extent he may feel comfortable, whether that might be limited to holding his wife's hand during contractions or using counter pressure to help alleviate back pain.

Throughout my training, I have also been reading some really great books on the subject of childbirth. My favorite of these and one that I think all husbands should read prior to the birth of their child is The Birth Partner, Third Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions. It is very informative without going over your head.

I look forward to sharing more with you all very soon and hope that you have a fabulous day!

Voting

I have lived in Oklahoma most of my life and therefore never thought much of the rules revolving around voting until recently. You see, until moving away, it never occured to me that other states had different rules and regulations regarding voting. I guess I just always thought that voting was something regulated by the national government.

However, a few years ago, Clay and I moved to Montana and discovered that in MT, you could register to vote on the day of an election, which is very different from Oklahoma's laws which stop voter registration 24 days prior to an election. I have to admit that although I had made sure to register long before the elections, it was very liberating to find out that they encouraged people to register even on election day.

But the full impact of Oklahoma's voting laws did not hit me until we moved back to OK. Now that we are back, I have discovered how sketchy OK is about voting. In Montana, voting is advertised and encouraged in every way. Mailings are sent out to remind people to vote and to give information about candidates. In Oklahoma, voting has the feeling of an event attended by invitation only. It seems as if voting in OK is designed for the elite, the organized, and the elderly which in general would exclude most of the younger, more liberal, college population as well as those of us that are unable to spend all of our time tracking elections.

Now, I'm not trying to make excuses for my irresponsible actions. I understand that I should have registered to vote as soon as I moved back to Oklahoma so that something like this wouldn't happen. Nevertheless, voting in a democracy should not be designed to exclude a certain group of people. All people are created equal and should therefore share the right of expressing their opinions in democratic elections.

Valentine's Craft

After being absent from the blogging world for a few weeks due to illness, I thought I would share a little craft for Valentine's Day. It isn't anything fancy; just something cute to give the grandparents!

First, I started out by buying heart shaped cards and envelopes from Michaels for about $8. This craft also required a stamp pad, letter stamps, a ruler, and a precious baby foot.

I started out by stamping "Be My Valentine" on the front of the card. I used a ruler to keep the letters in a straight line and to make sure that "Valentine" ended up in the largest part of the card.

After letting the front dry, Clay and I proceeded to stamp Aubrey's foot and put it in the inside of the card. Although the pictures show each of us doing it on our own, it is really a two person job; one person is needed to hold the baby and another person to get the foot in the stamp and onto the paper. Also, at four months old, it is basically impossible to keep her fingers uncurled so that is why we chose the foot!

After that, we just added a sweet message and a little flower stamp on the front. And there you have it! A sweet Valentine's Day card to share with the family and a keepsake of that sweet little foot!

The Things I Love Most of All

Today is the final day of PAXbaby's 13 days of peace and love and for that, I have saved my biggest loves.

Day 12: I love my daughter, Aubrey