Part of the "Relief" Effort

If you missed the General Relief Society meeting Saturday I highly encourage you to click on the link and watch it. It was the best one in a long time! Each talk was thoughtful, articulate, and empowering. Even President Monson gave a good talk. He isn't usually my favorite ( I was hoping for Bednar), but he only mentioned one widow and it was appropriate for the context.
I have included one of my favorite quotes from Sister Beck's talk and I hope it will encourage you to read more. It made me proud and excited to be part of such a great and potentially powerful organization. We are more than glass grapes!

"My dear sisters, our prophet, whom I sustain with all my heart, has said that there is a better way than the way of the world. He has called upon the women of the Church to stand together for righteousness. He has said that if we are united and speak with one voice, our strength will be incalculable. I have expressed to him my confidence that the women of this Church will stand strong and immovable in our faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel; strong and immovable in upholding, nourishing, and protecting our families; and strong and immovable in providing relief. May the Lord bless us as we do this most essential work of women is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Jung Would Be Proud

My oldest daughter and I were in the kitchen the other night winding down for the evening. She was getting ready for bed and I was trying to straighten up and hold the baby. At about 9:30 my brain and body just want to sit down and be done. However, I turned around and noticed a pretty sizable mess on the kitchen table, half of which had been created by my daughter. I sighed an audible sigh and proceeded to walk towards the table to clean it. Then I said, "Sweetie, will you... Oh, never mind I'll just do it." As I start cleaning up she says, "Mom, that is nothing but manipulation! I hate it when you ask us to do something and then say that you'll just do it! It makes us want to just hurry over and do it, but it makes me mad!"

I turned around, picked my jaw up off the floor, and just as I was going to defend myself, realized she was absolutely right and I admitted to it. She then requested that if I wanted something done would I please just ask. We continued to have a great conversation and I thanked her for bringing that to my attention.

I was stunned! First of all, what 9 year-old uses the word "manipulation" and actually knows what it means! Secondly, I was impressed she had the intestinal fortitude to point out my behavior. It sort of made me want to say, "Okay, Avery, tomorrow you're going to school and you will become a 9 year-old like every other 9 year-old instead of a twenty-something in a 9 year-old body.

I felt better when, five minutes later she said, "Mom, will you sing me an extra song tonight and tuck me in?" I can only imagine what the next few years will bring!

Who Is Your Hero?

Heroes began a new season tonight. (Thanks to my Mom for getting me to watch the first season!) Of course I have to analyze everything and so I have to wonder what the main draw of this show is? Is it that we all have a desire to be a hero -- someone outstanding and noticed? Or is it that we wish a hero would come to our rescue and save us from ourselves and the choices we're making? Maybe it's a combination of both. Maybe people feel like our world is teetering on the edge of "crazy" and it feels safe to watch a show where people have to deal with the problem of "flying" instead of the problem of loneliness or addiction, etc... Or maybe it's just plain old fashioned fun. Whatever it is I like it and I'm betting they can change the world!

Tagged

Recently Krissie "tagged" me. Being somewhat new to the Blogger world I had no idea what that meant until she explained it to Avery and I discreetly overheard (of course I had to appear like I knew exactly what it meant). I can't remember everything I'm supposed to write about, but I know I'm supposed to write about what I was doing 10 years ago. It's amazing to think about it really.

Ten years ago I was nervously expecting my first child. Bret was in the Army and we had just moved to Fort Drum, New York. I was desperately trying to finish my degree, at BYU, before the arrival of the baby knowing it would be extremely difficult afterward. However, at the time of my pregnancy I was planning on staying home with my baby for the prescribed year and then returning to work. From the studies I had been reading on infant brain development, early peer interaction seemed to have positive effects on a child's social development. Daycare was in our future.

Looking back I don't know how Bret listened to me pontificate about all the perceived benefits our child would receive from daycare. He says he just hoped something would change, but that he was willing to support me if I really wanted/needed to work. Wow.

I had no idea the change that would occur almost the instant I held that baby in my arms. I guess you could call it biological, but it was more then that. I looked into the eyes of this brand new little baby and realized what I was being asked to do. I was being asked to give shelter and guidance to another of God's children for the duration of her earth life. So many of her perceptions of life and people would come from her experiences with me and the things I would teach her. I looked into her eyes and came to three conclusions: 1) I would never, willingly, go to work outside my home as long as she was living with me. 2) She would only be living with me for a short time (20 +/- years) and I had better make the most of it. 3) The hospital actually expected me to take this baby home and be in charge of her!

The changes which took place in that hospital room had a lasting effect. I have not had to go to work (thankfully). I still feel like my time is short with each of my children and I try to make the most of the time I have. And, as a result of having to actually care for that baby, and the others who followed, I have grown and matured in unexpected ways. The past 10 years have been incredible and I am truly blessed.

Thanks Kris for the opportunity to reflect!

A Trivia Lovers Dream Come True -- Google

Anyone who knows me long enough has to endure many sentences which begin with the phrase, "Did you know...?" followed by some piece of random information that my brain just sucks up like a vacuum. As a result, I love to "google." It's so great to be sitting at breakfast and have one of my kids say, "Mom, how long can your fingernails grow?" I look like I am the wisest woman EVER because I quietly excuse myself from the table, dash to the computer, google the question and, voila! the answer effortlessly appears. I return to the table and very nonchalantly answer the question. I love having all this knowledge literally at my fingertips. I think search engines were created by someone like I am for someone like I am.
Some of our recent "googles" have been:

Longest fingernails in the world

Big Bang Theory

Pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China

The Liberty Bell

Rosa Parks

What have you googled recently? Anything we should check out?

A Well-Oiled Machine?

For too long we in our wonderfully advanced western society have treated the body much like our cars instead of the incredibly advanced organism it is. And yet, sometimes we treat our cars even better than our poor bodies! Imagine how long our cars would last if we only washed the outside, used gasoline full of unnecessary additives, and acted like the on-board computer was the only thing worth tweaking. I would dare say our cars wouldn't last very long. Obviously, our bodies are much more complex and yet we have lost so much knowledge as to how to properly care for and manage them. Moreover, the sources from which we obtain food are usually questionable and so far removed from anything "healthy" it's ridiculous. Lastly, we are in such a "hurry" (myself included) that we simply don't feel justified in the taking the time to care for our inside as much as our outside. And then we're surprised when our bodies have problems.

I'm just in the beginning stages of my research into the following areas, but I wanted to share some of the things I'm learning. I have sources for all the info and will be happy to share them if wanted.

1. We are using whole wheat improperly. In our rush to become "healthy" everything is now "whole wheat" and "whole grain." What we don't understand is the body has a very difficult time breaking down the outside of wheat in order to get to the good nutrients inside. Most of the "whole wheat" we are eating never gets absorbed properly. Wheat either needs to be soaked, in liquid, overnight, before using, in order to start breaking it down, or it needs to already have started sprouting in order to receive the proper benefits.

2. Our gut has more neurotransmitters than our brain and yet we medicate our brain and continue to fill our gut destructive food. Neurotransmitters are the "feel good" chemicals. When our bodies are in a state of poor digestion we cannot absorb and produce the neurotransmitters needed for proper health. Moreover, when we cannot properly assimilate our food, what makes us think we can properly assimilate our medications? People are constantly having to "adjust" their medication because it's not working right. The reasons could be associated more with the digestive enzyme levels in your gut then the level of medicine. Having proper digestion is a must.

3. Proper digestion comes from producing enough hydrochloric acid and having the right digestive enzymes. Unfortunately most of us eat way too fast or huge amounts or way too spread out. All of this effects our hydrochloric acid production. Most digestion begins in the mouth. The simple act of chewing our food slower will aid in the digestive process greatly. Also, chewing our food slower allows our body to "catch up" with what we are doing and send signals of feeling full to our brain (thus the all important and incredibly neglected mind-body connection).

Because we live in a "pasteurized" world, most of our food lacks essential digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes our found in "raw" food such as milk, honey, butter, yogurt, and others. When we lack digestive enzymes our food cannot be properly broken down and used. In fact there is cutting-edge research on autism and adhd which suggests that these children have suffered from a lack of digestive enzymes from the beginning and then antibiotics and vaccines have almost "traumatized" their little systems. Adding enzymes into their diet is helping tremendously.

Obviously we have pasteurized food for a reason and it's not practical for us to have our own cows on our .10 acres of property. Lacto-fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, and natural yogurt, are good sources of food with the enzymes put back in. In fact, I am just beginning to discover how great kefir really is! It has all the digestive enzymes. It's a complete protein. It has all the B vitamins AND is has TRYPTOPHAN! Tryptophan is found in breast milk and turkey (it's what makes babies relax and people feel sleepy after thanksgiving). Scientists are just beginning to understand the huge benefits of tryptophan on the digestive and nervous systems. I would highly suggest incorporating some kefir into your diet. It tastes a lot like yogurt and comes in a few flavors. My kids will drink it and prefer it over their "vitamin" which probably isn't being absorbed right anyway.

There is a lot more I'm learning and I'll share as I gain more knowledge. Just wait until I talk about coconut oil and what it can do!

Wake Up and Smell the Gunpowder

On the news recently I watched a story about how one of this year's "must have" school accessories is a BULLET-PROOF backpack! Are you kidding me? Not only could I not believe what I was seeing, but I was absolutely taken aback by the number of people buying these things for their kids! Hello!!! If you have to send your child to a place where you feel they need a bullet-proof ANYTHING is it not time to rethink just where you are sending your child?

I know that many people, unfortunately, do not have a choice as to where they send their kids to school due to economic or other life circumstances. And, I believe that any education is better then no education. For those people I guess I'm glad they can purchase a product that may possibly save their kid's life as he is crouching in a corner fending off shooters with his pack. Terrific. Urban warfare 101. To the people who do have a choice, it's time to actually take five minutes to think about the implications of what is happening here. Either place your child somewhere else or get really involved with your local school and/or legislature and try and bring about the changes necessary so that you don't feel you have to send your kid to school with her own uzi in order to defend herself! Wake up!

...alright...I'll get down now.