Her Royal Excitedness Expounds

Fresh, local, organically grown fruit and veggies. Mmmmmmm.

2012-01-27T00:24:00.008-06:00

Here is a letter from my dear friends, The Cochrans, who run the Eco-Gardens CSA, which we love. What is CSA? It stands for Community-Supported or Shared Agriculture, and it's a lot like having a garden but without all the work!

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Greetings friends!

Hope everyone enjoyed Happy Holidays!

It is time!

Please help me spread the word about Eco-Gardens CSA's early bird Discount. The cost is very reasonable, averaging $16.07 per week for those who Post-Mark their Sign-Up Forms on or before Feb 20.

Members receive a weekly basket of FARM-FRESH, LOCAL, CHEMICAL-FREE vegetables, berries, melons and herbs, from May to November. Farming brothers Andrew and Reuben Habegger are dedicated to growing the most pure, most nutritionally dense produce and are always trying to learn more methods to bring the healthiest food our way, always grown free of all synthetic chemicals.

See highlights below and details in the attached Brochure and Sign up Form. Also attached, find our Anticipated Harvest Chart, which gives an idea of what to expect as we go through the season, and comments from past Eco-Gardens CSA Members. (NOTE: you'll need to e-mail me or Lisa for the attachments.)

Please help pass this along to any friends, groups or businesses who may be interested.

Thank you so much!

Lisa Cochran

331-0104

eco-gardenscsa@bellsouth.net

Eco-Gardens CSA 2012

*Fresh, Local, Chemical-Free Produce!

*Lovingly nurtured using organic growing practices on the Habegger family farm

*28 Week Season

*A share = 3/8 bushel (3 gallons) or more

*Harvest should begin early May

PRICING

If Post-Marked on or before February 20:

Lump-sum payment in full = $450 (weekly average = $16.07)

Payment Plan = Deposit of $75 plus 4 payments of $100 due May 1, June 1, July 1, August 1

If Post-Marked After February 20:

Lump-Sum Payment in Full = $475

Payment Plan = Deposit of $100 plus 4 payments of $100 due May 1, June 1, July 1, August 1

Nashville Locations

Crieve Hall Area

(Off I-65 between Harding Place and Brentwood Exits. Convenient to Oak Hill, Brentwood, Antioch, Woodbine, Franklin...)

Tuesdays 3:30 to 6:30 pm

Crievewood Baptist Church

480 Hogan Road, 37220

Belmont Area

(Near 21st Exit off I-440. Convenient to Vandy, downtown, West End, Green Hills, Berry Hill...)

Thursdays 3:30 to 6 pm

Christ the King Catholic Church

3001 Belmont Boulevard, 37212

Nashville Contact: Lisa Cochran eco-gardenscsa@bellsouth.net 331-0104

Or visit crievewood.org

If you would like to join:

Complete the attached Sign-Up Form and MAIL directly to the farm (149 Strawberry Lane, Scottsville, KY 42164). NOTE: you'll need to e-mail me or Lisa for your sign-up form.

We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have supported Eco-Gardens CSA over the years!

A Happy New Year to you all in 2012!

Lisa, Gregory and Joseph Cochran

2012-01-13T19:40:00.004-06:00

Well, it's finally happened. I've been waiting a LONG time for someone to take the Nourishing Traditions principles touted by the Weston A. Price foundation and make them accessible to pretty much anyone anywhere. (I LOVE Sally Fallon and Mary Enig--they're two of my modern-day heroes!)

Jordan Rubin, author of The Maker's Diet, founded Beyond Organic, making it really easy for people to enjoy whole foods that are prepared in traditional ways--not in newfangled, conventional ways, processing and refining everything to death. (He just got added to the modern-day heroes list, too). I've read a lot about fermentation and lacto-fermentation, but it's all been almost overwhelming. Beyond Organic did it for me. Hooray!

I'm absolutely thrilled with what Jordan Rubin is doing--not just with food but also with education and environmental stewardship--and I can't wait to get us all eating and drinking the stuff that I ordered yesterday. Everything is absolutely chock-full of probiotics and Omega 3s and CLA and antioxidants and fiber and nutrients our bodies need to THRIVE, not just survive.

We're beginning to talk about our next little Toddlett, so the timing couldn't be better. I've got to get this body back in gear and ready to take on nourishing another little person! I'm planning to be healthier at 40 than I've ever been in my entire life. I'm on the right track and have two and half more years to go.

Now I'm off to help plan my high school's 20-year class reunion. YIKES!

Still LOVE Theater

2011-11-10T09:00:00.006-06:00

I'm going to be in another play. This one's called THE RIPPER. It's this weekend. You should come!

THE RIPPER is a new play by Scott Crain based on the "Jack the Ripper" murders of 1888 in Whitechapel. Only three more chances to see it! This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night: November 11-13. For mature audiences only. Not for the squeamish.

"Gothic steampunk meets Victorian-era London with Scott Crain's macabre adaptation of the Jack the Ripper story. Opening right on the heels of Halloween, the show is decidedly dark but offers plenty of comic relief. Fans of Oracle Productions are likely to detect the thread of redemption Crain weaves throughout his work. Well-written and perfectly priced, The Ripper chills the spine, feeds the soul, and excites the senses."

Obedience and Freedom

2011-07-10T23:08:00.004-05:00

While I was mowing the lawn tonight, I began thinking about what "obedience" means. When I read "obedience to Christ" in the Bible, I think my mind equates it with "freedom from sin," but what I really think it means is doing what we feel prompted to do by the Spirit and obeying God even when it seems unusual. I thought of Naaman, for example. He had leprosy, Elisha told him to wash in the Jordan river seven times (pretty unusual), and Naaman refused because "I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper’" (2 Kings 5:11). Then he wanted to know why he couldn't wash in a different river. When his servants implored him to go back and obey the simple task of washing--rather than some great, nearly impossible task--"he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean" (2 Kings 5:14).

Brian Ban, the pastor of The Anchor Fellowship, was talking today about how we, as a fellowship, have taken for granted the "grace" of God, and have, in essence, ceased to be aware of our sin. "Everything is permissible," he said. (For the context of that verse, click HERE.) During the prayer time at the end of the service, I asked Brian if I could share a short testimony. This is the first time I've ever spoken during a service at The Anchor, and we've been there for two years. But as I stood there, I felt like I was going to throw up if I didn't ask. I was sweating. I was shaking. I wanted to run to the bathroom, but I knew that I needed to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit. So I asked.

I ended up sharing some pretty intimate information, and I felt incredibly vulnerable. I cried and shook for a while afterward and it took some time to get my bearings. I'm having a hard time wanting to go back. As I told a friend via FB message, it's a little like showing up to church without your clothes on and then expecting everyone not to remember what you look like naked when you come back the following week all dressed again.

In my story, I mentioned an "obedience" experience I had before I got married. I was at a little Baptist church in Clarksville and a lady was singing a beautiful spontaneous song toward the end of the service. All of a sudden, I felt like I needed to throw my hands in the air. Now, if I were to do that, I would instantly be the center of attention since no one else had their hands raised. But I felt like if I didn't do it, I would explode. So I did it. I obeyed.

And something happened.

I don't have a good explanation for it--all I know is prior to that moment, I was a slave to sin. It wasn't a fair fight. After that moment, I was a slave to righteousness (see Romans 6). I had the power to make the right choice in a compromising situation. I no longer felt like I was compelled to sin. All of the energy behind those "choices" had been diffused in an instant, and I felt like I was in control of myself again.

I don't think it's coincidence that the "fruit of the Spirit" (see Galatians 5) includes self-control.

I also think that if we perceive sin as a sickness of the heart, and go after healing instead of trying to work our way out of it, we'll find more success. For me, I think a couple things really helped:

1) I was desperate. I knew that I hated the way I felt about myself and what I was doing, but I didn't know how to stop. When my husband (boyfriend at the time) demonstrated a broken heart instead of anger--when he reminded me that he couldn't control me and that I was in control of myself--I was undone. No manipulation. No punishment. No attempts to control my behavior. Simply unconditional love and acceptance--and sadness for my sin against him. Wow. A couple years later, I read in scripture, "His loving-kindness leads us to repentance" (Romans 2:4). And now I have a better understanding of what that means. I went to God with my desperation and He extended mercy. His loving kindness literally changed my way of thinking--which changed my behavior. He went for the heart. I like that about Him.

2) I had James to stand with me and basically hold me in the refiner's fire (see Malachi 3). I didn't want to be there. I cried nearly every time we went to church. I had absolutely no explanation whatsoever for why I hated it so much. I wanted more than anything to leave. But he wouldn't waver. He said that once I figured out what I hated about it, he would consider going somewhere else. But I was never able to put it into words. And then I started feeling whole again. Healed. As if I had be going through surgery for months and months and then experiencing the pain of being sewn up and recovering and then . . . healing. Freedom. Peace. Wow.

I'm still not 100% healed. My heart still has some sick places--places of wounding and deep pain. And I may never see a fully healed heart as long as I'm living in this body in this fallen world. But that's not going to stop me from more surgery. And more recovery. And more healing. Freedom is kind of addictive. So I keep pursuing it.

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

My Goals

2011-05-27T23:14:00.004-05:00

I'm wide awake from the tea that I drank tonight and my legs are aching from mowing the lawn today, so I thought I'd take a minute to jot down my thoughts.

I've established a few goals recently.

The first one is to read a portion of scripture every day--to myself. Ultimately, this means that I will read the Bible from cover to cover for the first time in my life, but right now, it's a portion of scripture--every day. That's it.

I also plan to read the Bible aloud to Judah this year. When he was three, we read The Beginner's Bible by Karyn Henley, illustrated by Dennas Davis (a good friend!), again and again and again and again. Now I'm reading the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago, to four-year-old Mira. Judah usually listens in, but his appetite for words has increased dramatically in the past four years, so I'm actually reading the Amplified Bible to him. It has completely captured his attention. At the end of a chapter, he says, "Go on." I love it.

After missing two consecutive days of scripture-reading this week, I realized that I probably need to slow down if I'm ever going to accomplish this goal. Which leads me to goals #2 and #3:

Goal #2 is to teach my children to read this year using Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. Both Judah and Miriam are on the same page developmentally when it comes to letter recognition and letter sounds. They're both beginning to sound out words--Judah a bit more than Miriam, but not much. I'm waiting for a workbook to come in the mail to really get them started, but we've had fun listening to the songs and looking at the chart with the letters and pictures. I love listening to them try to sound out words in the car. Miriam sounded out "jewel" yesterday: JL. :0)

Goal #3 is to work through the Math-U-See Primer with both Judah and Miriam. I'd really like to establish a basic foundation in math and get them both reading simple words before the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

We'll be reading a ton of books, as usual--biographies for history and nature books for science and continuing to look things up on maps and, of course, spending time outside playing in the woods and in the creek, which, by the way, is where Judah found his new pet: a toad by the name of Crossbones. I heard him referred to as Mr. Toad today, though. Judah feeds him cicadas and worms and keeps him in a big tub covered by a cotton sheet. He also takes him out daily for "morning exercises."

We're having fun "doing school," which, I've begun to realize, is as much about personal responsibility and freedom to be creative as it is learning to read and write and do arithmetic. For example, Judah and Miriam both wanted to play with play-dough this week. I kept telling them that we could open the play-dough when the playroom was picked up. I helped them pick up last night and they finished it this morning--including using the vacuum.

They played with play-dough the entire time I mowed the lawn. (Thankfully Nadia slept the entire afternoon!) When they were ready for an afternoon snack, they put the play-dough away and joined me in the living room. Then, it was back to the play-dough.

Before we left tonight to pick up our free Renaissance Fair tickets (yay, Daddy, for winning them!), they put away the play-dough, the puzzles they had been working on, and the blocks that were on the floor. On our way home, they asked if Daddy was going to fill in for them tomorrow as the "dishwasher emptying duo" since we're all heading to RenFest. I LOVE that they are anticipating their work and wondering how it's going to get done if they're not there to do it.

They love to tease me after putting things away. They'll say things like, "There are all sorts of worms and salamanders and port-o-potties and sewers and nasty stuff in the dishwasher. Come look!" Then, when I get there, the run away giggling. I chase after them and tickle them for tricking me. Tonight they said that elves had come and not only threw the puzzle pieces all over the living room, but they also destroyed the puzzles and there were splinters everywhere.

I just re-read "The Moore Formula" (summary below) as a reminder and an encouragement that I'm on the right track by not moving too fast or pushing too hard and allowing my children to think and wonder and create . . . they're still so little. I sometimes wish I could just put them on "pause" for a little while. They're growing up so fast.

THE FORMULA
1) Study from a few minutes to several hours a day, depending on the child's maturity.
2) Manual work at least as much as study.
3) Home and/or community service an hour or so a day. Focus on kids' interests and needs; be an example in consistency, curiosity, and patience. Live with them! Worry less about tests; we'll help you there. With the Moore Formula, if you are loving and can read, write, count, and speak clearly, you are a master teacher.
First, don't subject your children to formal, scheduled study before age 8 to 10 or 12, whether they can read or not. To any who differ, as their evidence let them read Better Late Than Early (BLTE) or School Can Wait (SCW). In addition to our basic research at Stanford and the University of Colorado Medical School, we analyzed over 8000 studies of children's senses, brain, cognition, socialization, etc., and are certain that no replicable evidence exists for rushing children into formal study at home or school before 8 or 10.
Read and sing and play with your children from birth. Read to them several times a day, and they will learn to read in their own time-as early as 3 or 4, but usually later, some as late as 14. Late readers are no more likely to be retarded or disabled than early ones. They often become the best readers of all-with undamaged vision and acute hearing, more adult-like reasoning (cognition) levels, mature brain structure and less blocking of creative interests. Yet late readers are often falsely thought to be in need of remedial help. If you have any doubts about your youngster, have specialists check vision and hearing; possibly see a neurologist. If there are no problems, relax. http://www.moorefoundation.com/article.php?id=5

Sweet Nadia Ruth--a year later

2011-04-13T19:45:00.004-05:00

My baby is ONE. If I try to write more, I'll probably cry and never finish this post. Mostly I wanted to get a few pictures up of the little "sugar puddin'" or "sweetie baby" as she is often affectionately called. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that little girl--her sparkly eyes, her pink chubby cheeks, her little baby belly, and those perfectly delicious chubby thighs. I could squeeze that little bit o' squish all day. Right now she's dancing, which began with a musical toy Nana and Papa gave to her at Christmas. Before long, she'll be walking. She's already a professional stair-climber. She can even climb down a few.

For her first birthday, we took her to Dragon Park and then to her mama's favorite dessert spot: Hot&Cold. She shared a honeydew "Las Paletas" popsicle with Daddy. The pictures are of her first and last bites. As you can see from the picture below, she was ready to get on with the rest of her birthday adventure. Oh, sweet Nadia Ruth Todd, I'm so glad you're here.

Judah, this almost 7 year old boy of mine

2011-02-16T23:23:00.004-06:00

It's late, but I feel like I need to write. That boy of mine keeps saying stuff that needs to be written down. Those little girls of mine made me laugh tonight with their cute dancing. Miriam put on a CD and Nadia bounced to it while Miriam showed me her new dances. Precious.
THE EGG AWARD
Judah accidentally broke a little award he received last year for his egg decorating skills. When he remembered what the award was for, he admitted that the egg wasn't really award-worthy. Each year the Mulvihills host an egg-decorating contest and I suggested that this year he bring some of his wax with which he makes wax weapons and costumes for his bears and use that to decorate his egg. That would most definitely be award-worthy. "Are you sure, Mom? Do you really think I'll win an award? Do you swear on your honor as a mother?"
BIG AND POWERFUL, MEET SMALL AND FEARFUL
Earlier today some friends came over and when I told Judah who was coming, he said, "Aw, Mom, I don't want him to come over."

"Why not?" I asked.

"He's bossy . . . and he always says, 'I'm older than you,' . . . and he threatens . . . "

"What do you mean, 'He threatens'?" I asked.

"He says things like, 'If you don't do this, then I'll do this. He threatens to take or break my best toys or to hurt me . . . " Judah continued.

"What if you said something like, 'Do you want me to get our moms involved?" I suggested.

"I've tried that. He says, 'Go ahead and tell. I'll just lie,'" said Judah.

"Hmmmm. Well, what do you think the consequences would be if he really did those things?" I wondered aloud.

"Not much! He's a kid! What could they do to him that would possibly be worse than what he could do to me?" Judah had me there.

I asked if he wanted to talk to his friend's mom or if he wanted me to talk to her, and he said yes, he wanted me to do the talking. He didn't want me to send her a text message before they arrived. He wanted me to talk to her in person. So I did. She handled it gracefully, had him apologize to Judah and to me, and afterward Judah seemed like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders. I happened to mention wrestling, which gave Judah the idea to tackle his friend (who happens to be only a year older but more than twice his size), so he did. And life went on.

The main reason I'm journaling this is because of his last comment ("what could they do to him?"), which gave me a window into his thoughts and made me laugh a little. I remember that feeling. I'm also thankful for the way my friend handled the situation. In a matter of minutes, the boys were back to wrestling and playing and running around the yard together. It very easily could have been my kid who did the "bossing and threatening." In fact, these are very often Miriam's complaints. Sigh. There's nothing like having someone who's older and bigger and more powerful to remind you how small and how weak you are. I'm really proud of Judah for articulating his feelings and letting us help. The relationship was restored, and that is a beautiful thing.

Practice Child #1

2010-11-29T23:39:00.003-06:00

Keep in mind that Judah is, for me, practice child number one.

I don't pretend to have this parenting thing figured out. I'm also "officially" home-schooling this year. That doesn't mean I necessarily know what I'm doing. To be honest, I'm trying to do very little. Yes, trying, as in "intentionally not doing a whole lot."

Sure, by the standards of the average American household, we do a lot. We read tons of books, we frequent the library storytimes and we watch plays and get out in nature and we look for ways to volunteer our time and resources, we paint, we draw, we color, we sculpt, we act, we create.

But I don't use flash cards. And I don't own any "Teach your child to read" books. And I don't have the alphabet pasted to my wall. And I don't have any DVD's about the ABC's.

Basically, I'm attempting what might be called "the natural method" and I've recently discovered that I'm probably considered an "unschooler." I've read a few books by Dr. Raymond Moore, a developmental psychologist and educator who advocates waiting to teach children to read until they're at least EIGHT years old. I know. It sounded preposterous to me at first, too.

However . . .

Judah is a little more than six and a half. Prior to this year, he has had ZERO interest in learning how to read. Well, I say zero, I mean, almost zero. He couldn't remember the names or sounds of letters from one minute to the next. Fortunately, I had already attended a Carole Joy Seid workshop and wasn't freaked out. She introduced me to Dr. Raymond Moore. I'm pretty sure God knew what an over-achiever I am and He wanted me to take it easy on my son. So here we are.

Tonight, while I was making hummus in the kitchen, Judah was shouting from the other room, "Mom! I know how to spell flower!" And then he would take a pretty good gander at the spelling, I'd tell him how close he was and how brilliant he is, and he would keep guessing until he got it. Later, when we was trying to spell "tomato" (te-ma-to), he said he was writing down the letters, but that wasn't "cheating." He wanted to be able to read the letters back to me without having to keep them in his mind each time. I told him that of course that's not cheating--that's good thinking.

A friend who home-schooled her children through high school had told me once--years ago--that teaching your child to read is a lot like potty-training. Just wait until he's ready and then it's pretty simple. With Judah, I spent months attempting to potty-train him, but with Miriam, I just waited until she was ready, and in a couple weeks, she was fully potty-trained. Carole Joy Seid said you can take years teaching your child to read (like robots) or wait for readiness and watch them bloom in a few months or even weeks.

On the way to visit my parents in KY on Thanksgiving, Judah sounded out the word "brand" in the car. When Miriam asked what "brand" meant, he said, "It means a specific type of thing. Like this is a specific 'brand' of chocolate." Ah, the beauty of teaching a child to read who already grasps the meaning of the words he is sounding out.

I read an article recently about how both sides of the brain have to work together to decode symbols for reading. One side tackles the symbols and the sounds and the other attaches meaning. That's why it's possible to read entire passages and not have a clue what you've just read. One side of your brain was asleep or distracted.

I'm pretty excited about Judah's attempts to sound out words and write letters and basically teach himself to read. For example, we picked up a book from the library last week, and he came home, sat down on the couch, and sounded out the title again and again and again. He was studying the letters. He was literally teaching himself to read.

He wants to read so badly he can taste it. But I know that what he figures out on his own he will carry with him for a lifetime. What I try to spoon-feed him will either be spit out or quickly forgotten.

I'm here. I'm ready to answer questions. I'll read every day and check out audio books so he can listen to books even when I'm not available. The day will come when he will be reading to me and to his younger sisters. I think that day is not far from now. I'm eager to write down the name of Judah's first read-aloud book.

But for now it's time for bed. So says the husband.

This Boy of Mine

2010-11-15T10:07:00.005-06:00

Oh, where do I begin?

If my husband were writing this, he'd probably begin with last night's events since he was there. Apparently, when he went to pick up Judah from his class at The Anchor, one of the girls in Judah's class was crying because of Judah's retaliating drawing and remark. James brought it up this morning because he wanted me to somehow communicate with Judah about the situation.

Judah said that Sophia drew a picture of a girl pushing down boys, so he drew a picture of himself pushing down Sophia--and then he told her about it--which, of course, made her cry. Even after his teacher talked to him about it, he still didn't understand why what he did "wasn't appropriate" (his words). So I turned it around:

"What if you had drawn a picture of boys pushing down girls and then Sophia drew a picture of herself pushing you down? How would you feel?"

"Sad."

"That's why it's not appropriate. If you do something to someone else that would make you feel bad if they did it to you, then it's not appropriate. We treat people the way we want to be treated--not the way they treat us. How did Sophia respond to your drawing?"

"She didn't see it."

"How did she know about it?"

"I told her."

"And how did she respond?"

"I don't know."

"Did she laugh?"

"No."

"Did she smile?"

"No."

"Did she cry?"

"A little."

"So how do you think she felt?"

"Sad."

"Oh. So her response to your drawing was crying because it made her sad. How would you feel about writing her a letter?"

"Good . . . Where's the paper?"

I found an empty card and a pen and thought I was going to write it for him, but he sat down with it and asked me how to spell the following:

I AM SORRY FOR DRAWING A PICTURE OF PUNCHING YOU. JUDAH. I (heart symbol) SOPHIA. FROM JUDAH.

Then, as Daddy's suggested, he drew a picture of himself with Sophia fighting a monster together with swords to show that they're on the same team.

I'm not sure why this impacted me to the degree that I wanted to take the time to sit down and write it out, except that Judah hasn't been interested in writing until now, and it really surprised me that he wanted to write the card himself. A few weeks ago he wrote out a poem that he memorized, but he did it on the dry erase board and instead of James telling him each letter, he wrote it on the board and Judah copied it. This is the first time he has written this much on his own.

I also feel like he processed the situation well. I could tell that at first he was defensive, but by the time we got to writing the letter, his heart had softened and he was truly sorry for what he did. His face gives him away every time--he's so expressive.

This weekend, I think I apologized at least twice a day for my short temper. I rarely feel as if I do things "right," but I feel like we handled this one pretty well, and I wanted a reminder.

A huge thanks to the writings of Dr. Raymond Moore (School Can Wait and Homestyle Teaching books) and the teachings of Danny Silk (Loving Our Kids on Purpose CDs)--you have both saved me a ton of stress and grief.

I found my camera!

2010-10-22T08:55:00.002-05:00

Nadia at six months, my sweet, happy, delicious baby. I often wish I could put her on "pause."

Nadia Ruth Todd, the sweetest baby on the planet

2010-10-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

"Is she always this good?" I hear this just about every time we're out. "Yes. Always."

She is the PERFECT baby. And the main reason I rarely blog anymore.

She's six months old now, but these are five-month pics because I can't find my camera. It's here somewhere . . .

Conversations with Judah and Mira--Oct 2010

2010-10-21T21:49:00.007-05:00

A couple days ago, my husband sent me an e-mail telling me he missed my blog. So tonight he's at a Bible study, the kids are all in bed asleep, the floors are swept, the toilet's cleaned, the laundry's mostly done, the dishes are soaking . . . and I'm in a constant state of writing in my head. I rarely find a moment during the day that I'm able to carry on a coherent conversation or write a meaningful e-mail, much less a blog post. So much mental energy must be exerted for such things. I've been giving all of mine to three little people who have been giving me excellent writing material.

Conversations with Judah and Mira . . .

Yesterday we went to Cheekwood with a group of homeschool families. When we got back, James asked me if I enjoyed my day. I said, "Yes. I got to be with some of my favorite people doing some of my favorite things--outside." And Miriam added, "Without your mom telling you what to do . . . or what not to do." (I really wish you could hear her little 3-year-old voice.)

The night before, James was working late so I let Judah climb in bed with me and snuggle after we did our bedtime routine. (Miriam fell asleep early and Nadia was already in bed.) He said, "Mom, remember in the olden days when we used to snuggle?"

I asked, "When you were two?"

"Yeah."

"Come here, you. Let me snuggle you."

As we snuggled, I said something about letting me snuggle him until he was married. He said, "I'm never going to marry." Then, in his "I'm teasing you" voice, he continued, "Why would I want a troublesome old woman hanging about me all the days of my life . . . bossing me around . . . and telling me to go to work every day. All we'd have to eat is one dry little bean. And we'd have a son named Jack and he would climb a beanstalk and . . . " we just laughed and laughed and laughed. After our little giggle-fest, I prayed for him and our friends until he fell asleep. I love that boy.

This afternoon, I heard both Miriam and Judah outside crying. When I went to find out what happened, I discovered that Judah was "leaving to live the Indian life of adventure" and they were saying their tearful goodbyes.

Judah was wearing nothing but a leather belt and a blue towel loincloth with a handmade bow and arrow strung across his back. Miriam had a sparkle sash around her head, a braid in her hair, and a purple shawl tied around her waist. That's it. No shirt. No panties. Very authentic.

Miriam was in tears, saying that Judah was going to leave--"for real--in real life." He looked at me with a tear just beginning to stream down his face, said goodbye, and started walking down the road (imagine his little naked body with a bow strung over his shoulder and a leather belt about his waist). I tried to comfort Miriam, but I couldn't stop laughing! He made his way around the perimeter of the yard. They reunited and played on the side of the house that doesn't face the street (according to my recommendation). I think we might need to move out to the country pretty soon.

"We love each uh-thuh, right Judah?" ~ Mira

2010-07-09T13:40:00.005-05:00

Nadia laughed yesterday.

I feel like I could end this post right there. She laughed once in her sleep last week and I thought she laughed a few days ago, but now I know that I know that she laughed--the sweetest little belly laugh from precious Nadia Ruth. I'm smitten.

Right before Nadia laughed, Miriam, who was glistening with sweat, caught a glimpse of her reflection in the sideview mirror of the van and said, "Mommy! My face is all sparkly! Look!"

Just before the girls stole my heart, we were all eating lunch together when I asked Miriam if she would like to be in a fashion show. Judah said he thought she would be too shy to be in a show like that, but I assured them both that I would hold Miriam's hand so she could walk across the stage with confidence. Judah said, "Miriam! I'll bet you're going to be the most beautiful girl there!" And he means it.

My children deeply love each other.

I try not to sow any seeds of jealousy. I'm careful to say things like, "I need to put your baby sister down for a nap, but I'll be right back" instead of "I'm busy with the baby." I really want them have a sense of ownership--she's THEIR baby as much as she is mine.

Miriam loves to get diapers for me and throw away the dirty ones. Judah loves to hold his sister just about any time I ask. Miriam and Judah both love to make Nadia smile--and now laugh.

Don't get me wrong--my kids fight. They even fight over imaginary things! But they love each other a LOT. Miriam cheers Judah on as he climbs everything in sight. Judah encourages Miriam to try new things and tells her what a great job she's doing. Recently, when I told the kids I thought Nadia was getting ready for some teeth (since she's soaking all her clothes with baby drool), Judah said, "NADIA! Congratulations!"

I love it.

Sometimes they completely wear me out, but I have to admit that I have really great kids who love each other deeply, and for that, I am grateful.

Introducing...

2010-04-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

Nadia Ruth Todd
She is one week old today. Born April 7, 2010, at 12:56 pm, via c-section after our final attempt to get her to turn. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and measured 20 in long. Her big brother Judah, 6, and her big sister Miriam, 3, couldn't wait to meet her. We're all delighted she's here.

Sibling Love on a Sunday Morning

2010-03-21T12:09:00.003-05:00

This morning Judah literally hit the ground running. When he woke up, he didn't walk to the bathroom, he ran. Then he ran back to his room to find clothes. Then he ran down the hallway into my room to ask if he had any cozy pants clean. Then he ran to the laundry room to find some. Then he ran back into his room to find a shirt. Miriam woke up and asked him to stay in the room, so he said, "I can stay until it's time to go listen to my audio book." He crawled into bed with her and they started singing, "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck." I love when mornings begin with sibling cuddles and songs and giggles.

"You MUST play music for Miriam"

2010-03-14T23:02:00.005-05:00

Judah recently asked me if he could listen to a Bible audiobook. I thought tonight might be a good time to try having them go to sleep while listening to the Bible being read aloud. However, I loaned my Bible on CD to a friend recently, and I can't seem to find the few CD's that weren't in the case. They're in the house--somewhere.

In my search for the stray CDs, I found Alberto and Kimberly Rivera's Peace CD and offered that instead. Judah was NOT interested, but Miriam really, really wanted to listen to it. Fortunately for Miriam, Judah fell asleep before I went downstairs to get the CD player. I put in the CD for Mira, and she said, "I wish I should dance to this song, but I can't."

I kissed her on the forehead and said, "You're right. You need to go to bed. I love you." That little girl LOVES to dance to music.

As I headed down the stairs, I was reminded again of a time when Miriam was just a few months old and the kids and I were visiting friends in Virginia. I read to Judah from his Children's Bible (illustrated by our friend Dennas Davis) about Samuel. I told him that Samuel heard from God when he was just a little boy and that Judah could hear from God, too. We prayed, and right after that, Judah said, "You must play music for Miriam." Wow. At three years old, Judah wasn't using the word "must," so I logged this one in my mind for future reference.

Now Miriam is three, and every time she hears music, she dances. I took the kids to a CD release party on Thursday, and Miriam danced to every song. Judah wasn't too thrilled with the music and wanted to leave. If someone had been reading aloud, he would have been in heaven. He fell asleep sitting up in his chair and holding my hand.

I'm fascinated by how much Miriam loves music and Judah loves the spoken word. Occasionally, Judah will join in and dance with us, but for the most part, he'd rather sit and listen to audio books while Miriam and I head upstairs and dance to music. Recently, I've been listening to some "Seeds" CDs, which are truly EXCELLENT scripture songs that are so well done that it's a pleasure to listen to them (unlike a lot of children's CDs which can grate on my nerves).

Carole Joy Seid, the speaker at the homeschool workshop I attended recently, highly recommended them and had some for sale at her seminar. Mary Keith Skinner was sitting right in front of me, and she couldn't say enough good things about them. Her husband Anthony is one of our favorite musicians and has extremely discerning taste in music, and he listens to them even when the kids aren't around. Now that I've listened to the "Seeds of Praise" and "Seeds of Purpose" CDs, I can understand why.

Check them out here: Seeds Family Worship.net. You can listen to some of the songs HERE. If you like what you hear, buy a couple CDs HERE. Each package comes with two identical CDs, so if you and a friend buy different CDs, you could give each other the extra copies and get two for the price of one. That's what Patti Smith and I did at the conference and I'm so glad we did!

Judah, the author.

2010-02-24T11:52:00.003-06:00

My soon-to-be six-year-old, theatrical, pirate-centric, budding-writer son wrote this "book" for me Monday night after writing one for Christy. He took a brown paper sack, cut it into strips for pages, and then dictated the stories to me and to Daddy. Christy's is held together with clear duct tape and mine has a safety pin at the top. On mine, each page has a small illustration of a stick pirate or ship or both. I just noticed that the themes are very similar. Here we go!

TREASURE ISLAND by Judah Rees Todd, 2/22/10, age 5

Once up on a time, there was a pirate. His ship got destroyed by evil villains. They threw him overboard and while he was crying out for help, he went under the water altogether.

Then, as I said, the evil villains sailed away with his ship. The evil villains came upon an enchanted island. On that island there was a pile of rocks with a ring inside it. The evil villains tied their ship to the ring in the rocks.

In that pile of rocks, there was a treasure box. Then, the evil villains took the treasure box and buried it. The whole world fell to pieces and left the evil villains dead in the ruins.

The End.

***************************

This is the book for Christy. This is a book about pirates. this book is about to start.

[NOTE: he had me write that little intro on the first page and some concluding remarks on the last page.]

PIRATES DISCOVERY by Judah Rees Todd, 2/22/10, age 5

Once upon a time there lived a pirate, and he stole gold from every ship that he could set eye on. But one day he found a pile of rocks and in those rocks, a humongous treasure box. He took the treasure box on his ship, but the treasure box was too heavy, and his ship sank. And he had to swim to shore.

All his crew met him on an island. On that island, Captain Kidd's treasure was buried. They started to dig. Then, they saw the gleam of a box. And then they saw the water. The whole island fell to pieces. The pirates had a narrow escape.

They swam in the sea until they came up on a mysterious island. Then they realized--it was enchanted!

Then, a great sea serpent rose out of the sea. He was about to break the ship in two. The pirate captain clicked his fingers and called to his crew, and all the crew got their weapons in hand and cut the sea serpent to bits.

Christy, this book ends. But we would love to make you more books. The End.

Yummy Yummy Yum Balls

2010-02-10T11:19:00.003-06:00

My friend Crystal asked me for my Yummy Yummy Yum Balls recipe, but I couldn't find it anywhere on my blog! I need to stop posting so much on Facebook and start posting more here.

THE STORY

When we were visiting Ashley and The Warren Nation in Colorado this past October, we got introduced to Yum Balls. Judah tried one and said, "You shouldn't call these Yum Balls. You should call them Yummy Yummy Yum Balls!" So that's what we call them. They've become something of a staple in our home. SOooooooOOOOOoooooo easy to make and obviously super YUMMY!

THE RECIPE for Yummy Yummy Yum Balls (from Chef Ashley Warren)

Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl:
1 cup almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
2 cups shredded unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup oat flakes (traditional rolled oats) or crispy rice or Ezekiel cereal or granola (or combo)
a pinch of salt.

Since I use the peanut/almond butter jar to measure everything (makes clean up VERY easy), my recipe looks like this:

1 jar peanut or almond butter
1/2 jar honey
2 jars coconut
1 jar oat flakes or granola
a pinch of salt if not in peanut butter or granola

Mix, roll into balls, and FREEZE. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

ADDITIONAL MIX-INS
Other ideas for adding flavor and/or nutrients:
flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
ground nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios . . . )
wheat germ
cacao nibs
carob chips
dried fruit bits
chocolate chips (all natural, of course)

I like to change it up every time and use what we have on hand. They're ALWAYS yummy!

NOTE
I usually separate each layer of the balls with parchment paper to keep the ones on top from sticking to the ones on the bottom. I don't leave space inbetween each one since breaking them apart is super easy.

******************************************

For more ideas, here's a link to some Almond Butter Balls (and the place that found the picture):

http://thebrassicadiaries.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/almond-butter-balls/

Homemade Granola sans Shellac

2010-02-07T16:38:00.002-06:00

Well, I did it. I made the homemade granola from this site:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Great-Granola/Detail.aspx

Oh, WOW, it's good. I chose the cherry/almond/coconut flavor, used coconut oil in the wet ingredients, and baked it for 30 minutes total, adding the cherries after 20 minutes. DELICIOUS.

Next time I make homemade granola or granola bars, I'm doubling or tripling the recipe.

Oh, and my granola happens to contain ZERO grams of shellac.

Shellac? Yep.

You see, I've influenced a few friends and family members with my label-reading obsession, one of whom found SHELLAC listed as an ingredient in a box of granola bars. Thinking it was some sort of varnish (to make the granola bars shiny) but not really sure what it was made from, we looked it up in my handy unabridged dictionary.

Shellac is "lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish."

Well, we couldn't stop there, of course. We had to find out the definition of "lac," too, which happens to be "a resinous secretion of the lac insect deposited on trees and used in making shellac."

Not everything used in the production of processed and packaged foods is actually food.

Label-readers, unite!

Homemade Granola Bars = MMMMMMMM

2010-02-02T19:41:00.005-06:00

I made homemade granola bars again yesterday. They are SO SO SO good. I don't want to lose the recipe, so I'm posting it here:

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/04/11/homemade-granola-bar-recipe-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup-in-these-bars/ (picture is also from joyfulabode.com)

Basically, you toast the dry ingredients (you could do a "raw" version and forego the toasting--the flavor is a bit different but both ways are good), heat the butter (use REAL butter!!!) and brown sugar and honey (I used about a third of what it calls for since I made them before and they were plenty sweet and sticky) and then mix the wet and dry ingredients together, press the mixture into a pan with parchment paper, let it cool, and cut into bars. SO EASY.

This time I used pecans instead of almonds (the recipe calls for peanuts but I haven't tried those yet) and dried cherries instead of dried apricots (recipe just says dried fruit). Last time I used 1 tsp of almond extract and 1 tsp of vanilla. Mmmmmm.

I also did part flaxseed meal instead of the full 3/4 cup wheat germ both times and threw in two handfuls of whole flaxseeds this time. I also added a small handful of all-natural chocolate chips and cacao nibs this time. I'm sure I made other substitutions, but I don't remember them right now.

I want to try making this granola next:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Great-Granola/Detail.aspx

Addendum to "Today, I heal."

2010-01-30T20:20:00.002-06:00

ADDENDUM to "Today, I heal." Throughout the day, I've been thinking not only about some of the challenges we faced this week, but also some of the ways that Judah really rose to the challenge and showed increased maturity and responsibility.

For example, our first challenge came when we discovered that our massage therapist friend Gretchen had wrenched her neck and couldn't offer to help until she healed. Jennifer, the second LMT friend we called, had given up her practice due to some health-related issues, and Carole, the LMT we finally reached, couldn't come to my house on Sunday but could fit me in on Monday night at her house. That meant all day Sunday and all day Monday in unrelenting pain.

Both Gretchen and Carole recommended taking a warm bath with Epsom Salts, so that's exactly what I did on Sunday night when the pain got so bad that I just couldn't take it anymore. In fact, warm baths helped offer some relief in between massages.

Why not just load up on pain meds? Well, I tend to feel better pressing through being sick versus taking medicine for symptoms (I usually feel worse on the medicine), but this time I took half a dose of Tylenol pain reliever every morning and every night. Plus, I have a sweet little baby growing in my belly and want to be sensitive to her needs and development, too. I don't know if the Tylenol helped, but I do know that the baths and massages did!

On to the next challenge . . . normally, if I can't be fully Mom to my kids, my husband will take up my slack or be present in my absence. Not this week. He has literally been working from sunup to sundown--and then some--just trying to keep up with the load on his plate. He normally has a lot more flexibility, but work for him right now is unusually busy and will continue to be through next week. This was probably the worst possible time for me to be out of commission.

In the case that neither of us is available, Christy can usually hang with the kids, but she's been doing a trial run with a full-time job this week. We generally schedule "Mommy Time" for me during one day each week, but she didn't even have that to give. Instead, she offered two evenings. The first one was the night James took Judah to his friend's house and then James spent some time with a friend, so it was just me and Miriam hanging out until Christy got home.

To help assuage Miriam's disappointment in not being able to go with Judah, I offered the first movie of the week (oh, yet another challenge--I can't just put my kids in front of the TV since we don't have one, and my computer, on which we typically watch DVDs, was infected with a terrible virus on Friday before all this started). It took a while, but we finally got Curious George to play. Midway through the movie, Miriam asked if we could read a book instead. That's my girl!

Naturally, since my mom only lives an hour and a half from us, my friend Rachel asked if she could come and help . . . well, the challenge there was that my mom had two of my sister's three kids from Thursday-Saturday since my sister and her husband were out of town at a youth leaders' conference.

We had planned to have my parents come over on Sunday to celebrate their birthdays (they were actually born on the same day of the same month of the same year in the same hour!) but it snowed. And snowed. And snowed. And snowed some more. Which is, of course, the next challenge, preventing two more friends from coming out to help.

Finally, the day that Christen came over, I discovered that the heating element went out on our dryer. The next day, Christy tried to make popcorn, but the burner would keep shutting off. I think there's a short in the electrical connection which might be fixed by replacing the burner. I hope. The challenges abound this week!

However, in the midst of all the challenges, my son Judah, who is fast approaching six-years-old, showed me that he and his little sister Miriam, who just turned three, can unload the dishwasher without supervision. They left the plates and bowls stacked on the counter, but they managed to put away all the other dishes. Judah said he climbed up and put the glasses away, which was more than I expected!

Believe it or not, he and Miriam actually fight over who gets to put the silverware away! I did a little "experiment" with them a couple weeks ago to see if they could put the dishes away--I told them I wanted to see if they were "old enough and responsible enough yet to do something so grown-up." I gave Judah the responsibility of putting away the silverware, and Miriam cried because she didn't get to do it. The next "experiment" left Judah in tears because Miriam didn't leave any silverware for him to put away. I'm not kidding. These kids really like being given responsibility!

So, not only do I now have little people to put dishes away, but I also discovered that Judah is fully capable of heating frozen lima beans. He wanted some for lunch, but I was trying not to do anything and James was upstairs working, so I read the package directions and he did the rest. From start to finish, he "made lunch" for himself, his sister, and his mom. He was so proud, and so was I. Go, Judah!

This afternoon, Judah came in from playing in the snow and said, "Mom, I've seen what yellow snow looks like."

"Probably means a dog peed in it," I said, thinking, "I hope you didn't try it!"

He replied, "Or a human," and grinned.

I asked, "A human named Judah?"

We smiled knowingly at each other. That kid.

Today, I heal.

2010-01-30T11:40:00.005-06:00

(NOTE: the picture is from 2006, when I was pregnant with Miriam, approximately as far along as I am now. I just realized that I don't have any pictures yet of my "Nadia Ruth Belly"!)

Last night marks the first night of the week spent in my own bed, the first full night of sleep I've had all week (well, as "full" as is possible at 7 months pregnant), and the first night I didn't have to get up at 1:30 or 2:00 AM and stretch for an hour until the back pain subsided enough to lie back down and try to get a bit more sleep.

I have a newly discovered compassion for women on bed-rest as well as those who suffer from chronic back pain. The pain I experienced this week can be likened to back labor during delivery or kidney stone pain. Excruciating. Debilitating. Horrendous. Make-it-go-away-PLEASE-kind of pain. I was telling my friend Rachel, who has dealt with chronic back pain, that I didn't even have an appetite because it's terribly difficult to eat when it feels as though someone is standing behind you incessantly pounding on your back with a hammer. When my appetite came back, I knew I was on the mend.

So I think it started because of a variety of reasons:
1) I'm 7 months pregnant. My little baby belly is not so little anymore.
2) Miriam was sick from Friday night all through the next day (Saturday) of last week. She complained of her legs hurting, so when she needed to pee, I would pick her up from her bed, take her to the potty, and try to prevent her from standing for any length of time. James had Judah at Davis Kidd all day, so I was Mira's only option for getting around without tears. I ended up carrying her up and down the steps several times. I also got up several times during the night to help her. I'm sure I put WAY too much strain on my back.
3) Saturday night I was coughing, so I propped up on two large pillows, which is generally not comfortable for me, but I was finally able to get to sleep.
4) Then, Miriam asked to sleep in my bed. I thought it would be a lot easier to take her to the potty or check on her if she were right there, so I conceded. I woke up in some pretty crazy positions, like barely hanging off the side of the bed with her feet on my belly, so I needing to move her several times (again, putting more strain on my back).
5) So Sunday, I was in so much pain that I started contacting massage therapists. Sunday night I couldn't lie down--at all. I slept sitting up on the couch, putting a whole lot of pressure on my lower back and hips, and waking up every 30 minutes or so to stretch my neck and back. By Monday I was desperate for help.

My extraordinary midwife Heather came to the rescue on Monday. She brought her massage table and chair for me to borrow until I no longer needed them, she rubbed my back, and she took me to Carole, a professional massage therapist, that night. (Carole is my friend Christen's mom. When we spent some time together recently, Christen told me about how much she recommended her mom and to keep her in mind if ever I needed a massage.)

Heather stayed through the hour-long massage then took me back home and helped me get in a semi-comfortable position on the massage table by having me lay on my side and propping up my leg with three pillows and my arm with three pillows. She said that if I needed a massage every day, she would be available to do it. Amazing.

My friend Wendy came over on Tuesday morning, swept the living room and kitchen floors, wiped down the kitchen counters, and made some tea for me. Her visit was the perfect distraction and really helped lift my spirits. If you've ever dealt with chronic pain, you know how easy it is to slip into a depressive state.

On Tuesday afternoon (was it Tuesday? the days are running together), my friend Ruthie took the kids and came back hours later with my two happy children, her precious one-year-old daughter, homemade cookies, and dinner for all of us. Apparently the girls took naps while Judah listened to an audio book, so Ruthie was able to accomplish much in the kitchen. What a huge blessing she was--not only did I get a hot bath, a light massage by my fabulous midwife, and a nap while she was gone, but I also had dinner made when I woke up. Amazing.

Tuesday night I started feeling a little better. The pain around my shoulder blades had begun to subside, but my lower back and hips had started to ache as if I were having back labor.

On Wednesday, our friend Michelle came over and helped with the kids and the kitchen. Judah was asleep when she arrived, but Miriam was thrilled that she finally had someone to hold her.

By Wednesday afternoon, I had regained somewhat of an appetite. While Michelle played with Miriam upstairs, I got a much-needed nap and then put together a savory chicken salad with lots of fresh garlic, Kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, heirloom cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, fresh-cracked pepper, a touch of rosemary, and a shake of freshly-grated parmesan cheese. Mmmmmm. I ate the whole thing!

After I took a hot shower, it actually crossed my mind to put on some make-up and maybe go somewhere. Of course, I was in no shape to go anywhere, but the fact that it crossed my mind was HUGE. Prior to that moment, I wasn't able to think past the pain I was experiencing. By then, it had been a full week since I had driven my van. The only time I left the house was to go to the massage on Monday, and Heather my midwife did the driving.

Wednesday night I had another professional massage with Carole, which I think did wonders for my body. She came to my house at around 8 PM and let me go right to sleep afterward (again, propped up with pillows on the massage table in the living room). It took about 24 hours to really feel the effects of each massage, but when the relief came, it was more than welcome!

Thursday morning Christen came over, took me to Wendy's house to drop off the kids, and then carted me to Bellevue for a chiropractic appointment where my midwife met me. Christen waited for over an hour while I received a chiropractic adjustment and massage. Wow.

Lisa, the chiropractor, has known my midwife for 18 years and has had four home-births. She said that each massage had done wonders to get me loosened up enough for her to work on me and adjusted me back to a "normal" state. Now it was up to me to rest and allow my body to heal. Two more days, she said, of lying around, not doing any housework and not reaching for anything. (I'll try!)

Christen drove me to Wendy's again to pick up the kids, then we went to Calypso for a super-yummy lunch. When we got back home, Christen stayed and played with the kids while I rested. I managed to sneak in a nap. Before she left that night, she made a delicious smoothie for me and cleaned up the kitchen. She even offered to rotate the laundry and do anything else that I might need. The kids enjoyed her so much that they said loved her more than they loved their own mother and wished she were their mother!

That afternoon, Judah was invited to spend the night with his friend Micah. He was so excited about going that he pulled all his stuff together and sat on the couch waiting patiently for Daddy to take him. This was his first friend-sleepover and the first time his friend Micah had a friend spend the night, too. (Micah has two older brothers and two younger sisters and happens to be exactly the same age as Judah. They get along famously.)

James got a much-needed break by going to his friend Nathan's house while Miriam and I snuggled on the couch. Heather, my midwife, came to do my prenatal exam and said everything having to do with the baby looks perfect (blood pressure, weight, urine test, baby's heartbeat, measurement of the ever-expanding belly, etc.).

Right after Heather left, Christy brought me the glorious fish special from Kalamata's. We sat down to eat together and then it was time to recline on the massage table yet again. Christy took Miriam upstairs for a bath, washed her hair, combed out the terrible rat's nest (somehow Mira ends up with a horrible rat's nest in the back of her hair every time she wears a fleece hoodie or jacket), and put her to bed. The previous two nights, Miriam slept on the couch near me while Judah slept with James upstairs. It was wonderful not to be aware of her every move throughout the night!

That night I shifted around a lot, but I only had about 30 minutes in the middle of the night that caused me to get up and try to stretch out to relieve the pain near my left kidney. I even got three consecutive hours of sleep! WooHoo!!!

Friday morning brought snow, snow, and more snow. In fact, it took James over twice as long to go pick up Judah as it normally would because the roads were so bad between here and Franklin. When Judah arrived home, he and I snuggled on the couch for a while. Staying up late giggling and playing with his friend in the snow really wore him out! That night, Micah called Judah. It was really cute to hear him chatting for a minute with his friend on the phone.

Friday night was spent on the couch having a "date night" with my husband. We didn't go anywhere, but we actually looked at each other and talked to each other for the longest period of time we've had together all week (he's been working crazy hours--literally morning, noon and night--and I've been laid up in pain).

I attempted sleeping in my own bed last night and was met with SUCCESS!!! I only got up to pee once. Shifting from side to side wasn't nearly as complicated with one pillow versus six, and I never had to pace the floor or sit or stretch to alleviate back pain. I stayed in bed all night and woke up just before 8 AM feeling comfortable, refreshed, and rested--for the first time in over a week. Wow.

So here I am. It's Saturday, and I'm trying to continue to rest. It's not easy--especially when I'm looking at all the things that need to be done and reading about all the preparations that need to be made for our upcoming homebirth. But I know it's worth it. I don't want to move backward. I want only to move forward toward 100% recovery. And if I ever find myself with an opportunity to serve someone who is dealing with chronic pain or bedrest, I'll definitely follow in the example of all the dear friends who helped me this week. THANK YOU!!!

I also want to thank the friends (Chanell & Rachel) and family (Mom!) who offered to help but who were stopped by this huge snowstorm. Ashley deserves thanks for turning us on to Vitalzym, a nutritional systemic enzyme supplement that she calls a "chiropractor in a box." I also want to publicly thank everyone who prayed for my recovery. I really started seeing marked improvement--especially emotionally--when I reached out via text and asked for prayer. That's when the fog began to lift and I began to experience hope for full recovery.

Oh, and thanks to A Charlotte Mason Companion for keeping me company this week. From Karen Andreola's book, I read and memorized this verse, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (boldface mine).

As my midwife said this week, there is LIFE to be found in the Word. I definitely experienced life this week through the written word, the scriptures, and my treasured friends and family.

Today, I heal.

Fiddler next month and Europe this summer!

2010-01-22T16:23:00.003-06:00

Know someone who wants to travel internationally with a group of super fun people and benefit from the wisdom of a fabulous multi-lingual tour guide by the name of David Durham? World to the Wise is heading to Europe this June/July to visit London, Paris, and Amsterdam.

Check out all the details at http://worldtothewise.blogspot.com/. If you or your friends sign up by January 28, you'll have help with fundraising thanks to the upcoming performances of Fiddler on the Roof (the first weekend is completely sold out!)

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF details (pics and movies on Facebook)

Lifesong Theatre Group presents: Fiddler on the Roof

Based on Sholem Aleichem stories by special permission of Arnold Perl.

Book by Joseph Stein, Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.

Original New York Stage Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

All performances in the old chapel at Belmont Church, 68 Music Square E., Nashville 37203

Fri. Jan. 29 7:30 pm SOLD OUT!

Sat. Jan. 30 7:30 pm SOLD OUT!

Sun. Jan. 31 2:00 pm SOLD OUT!

Thurs. Feb. 4 7:30 pm

Fri. Feb. 5 7:30 pm

Sat. Feb. 6 7:30 pm

Tickets: $5 each

Send e-mail with name, desired performance date, and number of tickets to: lifesongtickets@gmail.com

Directed by Alice Griffith

Choreographed by Jamie Kearney

Starring David Durham as Tevye

Fiddler on the Roof is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019, Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax 212-397-4684, http://www.mtishows.com/

Home-education Seminar coming to Franklin, TN

2010-01-22T15:43:00.005-06:00

A friend of mine who homeschooled her two boys through high school sent me the following info for my first Carole Joy Seid seminar, which motivated me even more to home-educate my children using a literature-based approach, which basically means we continue doing much of what enjoy most--reading great books!

Nina said that she wished she had known about seminars like Carole's when her boys were very young. (If you didn't already know, teaching junior high language arts at New Song Christian Academy is what sold me on homeschooling--those kids were and continue to be some of the most amazing people I've ever met. They even opened my heart to having children of my own!)

I'm currently reading the Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola and LOVE IT (a huge "Thank You" goes to homeschool mama extraordinaire Valda Christensen for giving it to me!). At the last seminar I attended, I discovered that Carole's homeschool philosophy is based largely on the teachings of Charlotte Mason.

The first book I read about home education was recommended by Carole Joy Seid, and I have found it invaluable--definitely worth reading again and again: For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. Carole Joy Seid's book list alone is worth the price of admission, but her tried-and-true homeschool philosophy is so liberating that I had to pass it on!

*********************************************

From: Elizabeth Pedersen

Sent: Wed, January 20, 2010 4:46:07 PM

Subject: Carole Seid seminar coming Feb 27th

Dear faithful families,

Did you go to Carole's seminar last fall in Franklin? Were you very encouraged then, but you left your joy and vision behind somewhere?

Well, Carole Joy Seid's "Basic" seminar is coming Feb. 27th to Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN to give you just what you need!!! A mid-winter lift!!!

Invite your friends who need to hear Carole's unique educational philosophy. This is "A Literature Based Approach to Education." There is something for anyone even if you are not homeschooling. "Books, books and more great books"

With Carole Seid's valuable handouts only available for seminar attendees, you can homeschool with only a Bible, library card and a math program. (Good news to anyone !!)

Learn how to make your children lovers of books while you win their hearts for Christ.

Register from the attached flyer [e-mail or call Lori for flyer that was attached to e-mail] or go to http://www.carolejoyseid.com/. $45 to preregister by Feb. 12th or $55 at the door.

God bless you richly!! Elizabeth

" . . . and implored him to exert himself."

2010-01-13T18:08:00.003-06:00

Thanks to my mom, who loves a good yard-sale, we have a book of Andersen Fairy Tales that was published in 1937 but must have been written before 1875, the year that Hans Christian Andersen died. Beginning on page 81 is "Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper." The story concludes with this passage:

And now her two sisters found her to be that fine beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet, to beg pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took them up, and as she embraced them, cried that she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them always to love her.

Prior to this passage, we learn that:

The King's son conducted her to the most honourable seat, and afterwards took her out to dance with him: she danced so very gracefully, that they all more and more admired her. A fine collation was served up, whereof the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he busied in gazing on her. She went and sat down by her sisters, showing them a thousand civilities, giving them part of the oranges and citrons which the Prince had presented her with; which very much surprised them, for they did not know her.

While Cinderella was thus amusing her sisters, she heard the clock strike eleven and three quarters, whereupon she immediately made a curtsey to the company, and hasted away as fast as she could.

Call me old fashioned, but I would a hundred times rather read this version of "Cinderella" to my kids than the newer, watered-down, popular version. It pains me to read some of the books they ask me to read at the library and at Davis Kidd. Sometimes I refuse to read the ones that are truly pathetic (by my standards, of course), and sometimes I go ahead and read some of them and cringe, making a mental note never to read them again.

As Carole Joy Seid says, "Life is too short for mediocre books." I completely agree. In fact, I recently finished the book Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt and feel as though I could have written parts of it myself--especially when the author got excited about this line from Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"(originally published in 1901):

Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.

I love that line! I have read those perfectly placed, glorious words over and over again. I've read them aloud to my children, to my husband, to myself . . . and have found great joy every single time. Did you know that Ms. Potter's books have been translated into almost every major language and have never been out of print? EXCELLENCE deserves not only to be preserved but also to be read over and over again, generation after generation.

We're currently listening to the third and final CD from the audiobook Tales of Beatrix Potter, checked out from the library last week, read by Nadia May, who has a delightful British accent. In fact, the CD ended just now. Judah spent four uninterrupted hours of listening to stories that were written in the early 1900's while Miriam napped and Mommy got some reading and blogging accomplished. Even on "rest" days, I love knowing that my son's vocabulary is being developed and the themes in these treasured stories are being planted in his heart and mind.

December 2009 Memories

2010-01-09T11:20:00.003-06:00

My favorite Mira quotes/rewritten songs from this week: "We wish you a Mary Poppins" and "I'm a little princess, short and stout."

Mostly for my own journaling (and for your reading pleasure, of course), here are my kid-related status updates on Facebook from December:

December 23, 2009

My children spent the morning creating pirate ships and houses from empty boxes and drinking "rum" from empty bottles (yo ho ho and a bottle of rum)--thanks to the recycling still being in the hallway this morning. Who needs new stuff when you have inventive, resourceful, creative children?

December 21, 2009

One of Judah's favorite desserts is "Cranberry Lay," otherwise known as creme brulee.

December 16, 2009

My little Miriam was born exactly three years ago today! She asked Judah and me to sing "Happy Birthday" to her again and again this morning after Grandaddy called and sang to her.

December 14, 2009

Miriam just said in her pretending voice, "Excuse me, Princess Mah-thah. Could you move so I can sit next to you for a minute? Thank you, Princess Mah-thah. I like you, Princess Mah-thah. Kiss me." Then, we took turns kissing each other on the cheek. She cracks me up!

December 11, 2009

My son is a professional maker of weapons and my daughter is the queen of spotting beautiful, shiny, sparkly, princessy things. They're helping me to embrace adventure and beauty in bigger and bigger ways as they continue to grow. I love it.

December 7, 2009

Conversation with Miriam: I said, "Oh, Miriam, you're so sweet, I just want to eat you!" She said, "You can't eat me. I'm you-ah friend!"

December 4, 2009
Things I didn't expect to do today:

Judah was pretending Miriam was his puppy dog and leading her around by the ribbons on the back of her dress. When he tied her to the fridge and she pulled the knots tight, I didn't expect to spend 10 minutes getting her free! (My mom responded, "Reminds me of when Judah tied himself to the bakers rack...his solution was to cut him free.")

Yesterday I was downstairs getting ready to walk out the door when I heard a crash and the worst scream come from Miriam who was upstairs. I bolted up the stairs, pushed Judah out of the way, bruised my knees falling up the stairs, and found little Mira tucked between Judah's bed and the dresser. She couldn't find her tights in the bottom drawer, ... See Moreso she stood on it to look in a drawer that was higher. The dresser came crashing down with her on it, bruising her little arm and hurting her finger (fortunately, Judah's bed prevented any more damage!) I didn't expect to pull a dresser away from my screaming child and hold her until she recovered.

December 2, 2009

love love love it when I make a super-charged smoothie and my children beg each other, "Don't drink the whole thing!" When I look up, it's almost gone, and they have no idea they've just devoured fresh spinach, cashews, coconut oil, clementines, mangoes, strawberries, kombucha, etc. . . . building up those little immune systems!

Todd Christmas Video part 1

2009-12-22T01:01:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZMywoomVr4

I ask Miriam and Judah to tell the Christmas story, and Miriam says, "I don't know what the Christmas story is," and Judah says, "I know it, but I won't tell it," so I ask him to sing a song. See part 2.

Todd Christmas Video part 2

2009-12-22T01:00:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tnppjWuDs

Judah sings "Torches," a Christmas song that James taught him. Of course, he has to sing it with some sort of accent. The actual lyrics are: "Torches, torches, run with torches, all the way to Bethlehem. Christ is born and now lies sleeping. Come and sing your song to him."

Now see part 3.

Todd Christmas Video part 3

2009-12-22T00:55:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2cYTctMHNs

I begin to ask questions about the birth of Jesus and Judah catches me trying to trick him and his sister into telling the Christmas story. Merry Christmas from the tricky Todd family!

Dialogue translation:

ME: Where was Jesus born?
MIRA: In Bethlehem
ME: What was his mommy's name?
MIRA: Mary
ME: Do you know his daddy's name?
MIRA: Joseph
ME: Were there angels there?
MIRA: Uh, Yes
ME: Do you know what they said?
MIRA: What?
ME: I'm asking you.
MIRA: I don't know.
ME: You don't know?
ME: Who else came to see baby Jesus?
ME: Do you know who Jesus is?
MIRA; What?
ME: Who is Jesus?
MIRA: I don't know.
JUDAH: The son of God.
ME: The son of God?
MIRA: Yeah.
ME: Were there wise men who came to see Jesus?
MIRA: No. Yes, yes, yes.
ME: How did they get there?
MIRA: I don't know.
JUDAH: By camels.
ME: Did they follow any kind of sign?
JUDAH: A star.
JUDAH: Hey, you're, she's, hey Miriam! She's tricking us into telling the story of baby Jesus!
(Mommy laughs)
ME: You're really smart Judah, you know that?
JUDAH: Were you really trying to do that?
(Mommy laughs some more)

MIEL means HONEY in so many ways.

2009-12-21T19:29:00.005-06:00

I'm not sure how it's possible, but the best restaurant in Nashville went unnoticed by us for over an entire year!

MIEL is, by far, the BEST restaurant we've experienced since Erin Roland worked at Zola (which, by the way, is closing its doors mid-January since the owners Chef Deb and husband Ernie Paquette are moving to the Caribbean). For a while, we were enjoying Shon Hudspeth's service at Germantown Cafe, but then he moved to The Yellow Porch (whose menu wasn't terribly impressive), and we had another baby (who, um, happens to be THREE now), so we just stopped frequenting higher-end restaurants for a while.

Kalamata's has been my favorite family restaurant for years, but it's not the place I'd go for a romantic date-night or super-special occasion. Even my favorite restaurant in TN, Pearl's Cafe near Sewanee, burned down, so we didn't make our annual trip to Monteagle this year (although it looks like they're open for business again).

Since Christy moved in with us April and began offering us date nights one night a week, we started going out again. James would buy discounted gift certificates through Nashville Originals or Groupon.com or Restaurants.com or Half-Off Nashville and we would venture out hoping for a culinary experience worth sharing. Unfortunately, I wasn't super impressed with what Nashville had to offer. Most of the time, my chef-ish husband could have topped our dinner offerings at home (for a fraction of the price). Generally, the service was poor or the atmosphere was lacking. And Nashville has too many "good" restaurants to waste time and money at adequate or barely average restaurants.

For truly excellent restaurants, well . . . Zola has topped our list for years. But they're closing!

MIEL's food reminds me of Zola, the atmosphere reminds me of Germantown, and the fresh, local offerings remind me of Pearl's. They even have their own farm! Our server, David, was just as fabulous as Erin and Shon, and so we not only enjoyed a romantic date night this Saturday while my parents' had the kids for the weekend, but we also went back for Sunday brunch!

I could go on and on about how fabulous it is, but you really need to experience it first-hand. Check out their website: MielRestaurant.com. Drool over the pictures and peruse the menu. Then, call 298-FOOD (3663) and make reservations as soon as you can. They're open Tues-Sat from 5:30-10 and Sunday from 10-2, and they're located at 53rd & Charlotte just behind Bobbie's Dairy Dip. Ask for David and tell the host/hostess that James and Lori sent you. You are sure to be perfectly delighted.

Just a bit of press to get you started:

BEST OF NASHVILLE 2009

Nashville Scene October 15, 2009

Best Brunch: Miel
An alternate title for this category could be Best Place for a Culinary Campout, because I'd like to reserve the same table at Miel for Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch and just spend the night. After a lingering evening of foie gras, escargots and trout in Seema and Jimmy Phillips' sleek Sylvan Park dining room, I'd unfurl my sleeping bag on the serene back patio and drift off into a wine-induced slumber, dreaming of orange-custard French toast and Callebaut hot chocolate. When the sun peeked up over Charlotte Pike, I'd rise to the scent of Benton's bacon and sip away the morning grogginess with a steaming French press of dark roast. Shrimp and grits, braised short ribs with poached eggs and house-made granola with macerated berries, orange zest and mint...now that's my idea of roughing it. Carrington Fox

More Pics from The Princess Tea Party

2009-12-14T19:51:00.003-06:00

A sampling of the decorated cupcakes. I've never had so much candy in my house!
Miriam in the dress Christy gave her for her birthday. She looks like a little model to me!
She immediately wanted to wear all of her gifts and have me take a picture of how "cutie" she looked.
Dressed in a few of the things she received for her birthday and the pretty princess tiara she made with the help of Ms Paula, the Queen!
Miriam was so overwhelmed by having all of us sing "Happy Birthday" that she couldn't blow out the candles! Mommy and Nana helped. Sweet Mira.

The Mira-Yummy Princess Tea Party

2009-12-14T19:29:00.003-06:00

Pretty princesses decorating their princess cupcakes with great focus.
The beautiful display thanks to Princess Ruthie!
Enjoying the Princess Tea like little ladies. They were SO SWEET!
Some of the sweetest little girls on the planet dressed in all their princess glory!

Miriam wanted to have a Princess Tea Party for her 3rd birthday, so we decorated the living room, invited a few princesses and their mommies, and required that all dress up in their princess best. These little sweeties were perfectly delightful as they sipped their tea and decorated their cupcakes. Judah and Miriam have been playing tea party ever since. If I had a bigger house, I'd want to host a party like this every month!

My Father's House and Royal Hope Academy

2009-12-07T23:06:00.003-06:00

OK, final one for tonight. I've been collecting these in my head for days . . .

My amazing, creative, talented friend Rebecca Sorensen recently sent me a support letter, which I'm eager to get into the hands of as many people as possible. As you may know, we spent six months in Uganda, East Africa, and have supported a young deaf girl named Justine for over seven years now. I wholeheartedly support Rebecca's vision and mission and would love to see her generate more than enough funding for all the projects she has going right now. The jewelry that the women of Uganda make from recycled magazines is stunning, and for every necklace purchased, a child will be FED and EDUCATED for ONE MONTH! Check out the jewelry HERE!

And now for Rebecca's letter:

My name is Rebecca Sorensen and this year I started an organization called My Father's House Missions International. We have been working in Uganda, East Africa, home to over 2 million orphans and 50000 abducted, abused, and war-affected children. We were able to open a school now educating 150 children in the heart of a slum area to serve these children and meet their needs of education and HOPE! ... Royal Hope Academy. We were also able to start a small children's home as we watched our school directors' hearts break for these needy children and he and his wife began to adopt them into their own family.

SO plans are underway for me to return to Uganda! I can't wait to see my kids at Royal Hope Academy again and to pour God's love into their lives! I can't wait to start on the projects that are going to add sustainability to our children's home and school. I can't wait to encourage the teachers and pray for them! I can't wait to see my Ugandan family and hug their necks and speak to them in Luganda! I can't wait to worship in hot African open air dirt floor churches with people who are so hungry for God because they are believing Him for their lives, their breath, their daily bread.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THAT PLANE!!!!

But I need YOU to help me get there!

Here are a couple of ways you can help me:::

1. I want to ask all of my friends and facebook aquaintances to donate at least $10 for 2010. Most of us can spare $10. If you can or want to give more, it would be so helpful! I have over 1000 friends on here...So I'm trying to get at least 500 people to give $10 OR MORE to help bring hope to a hopeless child!

You can do so through the My Father's House website by credit/debit or paypal: http://www.myfathershouseintl.org/index_files/Page349.htm
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

OR you can mail a check made payable to "Branches of Life" then send to:
Rebecca Sorensen P.O. Box 158145 Nashville, TN 37215

ALSO, I want to invite you to invite 10 of your friends that might also want to give...

2. Part of my expenses this time around is all of our ministry costs which I have been raising monthly through small fundraising projects here in the US. Once I leave, I have to make sure all of those expenses are covered. You can help me to do that by sponsoring a child or a teacher through the My Father's House website as well.
http://www.myfathershouseintl.org/index_files/Page349.htm

3. Finally...You can purchase some of our magazine paper bead jewelry to give as Christmas gifts! This will also help to cover some of the ministry costs of my trip! For every necklace purchased, a child will be FED and EDUCATED for 1 MONTH!

Do it here: http://www.myfathershouseintl.org/index_files/Page372.htm

4. PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't just say this...I WILL REALLY NEEEEED PRAYERS AS I GO INTO UNSTABLE WAR TORN AREAS, even nations other than Uganda, and into places with health risks...but there is NO RISK with JESUS!

Sometimes it is really difficult as a missionary with a lot of vision and few resources to ask others' for help but the word of God says...

"But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?"

PLEASE SEND ME!!!!! I am ready and available to GO!

Thanks so much everyone! I know God will bless your giving!

WITH LOVE AND HOPE!
AUNTIE REBECCA :-)

Hand-made Jewelry by Rashida

2009-12-07T23:02:00.003-06:00

Did I say one more? I meant two more . . . well, maybe three more. I can't help it! I literally have SO MANY amazing, creative, talented friends and they're all up to something right now!

I received this note from Davita Hungate about Rashida Johnson, who is one of my favorite young women of all time. Saturday is going to be a whirlwind of a day for us, so we probably won't make it to Franklin to support her, but I wanted to at least help get the word out.

WHO: Rashida Johnson is a sweet friend of mine, who, as a godly young
hard-working entrepreneurial woman, makes beautifully inspired
hand-made jewelry. She is the oldest girl in a family of 10
children. This reception will give her great opportunity to
share her gifts with us, while allowing her to earn money
for Christmas presents.

WHAT: a Reception for my good friend Rashida Johnson to sell her
hand-made jewelry to earn money for Christmas. You'll find
high-quality hand-made jewelry at a low cost ($2 - $10 for necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets).
It's the only jewelry I wear!

WHERE: Davita Hungate's house.
1129 West Main St. Apt. 8, Franklin
(call for directions if you need them : 568-6833)

WHEN: December 12, 2009
2p.m.- 4p.m.
* you can drop by for 5-10 minutes, or stay for awhile and
have some cookies and tea or coffee with us.

WHY: Because you may need some beautiful jewelry for your family
or friends for Christmas presents.

Merry Christmas and we can't wait to see you!!
** feel free to print this and share it with your friends!!**

Davita

A Christmas with the Stars

2009-12-07T22:41:00.005-06:00

Just one more . . . (yes, amazing, creative, talented friend story and link) . . .

My friend Andy Reese, who also happens to be an Ivy League trained scientist/engineer, has created a DVD presentation called A Christmas with the Stars, which "compellingly portrays the majesty, science, geography and history behind the story of the Star of Bethlehem and the Magi." Check out his website for a 3-minute trailer and more details. Excellent gift idea for hard-to-buy-for family and friends!

http://achristmaswiththestars.org/

365 Canvases 4 the Future.

2009-12-07T22:32:00.003-06:00

Did I mention that I have amazing, creative, talented friends? I'm pretty sure I did. Well, here's another one . . . Dennas Davis, who happens to be the illustrator of my kids' favorite children's Bible and a terrific friend, has decided to create one painting a day for 365 days. Check out his paintings and his painting tips on his blog: CRAZYTRUCK.

Too Too Cute!

2009-12-07T22:09:00.004-06:00

I have really amazing, creative, talented friends. Really.

For example, I grew up approximately three miles from a girl named Stacie. She and I rode to school together in high school almost every day for a year. She pursued a degree in deaf education at Eastern Kentucky University and then we lost touch. Thanks to Facebook, I have discovered that she works only 10 minutes from my house. We had lunch together at the Frist Center Cafe and spent some time catching up. Turns out, she spent some time in Africa as a missionary, which is where she met her husband. They are now in the process of adopting a little African princess! She is making "too too cute" tu-tus and selling them for $12 each to help bring her little princess home. I'm going to meet her this week to buy one for my little princess Miriam who is turning three on "the sixteenth of Decembah." If you'd like to add one to my order and have me pick it up for you, give me a call or e-mail me. If you want to place an order, you can do that through me, or by messaging her on Facebook: Stacie Brown Livingstone.

Blog Apology

2009-12-07T21:58:00.003-06:00

Dear Blog,

Sadly, I have sorely neglected you. It's not for want of ideas or good writing material. No, it's a silly reason. I couldn't sign into two gmail accounts at the same time and didn't like having to sign in and out of e-mail just to write new posts. See? So silly. However, I have just discovered that if I leave two separate Internet windows open, I can be signed into one gmail account for one and this account for the other. Hooray! Now I hope I will stop neglecting you and start writing again. I've had lots of fun quotes from the kids, but I've taken the quick and easy route and posted them on Facebook. I know this is a more permanent place to write them and I really should have been posting them here all along, but I admit I was too lazy to figure out an easy way to do it. Please forgive me.

~ Her Royal Excitedness

Come Celebrate 10 Years of Marriage with Us!

2009-10-03T12:03:00.002-05:00

It's official!

Our 10 year anniversary bash will be a week from this Sunday on October 11 at Edwin Warner Park--pavilion #6. ALL DAY!!!

Come and go and eat and hike and hug and play and enjoy the beautiful fall weather TOGETHER!

Little News and Big News

2009-09-17T16:44:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in over a month. I suppose that's about the time we discovered we're going to have another baby!

Yep, I'm officially pregnant, due April 8, 2010. Both kids are convinced we're having a baby boy, but they're both open to having a girl. They got to see the baby swimming during the ultrasound. Judah thinks it looks like a little bean (at 10 weeks it kind of does look like a bean with very busy arms and legs). Miriam tells just about everyone she meets that she has a baby in her belly--for sure.

Oh, and Judah lost his first tooth! He lost it at 9:09 a.m. on 9/09/09 while I was talking to my mom on the phone about how I was going to have him push it back the other direction. He overheard me (even though his door was shut), pushed his tooth back, and it came out. What a thrill!

For weeks he would say, "I have two surprises for you. Do you want to hear the big surprise or the little surprise first?" 100% of the people asked would say, "The little surprise."

"The little surprise is I have a loose tooth and I'm only 5!"

"And the big surprise?" they would ask.

"My mom has a baby in her belly--FOR SURE!"

So fun. I had Miriam at home and am planning to have another home birth. I think the kids would be amazed at the whole experience and kind of hope they get to watch. If you think I'm crazy, just ask my husband, my sister, and my mom what amazing labor and delivery experiences I've had. I wouldn't subject the kids to something I don't think they can't handle. Judah was full of great questions after the ultrasound, and he's fascinated by the whole process. Getting to share the whole process with both Judah and Miriam has been absolutely delightful.

One final note . . . Christy, who lives with us, shared this short film with me. Then, my friend Amy told me to watch it this morning. It completely blew me away. The kids love it and so do I. Enjoy!

THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS

http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68

A few pics from the show MIRROR, MIRROR, courtesy of Stephen Moss

2009-08-10T10:38:00.001-05:00

Was that the REAL play?

2009-08-01T12:20:00.003-05:00

I was telling Judah this afternoon that I was really proud of him last night for doing such a great job delivering his lines in front of a live audience.

He said, "Was that the REAL play?"

"Yep," I said, "that was the real play."

"So I don't have to rehearsal anymore?"

Reminds me of a time when I was four. My mom had enrolled me in ballet lessons. After our big performance, I told her that I didn't want to go to practices anymore--I just wanted to be on stage. Sometimes I feel as though I'm raising myself.

We made the news . . .

2009-07-27T12:47:00.004-05:00

Did you happen to see our article in this Sunday's Tennessean? Click HERE to read it online!

I'm quoted on page 2, and the 5-year-old the author mentions is Judah!

The show opens this Friday, so I'm getting my hair dyed auburn on Wednesday, and I'll be trying on costumes tonight. So fun.

We spent the weekend building things (thank you, Dad and Uncle Charlie!!!), painting, and generally having fun sweating in the sun and heat with a bunch of hilarious theater people. It was fabulous!

Hope you can make it to one of the performances. Remember, you have six to choose from!

Friday, July 31
Saturday, August 1
Sunday, August 2
or
Friday, August 7
Saturday, August 8
Sunday, August 9

Shows start at 7:30 each night, tickets are $10, and seats can be reserved by calling (615) 364-5199 or e-mailing scott@oracleproductions.org.

Hope to see you there!

Judah and Lori take the stage--next weekend!

2009-07-22T15:51:00.002-05:00

You know how Judah and I auditioned for a play a few months ago? Well, not only did we both land roles, but we're now getting ready to start the show! The play opens in a week and a half on July 31, which is a Friday night.

You'll have six performances to choose from:

Friday, July 31
Saturday, August 1
Sunday, Augsut 2

and

Friday, August 7
Saturday, August 8
Sunday, August 9

The show starts at 7:30 PM sharp, and tickets are $10 each. Group rates are available. To reserve seats, call Oracle Productions at (615) 364-5199 or e-mail scott@oracleproductions.org.

Come out and see Judah in his first stage production and Lori as Morgan Le Fay, the wicked Queen Morgana. This is our first play together, and it's going to be worth your time--we promise!

Where is it? Glad you asked. Lipscomb University's Shamblin Theatre, 3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN (across the street and large parking lot from Pizza Perfect, Copper Kettle, laundromat, bookstore, and Mexican restaurant). Take I-65 to Wedgewood and head away from the fairgrounds, toward 8th Ave. Hang a left on 12th, which turns into Granny White. Immediately past the light at the little row of shops on your left, turn right into the parking lot and head into the University Center (first building on your right). The theater is tucked away in a corner, past all the places to eat, near the restrooms. If you get turned around, you can call or text my cell (615) 496-8079. Hopefully, I'll hear it!

See you next weekend or the second weekend in August!

Judah and Miriam recite Judah's lines

2009-07-15T12:52:00.003-05:00

Miriam has heard Judah practice his lines so many times that she can now deliver them with ease--usually while running--as demonstrated in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw8WtsIrUjw

If that doesn't entice you to come see us in Mirror, Mirror, then check out this little video from Judah. This is a little picture of what he says to nearly everyone he meets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_AyfTi0ark

Miriam Talks to Ms Ruthie about Baby Arianna's Visit

2009-07-15T11:50:00.004-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubXaUz4XSoE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV9cQz-JUN8

VOTE for Jonathan Frank!

2009-07-02T16:09:00.003-05:00

We have a close friend (Jonathan Frank) who is auditioning for a year-long contract with a local television station in Virginia to be their new "Face of Fox 43." To vote for him, all you have to do is watch his funny two-minute video audition all the way to the end. I recommend watching it twice so you can read the captions the second time.

If you have the time and the desire, open up several tabs, play the video in each one (on mute, of course!), and then start the video all over again as many times as you're able. We'd love to see him win this contest!

http://www.fox43tv.com/generic/face_of_fox_43/frank_jonathan

First-round voting ends at midnight on Sunday, July 19, 2009.
Vote often!
Tell your friends!
Help Jonathan win!!!

Judah Quote of the Day

2009-07-02T15:57:00.003-05:00

Overheard on the steps, spoken by Judah to Miriam: "I'm wounded, Miriam. Do you know what wounded is? It's a boy way of saying I have a boo-boo."

Mira Quote of the Day

2009-06-27T10:09:00.004-05:00

On Monday, I took the kids to the Bicentennial Mall fountains. As I was playing with Miriam's hair, trying to pull it up for her, she turns around and says to me with all sincerity, "Mommy, my hair is NOT a toy."

(The picture is of Miriam with baby Arianna, one of her favorite babies. The daughter of our new friends, John and Ruthie, she is an absolute angel!)

Food & Stuff Re-post from September 3, 2007

2009-06-26T09:08:00.005-05:00

Original post written on September 3, 2007: http://herroyalexcitedness.blogspot.com/2007/09/food-and-stuff.html.

Food and Stuff

While I'm no expert, I am a reader, and that, at least, makes me informed. I also like to eat. Excellent food paired with good conversation (and, occasionally, no conversation at all) is one of our family's core values.

We like to eat out. We like to eat at friends' houses. We like to eat at home. We like to eat in the car. We like to eat outside. We just like to eat.

I forget that the way we eat has been completely revolutionized until I get around other people.

Recently, my husband went on a grocery run with one of his friends. His friend said, "Everything in your cart is perishable. It's all going to go bad." Well, sure, if we left it in our cabinet forever, but we usually eat what we buy that week. The fruit goes on the counter for Judah to help himself (he's becoming more and more self-sufficient) and it's what we eat instead of chips, cheetos, crackers, cookies. . . .

Most of our vegetables come from a local farmer's garden, and they're usually consumed by the next grocery run as well. Anything we're not too keen on, we give away. Okra went to Grandma a couple weeks ago. Extra watermelon went to our neighbor. Occasionally, we have fruit or vegetables that do go bad. We now add them to our composter so we'll have some decent soil and keep bags of trash out of landfills. (Between recycling and composting, we're down to one kitchen-sized bag of trash each week--mostly Miriam's diapers--but that's another entry entirely).

We try desperately to avoid partially hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, anything that says it has artificial flavors and/or colors, anything "white," which usually means it has been bleached or processed to death then "enriched"--white flour, white sugar, white rice, white bread--(you could eat cardboard and take a multi-vitamin for the same effect.)

Years ago, a friend said that the shorter the ingredient list, the better the food. Someone else said that if she can't pronounce the ingredients, she doesn't buy it. I recently read that someone eats only foods with one ingredient. Those would be "whole" foods.

Our bodies don't know what to do with fake stuff. We're not designed to ingest plastic in the name of food and become healthier and live longer as a result. Quite the opposite.

In The Oiling of America, Enig & Fallon write, "Trans fatty acids are sufficiently similar to natural fats that the body readily incorporates them into the cell membrane; once there their altered chemical structure creates havoc with thousands of necessary chemical reactions—everything from energy provision to prostaglandin production. . . . most of the trans isomers in modern hydrogenated fats are new to the human physiology and by the early 1970's a number of researchers had expressed concern about their presence in the American diet, noting that their increasing use had paralleled the increase in both heart disease and cancer. The unstated solution was one that could be easily presented to the public: Eat natural, traditional fats; avoid newfangled foods made from vegetable oils; use butter, not margarine." (emphasis mine)

James forwarded an article to me a few days ago (it took me three days to read it, but I finally read the whole thing) from The New York Times: Unhappy Meals by Michael Pollan, January 28, 2007. Excellent read.

What it boils down to is this: Real food has been largely replaced in America with processed, boxed, labeled, nutrionally-deficient "stuff." It's not real food. It tries to pretend to be food through "nutrionism." Nutritionism, according to Wikipedia, is an ideology that assumes that it is the scientifically identified nutrients in foods that determine their value in the diet. [1] Ever heard of lycopene? Ketchup sellers use it to get you to buy ketchup. They actually want you to think that the high fructose corn syrup-laden goop is somehow "good" for you. That it could help your body fight cancer. Give me a break.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Ah, synergy. Never thought I'd say that food is synergistic. But it is. It truly is.

Eat a tomato. Enjoy it fresh from the garden, warmed by the sun. A bottle of ketchup with a 2008 expiration date doesn't begin to compare to my garden-fresh, ripe, delivered the same day, grown an hour away, truly delicious tomatoes. Sliced with a smidgen of sea salt or sandwiched or diced and tossed into my husband's fresh gazpacho, mmmmmmm.

In case you were wondering, we didn't get here overnight, and we didn't grow up eating healthy food. Just a few years ago, I was pregnant in Africa and craving all kinds of cheesy, processed junk. It was somehow comforting to me to eat "cheese" crackers ("made with REAL cheese!"--what else have they been making it with? Think about it). It took a LONG time for me to reach for a piece of fruit instead of a bag of chips. For my son, however, the fruit is much more appealing. Praise God.

Speaking of fruit, Judah was upset tonight when I told him we didn't have any more plums. "May I have an apple, then?"
"You ate the last apple right before you took a nap on the couch."
"Then tell me what we do have."
"We don't have any more fruit. We'll have to buy some more."
"No more fruit? Why?"
"Because we ate it all."
I thought he was going to cry. Then he ate almost all of my zuchinni. Little stinker.

Oh, I could write about this all night. It's 10:00, though, and I need to join my husband upstairs and drift off to sleep. I have so much more to say, but I'll save it for another post. I'm re-reading Food Politics by Marion Nestle and I'm hoping to read Eating in the Dark by Kathleen Hart before I have to take both books back to the library. I may post a few quotes from both books and comment on them. Reminds me a little of school. Can you tell I miss researching and writing on a regular basis?

Now that James is back home, I should be on here more often. I hope so.

A quick addendum:

Now that we've discovered roasted okra, we never give it away anymore.

"Judah get me all wet!"

2009-06-16T14:32:00.002-05:00

Click HERE for a short video of Judah chasing Miriam with the hose after Mira says,"Judah get me all wet!"

Fun with the hose on a hot June day

2009-06-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

"I'm NOT the big bad wolf, Judah. I'm Miriam Todd!"

2009-06-16T09:33:00.001-05:00

Click HERE for a video of Miriam convincing Judah that she's NOT the big bad wolf. She's MIRIAM TODD!

Conversations with Miriam

2009-06-15T22:09:00.003-05:00

A conversation I had with Miriam this afternoon:

"Miriam, are you stinky?"

"No."

Minutes later . . .

"You ARE a stinky tootie messy bootie!"

"I NOT a stinky messy bootie. I'm a little girl!"

Later on . . .

Judah dons a blue towel with a hood and runs around Miriam saying he's little blue riding hood and she's the big bad wolf. He shouts, "Ah!!!! The big bad wolf is coming!"

She stops and shouts, "I NOT the big bad wolf! I'm Miriam Todd!" Out comes the pouty lip.

I love that little girl.

Judah's Second Quote of the Day

2009-06-15T18:43:00.002-05:00

"Mommy, why were you so disappointed with me when I told you I peed on the mint?" --Judah Rees Todd, age 5

Judah, the memorizer of (my) lines

2009-06-15T16:22:00.002-05:00

Just a moment ago, I was reciting my lines outside while Judah and Miriam played in the sand. I said, "Whatever it takes to ease your mind," and Judah said, "Why did you say 'mind' instead of 'conscience'? You're supposed to say 'conscience,' Mommy."

During one of our rehearsals, the director made that minor change, but it didn't go unnoticed by my sponge of a son. He listens to and absorbs EVERYTHING.

Working from home and taking free vacations.

2009-06-03T13:13:00.002-05:00

An open letter from me to a group of friends who have followed my entreprenurial journey for the past year:

Good morning, friends.

Several of you have asked me recently how it's going with my business. I expect that's because it's been a while since I've sent an update!

As you may know, this is my first time ever running my own business. It's been quite an education! I've learned that it's easy to spend money when it's a "business expense" or a "tax write-off." I ended up spending more than I made. The husband wasn't too happy. I also learned that I'm no longer very good at juggling several responsibilities now that I'm a mother of two. When I started teaching in the fall, my travel business took a back seat. Again, the husband? Hoping I pick it back up--soon.

Between learning how to get by on very little (I kissed the credit card goodbye) and summer arriving with no more papers to grade (woo hoo!), my creative thinking skills have kicked into gear again. Creative thinking and motivation are KEY to owning your own business! Yes, the husband is very, very happy.

In a nutshell, I made an average of $2,000 per month working from home last year. We received our tax return a couple weeks ago, and even after we paid our accountant (who is AMAZING, by the way), the IRS deposited over $6,000 into our checking account. That put quite a dent in our debt! We are on track to pay off ALL of our debt in less than four years--including our house--even if I don't make any more money with my business. However, if I continue to make money, financial freedom comes even faster!

I can't do it without a team, though. I'd love to have approximately 12 people join me this summer. If you're one of them, or if you know someone who might be, I'd love to connect before any vacations are planned since we are now able to take vacations for FREE. I'm already planning a little getaway when the husband rides his bike across Iowa--or is it Idaho? Either way, he'll be gone, so the kids and I are going to sneak off to the beach. We'll be able to stay in a condo for a week for F.R.E.E. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Oh, and one more thing, if you haven't already heard, my 5-year-old son and I are going to be performing together on stage for the first time. If you're in the area, come out to David Lipscomb's Shamblin Theater on July 31, August 1-2, or August 7-9 at 7:00 p.m. to see us. The play is called Mirror, Mirror and it's loosely based on the story of Snow White, but it's set during the time of King Arthur. I play Queen Morgana, also known as Morgan Le Fay, and Judah plays a little boy named Brody. He even has two lines! Rehearsals are every Monday and Thursday night, which means I won't be at the business presentation this Monday, but I'm hoping to have a few people there. Let me know if you'd like the details!

Happy Summer to all! And to all, free vacations! (hee hee)

Lori Todd
http://loritodd.biz
(615) 891-1704, home
(615) 496-8079, cell

Conversations with Mira

2009-06-03T07:19:00.001-05:00

Last night, I prayed for the kids, sang one song, and crawled into bed at 9 p.m., which is early for me. The kids were still talking and giggling and pretending to sleep in tents. Eventually, James said something to them. It went like this:

Daddy: Guys, I need you to go to sleep. It's time. Go to sleep.

Mira: I not a guys.

Bang Bang! Prepare to Die!

2009-05-22T19:47:00.002-05:00

CLICK HERE to watch an 8-second video of Miriam impersonating Judah who has frequently impersonated Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride.

How to get TWO LIVE WORMS from one.

2009-05-22T19:32:00.003-05:00

CLICK HERE to watch a short video of Judah explaining how he cut a worm in half (gently) and now he has TWO LIVE WORMS! Miriam chimes in every now in then, too.

Mira Demonstrates How to Go Potty

2009-05-22T18:37:00.001-05:00

CLICK HERE to watch a short video of Mira demonstrating the proper way to go potty.

New Recipe--Green Chips!

2009-05-15T19:56:00.004-05:00

We tried a new recipe tonight that I just had to share.

If you've read my blog for very long, you know that I'm a big fan of green smoothies (yes, I actually add fresh, raw, organic baby spinach and other greens to my fruit smoothies). Well, I just found another scrumptious way to eat more greens (or at least eat the abundance of greens from our CSA, which, by the way, is still accepting new members):

Make Kale or Spinach Chips!

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt 4 cups firmly-packed kale
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. good-quality sea salt, such as Maldon or Cyprus Flake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and trim the kale: Peel off the tough stems by folding the kale leaves in half like a book and stripping the stems off. Toss with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings.

Oh, my goodness. These "Kale Chips" were so good that after we devoured them (in a matter of seconds), I did the same thing to the bag of spinach we had in the fridge. Delicious! SO much better than any processed bag of potato chips--and full of nutrition! I couldn't believe it!

I seasoned mine with a little Creole seasoning. James liked them seasoned with salt. Either way, they're worth heating up the house for a few minutes. Amazingly yummy and good for you, too!

If you'd like to try fresh, local, seasonal, organic produce, check out the following links to our CSA. Oh, they now have one in Bowling Green, too!

Letter from Farmer Andrew Habegger
Sign-up form for Eco-Gardens CSA

Rehearsals for Mirror Mirror: The Verdict

2009-05-08T12:15:00.003-05:00

Have you heard the news?

CLICK HERE for the cast list of Oracle Productions' next play: Mirror Mirror.

Judah and I auditioned both Tuesday and Wednesday night. I had planned to take him on Wednesday only, but then I realized that having him audition for two consecutive nights would be a relatively good indicator of how well he would handle rehearsals and performing for multiple consecutive nights.

Even though we planned to leave auditions early, he was ready to stay to the end, having napped all afternoon. He begged me to go back into the theater so he could see the other actors "memorize their lines." He found someone to sit next to and stayed put, sitting perfectly still and quiet while each group of actors took the stage.

The first night, he was a little nervous. After all, it was his first time EVER delivering lines from a stage before a live audience. So he held my hand walking up to the stage and didn't let go until we walked off the stage. He forgot his first line (he kept getting stuck on it, trying to correct the grammar), so I whispered it to him. His second line he delivered with gusto. He projected his voice perfectly, used appropriate facial expressions, and even incorporated some body language. As usual, his inflection was perfect. If you've ever had a conversation with Judah, you know that he is one expressive kid who has no problem turning up the volume.

The next night Judah acted like he owned the place. He memorized his lines, walked on stage by himself, sat down right in the middle of the stage (without holding my hand), delivered his lines without prompting, used body language, facial expressions, inflection . . . and in typical Judah fashion, he projected his voice like a pro. He even left the stage heading in the opposite direction from me. I felt like a theater mom whose professional 5-year-old actor was shining at yet another audition. Judah wanted to stay to the end, but he was already exhausted and I wanted to be able to focus on auditioning for the role of Morgana, the beautiful, wicked queen.

During my last scene, I read for Queen Morgana while David Durham (who married my husband and I nearly 10 years ago), read for King Arthur. At the end of the instense-turned-poignant scene, we received an "illegal" applause. I said, "We're not supposed to do that!" Then, I looked up and saw the director and his two assistants clapping. I got so nervous that my arms started itching. I spent the next two hours talking incessantly to my husband about how much I wanted the role and how excited I was at the prospect of doing a show with my son and how I couldn't believe we received an applause.

Turns out . . . Judah landed the role of Brody, the character for whom he "read," and I was cast as Queen Morgana, who is one of the leads. Woo Hoo!!! I'm beside myself with excitement!

Judah asked me after the first night what he would do if he got on stage and forgot his lines because he might get nervous having to say them in front of a bunch of people he doesn't know. I said, "You said your lines last night in front of a bunch of people you don't know," to which he replied, "But they were really nice!" So I reminded him of J.J. the little lamb at storytime (at the downtown main library). She makes her entrance with fearful trembling, but once she realizes all the faces are friendly, she is relieved and greets everyone with cheerfulness. She makes her exit by blowing everyone a huge kiss. I was delighted to be able to encourage him by bringing up J.J.'s experience and saying that once you get to know them, most people are very friendly--just like the ones you met last night.

Judah makes friends pretty quickly. He's turned it into an art form. By the second night of auditions, everyone was calling him by name and asking him questions. Whenever someone would ask Judah if he was reading for Brody, he would say, "No. I don't know HOW to read!"

He occasionally mentions to me that he doesn't know how he will be able to be in the play since he doesn't know how to read, but I continually remind him that he has several of his books, songs, nursery rhymes, and scriptures memorized just by hearing and practicing them over and over again. Even the people who know how to read will have to memorize their lines for the performances, which was a welcome surprise for Judah.

I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about Judah being able to handle night after night of rehearsals and then having to perform for three consecutive nights over two consecutive weekends--I mean, he is only five years old. In fact, he just turned five in March. At the same time, I remember all the times we've walked into a theater when he's asked, "Do I get to be on STAGE?" and how much fun he had with his acting classes at the Nashville Children's Theater (I can't wait to tell Julee, his acting teacher about his new role!) and how often he's asked, "I'm a really good actor, right, Mom?" The kid is always dressing up, getting into character, and roping newly found friends into some imaginary play. He LOVES this stuff.

So I suppose that if he gets enough rest during the day (and plenty of good food), he should be fine. I've been looking forward to doing a show with my son for years--I'm so happy that it's happening in two months!

July 31, August 1-2, and August 7-9 at David Lipscomb's Shamblin Theater

Save the dates! They'll be here before you know it, and you definitely don't want to miss this show!

Mira-Yummy in her "Princess Dresses"

2009-05-02T07:11:00.001-05:00

Judah Auditions with Mommy Next Week!

2009-04-30T09:02:00.004-05:00

Judah and I will be auditioning for a play together next week! Once I realized Judah might actually be up for it, I tried to make it sound terribly difficult for him, explaining that we're only auditioning, so we may not even land a role, but if he does land one of the roles, he has to memorize lines and deliver the same lines night after night. He would have to spend many nights practicing and many nights on stage acting. He wouldn't get to do what he wanted to do on stage--he would have to listen to the director and obey every command. Even though I went on and an about how he might not be ready for this kind of commitment yet, he responded, "I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!" and he LEAPED out of the van as if we were about to audition right then.

I suppose auditions will give us a good indication of his readiness. I'll keep you posted!

Details for auditions (if you'd like to join us, hint hint):

Oracle Productions will be holding auditions for "Mirror, Mirror," a new play by Scott Crain, on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, May 5th & 6th, from 7-9:30 PM at Lipscomb University's Shamblin Theater, located at 3901 Granny White Pike.

Roles are available for 10 men and 4 women ages 16 and up, and 5 children ages 12 and under. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Production dates are July 31 - August 2 & 7-9 at the Shamblin Theater; for more information, call (615) 364-5199, or e-mail the director at scott@oracleproductions.org.

These pictures are a little foreshadowing of what we'll experience if we end up doing this play together! (Hoping to make Daddy feel a little better about it, too.)

This was a difficult one to write.

2009-04-20T16:15:00.003-05:00

Last night, I read a few chapters of Treasure Island to Judah, where I came across this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson's famous Long John Silver to young Jim:

"You can't touch pitch and not be mucked, lad."

Judah switched gears on me this morning and changed his reading selection from Treasure Island to his Children's Story Bible by Catherine Vos. What stood out to me from our reading was this:

"Sin is like a wild animal. It is always waiting to jump on you and choke you."

Reading Francis Schaeffer's The God Who Is There, I came across a passage that spoke volumes to me:

The Christian is to resist the spirit of the world. But when we say this, we must understand that the world-spirit does not always take the same form. So the Christian must resist the spirit of the world in the form it takes in his own generation. If he does not do this, he is not resisting the spirit of the world at all. This is especially so for our generation, as the forces at work against us are of such a total nature. It is our generation of Christians more than any other who need to heed these words attributed to Martin Luther:

'If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.'"

A friend's advice to me just days ago was to completely cut off ties with anyone who flirted with me (primarily through Facebook, if the truth be told). She said that she felt as though she was being harsh. She was firm and direct, but we've known each other for almost as long as I've been married (which will be 10 years in October), so I know that she was speaking out of a spirit of love. In fact, she had attended a marriage class the day before which focused on this exact subject. The seasoned women in the room had offered their wisdom. Whether they were successful in their battles or not, the message was the same: cut off all communication and don't look back.

It took me a few days. I sat on the idea for a while. I struggled with letting go of the thrill of being noticed and flattered and complimented. When someone takes an interest in you, and your greatest desire is to know and to be known, then simply "shutting it down" is not as easy as it sounds.

I know she must have been praying for me because everywhere I turned, the Lord was speaking to me, encouraging me to make the right decision. He knows that through every battle, I want to be one of the ones left standing. He knows that I don't want to become a statistic. He knows that I want my children to grow up with a mommy and a daddy who love each other and stay together--no matter what.

Over the course of the week, I thought while putting Miriam to bed one night that sometimes we just have to trust God, do what he says, and believe that we will eventually walk again in peace, joy, and love--even if we're feeling like crap at the moment. As I put her to bed, I began to pray for her. Since Judah and I have been memorizing Proverbs together, I prayed a few Proverbs over her.

Having Judah memorize scriptures has both helped me and haunted me. For example, I now have rattling around in my head: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." and "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them." and "He who listens to me will live in safety, and be at ease, without fear of harm." and "He holds victory in store for the upright and he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless." and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."

Once I gathered up enough pluck to either confess my wandering heart to my husband or cut off ties with the flirt, James and I had the biggest fight we've had in a LONG time. On Saturday, we fought. On Sunday, we rode to and from KY together, without saying a word. On Monday night, I spent some time chatting with a former college roommate who encouraged me in my marriage and offered some sound advice. On Tuesday, we went out for dinner. That's when we made some progress and worked through our conflict from Saturday. Of course, on Wednesday, the flirting increased dramatically (it went from "I think he's flirting" to "Oh, he's definitely flirting").

My friend told me that the enemy is poking around, trying to find a weak spot. She and the flirt are both products of failed marriages. Both have said that divorce is painful. Both have said that they'd never want to experience divorce again. The difference is, she's married and he's not.

I listened to a conversation several weeks ago between a woman who is considering divorce and a woman whose parents divorced when she was young. The woman whose parents divorced encouraged the woman whose marriage is rocky that she would do anything in her power to stay together because of the heartache she experienced growing up. The heartache and pain didn't go away just because she grew up. In many ways, it grew up with her.

Last night I read the testimony of a young man whose parents divorced when he was young. He described in detail the painful emotions he experienced as a result of his parent's break-up.

Everywhere I turn, I'm bombarded with messages to "fireproof" my marriage or be a "living warrior." I've been praying almost daily for a friend's marriage, so all of the things I've prayed for her, the Lord has brought to mind for me. I had no idea I was praying for myself. I also remembered today something Brian Smallwood said years ago. He said, "Your own personal victories weaken the stronghold over your region."

So today I did it. I removed the flirt as a friend on Facebook. While my girlfriend told me that I didn't owe him an explanation, I offered one anyway. He completely understood and promised to honor my wishes.

Even though it was really hard, and I'm a little sad that it's all over, I'm also relieved. I write this in hopes that it will encourage someone--anyone--who is in the middle of a raging battle, to prove their loyalty and remain "steady on all the battlefield."

Francis Schaeffer says, "When the apostle warned us to 'keep [ourselves] unspotted from the world,' he was not talking of some abstraction. If the Christian is to apply this injunction to himself he must understand what confronts him antagonistically in his own moment of history. Otherwise, he simply becomes a useless museum piece and not a living warrior for Jesus Christ."

While "you can't touch pitch and not be mucked," it is possible to confess your sins and find mercy, strengthen yourself in the Lord, and overcome the evil one:

He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9.

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Psalm 118:14.

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:13.

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2.

1 John 2--the whole chapter.

If you've read this far, please pray for us and for your friends who are married. It's not an easy ride, but it's well worth it.

Square-foot Gardening with Papa and Nana, part 2

2009-03-30T17:13:00.002-05:00

Our new square foot gardens are courtesy of "Papa," my resourceful, ingenious, newly retired Dad. Someone loaned him a book about how to do square foot gardens, and he devoured it. Since we've always wanted to garden but didn't know the first thing about getting started, he set us up right! He used an old, broken trampoline for the trellis. Almost everything he used he already had laying around. We're looking forward to cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, beans, basil, marjoram, thyme, and a few other things that I can't remember. We also have room for more!

The soil is a mixture of peet moss, vermiculite, and compost. It's supposed to be virtually weed-free because there's a ground cover that helps to prevent weeds from the bottom and there's nothing in the soil except the veggie/herb seeds. We'll see how it goes . . . Dad is pretty excited about it, and so are we!

Thank you Papa and Nana for a fabulous day outside! Miriam points to the garden every day and says, "That's our garden! Nana and Papa did that! We did that!" I love it!

Square-foot Gardening with Papa and Nana

2009-03-30T17:10:00.001-05:00

Maximize your spending, Help Orphans, Have fun traveling

2009-03-15T11:29:00.004-05:00

A Little History
Many of you know that we've been supporting a young deaf girl in Uganda, East Africa, named Justine. She lived with us for six months while we were there teaching at an orphanage/boarding school in 2003, but I actually met her the year before on a three-week trip led by Tod Bell. I fell in love with Africa and with Justine and part of my heart has been there ever since. That was nearly seven years ago.

What's Happening Today
I'm sensing the Lord leading us to support more children. A friend recently told me that if only 1% of all followers of Christ in America sponsored one orphan, then all the orphans of the world would receive the care they need. My goal is to support at least six children in six different countries by the end of this year by giving away the proceeds from travel booked through my travel center at http://buysavegive.com.

How You Fit In
What does that have to do with you? Well, what if you could help support orphans all over the world without spending any extra money? What if you could actually save some money, reduce the time spent searching the Internet, and support at-risk children around the globe, all at the same time? Would you do it?

How many times a year do you book a flight? A rental car? A hotel? How often do you take a week-end or weekk-long vacation? Do you usually stay in a hotel or a condo? Have you ever taken a cruise? What if a portion of the money you already spend on these things could go toward the work of indigenous organizations in places like Africa, Southeast Asia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and even the U.S.A.?

The Big Picture
I have friends who work in all of these areas. I know first-hand that the money we give actually goes to support the children. No one is getting rich on my donations (believe me, we've visited them in their homes and we know!) My husband and I have also personally been to some of these remote areas. I've been to Uganda twice, and he went to Sri Lanka after the hurricane. We have not only seen the great need, but we have also seen how much can be done with so little.

We have now discovered an easy way for friends and family to give without increasing their spending. In fact, you may actually save money! As you may know, most travel is booked online without any brand-loyalty. Most people just search different sites like Expedia or Travelocity or Orbitz looking for the best prices. At the same time, most baby boomers prefer to speak with a real person when booking travel.

With my site (http://buysavegive.com), you have at your fingertips one-stop shopping for all your travel needs. Whether you book online or through a certified travel agent, you can find flights, hotels, rental cars, condos, cruises, and more. You'll find great value, excellent service, and the professionalism that comes from a private-label travel provider that has been specializing in nothing but travel for 25 years. They've partnered with networking businesses like mine to eliminate advertising costs, paying for referrals through commissions instead. The commissions I earn from my travel center will be invested into the Kingdom by supporting orphans around the world.

Testimonials
So far, we've used our travel center to book flights and hotels. For the first flight we booked, we waited until the last minute. Some friends of ours booked their flight weeks ahead of time. They thought they were saving a few dollars by going outside the travel center. However, not only did they have a six-hour layover that we didn't have (ours was just over an hour), but they also spent more money than we did. Our travel center has no hidden fees. What you see is what you spend. There are no pop-ups, no ads, and no clicking from page to page to find out the "real" cost.

When my husband and I went to a Dani Johnson conference in January, we saw on her website that attendees could receive a special promotional rate by calling the hotel directly and saying we were with the conference. We checked my travel center first and saved over $100 for three nights. Not only did we save money, but we also made money (30% of the commission is paid back to us).

We also have stories from friends who found trips to Paris and to Mexico for half of what the major search engines were offering. A couple who wanted to honeymoon in Mexico couldn't afford it, but our travel center helped them book a trip at an all-inclusive resort that cost around $2,000, and that included flights!

A man who needed to attend a funeral in a very small town couldn't find a hotel anywhere on the Internet. He called my travel center and they found a hotel for him in minutes. My travel center has helped countless others save money on fancy hotels and get tickets to major attractions (including Disney) for a fraction of the price.

More Benefits from BuySaveGive.com
The cruise itineraries on my site actually double those found on Expedia (whereas Expedia offers approx. 6,000 cruise itineraries, my travel center offers nearly 13,000 from all 48 cruise lines).

They also have over two-million weeks of condo availability, which you won't find on the aforementioned travel search engines. Condos, if you've never stayed in one, are the best way to vacation. You get separate bedrooms, a living area, and a full kitchen, eliminating the need to eat out every day. You could end up spending the same amount on a condo that you would for a hotel--and save money on food. Just ask me how!

Buy.Save.Give.
If you do any traveling this year, would you consider booking through my site (http://buysavegive.com)? I'd love your help in reaching my goal of supporting six children in six different countries by the end of this year. Your business trips and vacations could actually help feed, clothe, house, and educate children around the world. All you have to do is log on to http://buysavegive.com and book your travel from there. Buy.Save.Give. When you Buy from this site, you'll most likely Save money, and you'll Give to needy children who are hoping someone, somewhere will care in a tangible way.

http://buysavegive.com

Add it to your favorites. Bookmark it. Memorize it.
The children in Africa, Southeast Asia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and here in the U.S.A will thank you.

Partnering together to bring social change,
Lori Todd
(615) 496-8079
http://buysavegive.com
http://loritodd.biz

P.S. You may be wondering if I'm still a representative for Cruise to Cash Vacations. I am. I'm also now a representative for Quest Travel Network, a new sister-company founded by Tod Bell and Michael Churchill. Check it out at http://loritodd.biz.

NOTE: The first picture is of me with Justine in 2002. A year later she poses with my mom (on left) and mother-in-law (on right) while my dad takes the picture. The bottom picture was taken by my husband. It features our friend Howard with some kids from Sri Lanka in early 2005.

Mira Hurts Her Bitty Toe

2009-03-14T17:23:00.002-05:00

What begins with a scratched toe turns into a broken toe that might cause her to "maybe die--maybe die in the sea." It moves to a conversation with her big brother and ends with her demonstrating how to "run in the leaves." Watch for the subtle "yes": she doesn't shake her head; she moves her chin up and down. I love that little girl.

What we think before we buy

2009-03-13T15:04:00.006-05:00

I don't know about you, but when I need a haircut, I go to the same person every time. Jennifer at Le Bon Ton Salon not only does a great job, but she's also CHEAP, and she happens to be a single mom. I love knowing that I can spend a fourth of what I used to spend on my hair, get a professional cut, and invest in someone I care about--all in one appointment. It may not seem like much, but if Jennifer finds enough loyal clientele, she can make a good living doing something she enjoys, take care of herself and her son, and make lots of people like me very happy.

That's just one example of how we like to spend money. When we make purchases, we almost always go with a combination of professionalism and price. We also think in terms of our purchase being an investment into the lives of those we love.

If someone tells me that they're giving a portion of the proceeds to an organization that I believe in, I'm much more likely to spend the money--especially if I was already thinking about that particular purchase.

For example, we love Lucy Rizzo's cheesecakes. This weekend, we can purchase a cheesecake from her that will also benefit Kristi Singleton, who has joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and needs to raise funds for her DTS (Discipleship Training School). We love that kind of stuff.

So here's where I ask you to do the same for me . . .

Anytime you book travel, whether it's a rental car or a hotel or a flight, instead of using a major travel search engine, use my travel center, and 30% of the commissions go to me. We already support indigenous organizations in Africa, but we'd really like to increase our support in Southeast Asia with a group called Divine Inheritance. Check out Project AK-47. I love it.

And, now, for the link to . . .

MY TRAVEL CENTER

No pop-ups. No ads. No hidden fees.
Twice the cruise itineraries as Expedia.
Guaranteed lowest prices on hotels (two night min.)
Two-million weeks of condo availability--plus $600 discounts for week-long condo stays.

I'll most likely buy a domain name and forward it, but I need something that's easy to remember. Suggestions?

http://buysavegive.com (add it to your favorites!)

Thanks!!!

"I don't even have a WHALE!"

2009-02-27T16:09:00.005-06:00

Today's conversation with Judah went something like this:

Judah: Mommy, I can't do what I want. I don't even have a WHALE!

Me: What are you talking about?

Judah: On this picture. There's a whale. And I want to do this, but I don't have a whale.

Me: Judah, that's called "advertising." That picture is get you thinking about what you don't have instead of what you do have. They want you to go out and buy a whale and then, when you have it, you'll see something else that you want and buy it. That's how they make money.

Judah says something else but I can't remember what it is, then I ask a question.

Me: Judah, you just got a really cool gift from our friends that you didn't have an hour ago, but what are you looking at?

Judah: The picture.

Me: See what I mean? They've got you focused on what you don't have instead of what you do have. It's advertising.

Judah: You mean, it tricks people?

Me: YES. It tricks people.

That little scenario happened hours ago, approximately one hour after he received a birthday gift in the mail from our dear friends in VA. He's still playing with his pirate ship and pirates. I haven't heard another word about the whale.

I guess I am using my communications degree after all. Thanks, Dr. Gotcher, for that class in advertising.

Recent Conversation with Mira

2009-02-25T23:01:00.004-06:00

Me: Miriam, do you want to get in the shower?

Miriam: No.

Me: Why not?

Miriam: It's raining in the shower.

(The picture is from Judah's birthday, this time last year.)

Aargh, Matey!

2009-02-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

An Internal Dialogue about the Poor

2009-02-25T16:30:00.003-06:00

After I posted the quote about the poor yesterday, I ended up reading Matthew 25 last night, which has me--yet again--wrestling with the biblical mandate to "minister to the poor" and our country's welfare system of keeping the poor enslaved to handouts, a breeding ground for entitlement.

A couple weeks ago, I read this passage:

14"Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.

15"The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.

Exodus 30:14-16 (New American Standard Bible)

Interesting.

The first night I went to the North branch library to read to the preschool children while the school-aged children were with tutors, I had a massive headache. My head was throbbing. My neck and shoulders were tight. I was in some serious pain. By the end of the night, the tension and pain were completely gone.

Last Tuesday, I was dealing with some pretty serious depression. If you want to know the truth, I had actually had a suicidal thought cross my mind that day. I sent two text messages to two friends who have prayed me through some dark valleys. After spending an hour reading to a little five-year-old girl and dishing out food to some of the older children across the street in the basement of the church, I came home filled with life and joy. I couldn't stop talking about what a wonderful time I had. God meets me every time I pour myself out on behalf of these little ones.

Reminds me of the benefits listed in Isaiah 58:

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

There are, undoubtedly, great benefits to becoming a friend of the needy. What I'm wondering though, is whether or not it's beneficial to help the poor in the absence of a personal, intimate relationship. Is it even biblical?

A quick word-search for "the poor" in the NIV of the Bible brings up the following initial results:

Exodus 23:11
but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Exodus 30:15
The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives.

Leviticus 19:10
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:15
" 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

Leviticus 23:22
" 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' "

Deuteronomy 15:11
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Matthew 25: 31-46 from The Message
31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

44"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

45"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

46"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

A Meaty Quote from the Informal Biography of Winston Churchill

2009-02-23T14:27:00.003-06:00

"In fairness to the dukes [the "champion spenders"], it might be remarked that they each spent a fortune looking after the Woodstock villagers, in true feudal fashion. The day's routine at the palace included trips to the poor and needy by the children, who carried baskets of assorted goodies, covered over with imported linen and damask. As the poor and needy were cared for, they became poorer and needier, and others dropped their jobs and joined in, so that eventually the dukes were supporting almost the entire countryside, which entailed a heavy strain on the budget."

Winston Churchill: An Informal Study of Greatness by Robert Lewis Taylor, pp. 27-28, copyright 1952, referring to a time before Winston Churchill's birth in 1874.

Preacher with a Prostitute. Scandalous?

2009-02-12T23:04:00.003-06:00

A Nashville prostitute who was two months away from giving birth received $40 from him. She knows him as the man who wanted nothing in return for that money but to tell her of God’s great love for her.

Many who have walked the streets of Dickerson Road or Second Avenue North know him as the guy who made eye contact, stopped to talk, and helped them make peace with God.

At least one woman who was reading her horoscope while working behind the counter of a Nashville gas station knows him as the man who asked her what she was reading and led her to Christ that morning.

While some remember him as a street preacher, others know him as a worship leader.

Many know him for the work he has done with Harvest Evangelism in Argentina. Others know him because of his connection with Back to the Bible Truth in Uganda.

Perhaps you don’t know him at all.

In the past four years, this street preacher/worship leader/missionary has become known to people around the world as the “Internet Idiot” who started two Internet-based, debt-free, multi-million dollar businesses.

Who is this man? And why am I telling you about him?

His name is Tod Bell. I met him in 1999, and he has never stopped rocking my world.

Did you know that he went from eating PB&J and pork and beans every day for a year and a half, living entirely on the generous support of donors, to owning two extremely profitable businesses?

Did you know that his businesses not only survived the first six months, but also saw a PROFIT in the first year!

How did his businesses see a profit—not in 5-7 years, but in the first year?

How did his businesses help countless individuals across the globe find the time they so desperately wanted to spend with their loved ones?

How did his businesses energize and motivate people who had given up during an economic downturn?

The answers are revealed in the Self-Leader System, a three-hour seminar on Saturday, March 7, 2009, from 9:00 AM to noon at the Holiday Inn Brentwood. For the first time EVER, Tod Bell will publicly share the secrets of his success.

The seminar is just a few weeks away and the seats are limited, but you can secure your seat by registering now at http://www.sls-seminar.com/.

Tod Bell is the man who introduced me to Africa. He is the reason my husband and I spent six months working with orphanages in Uganda. His book it can be done: the marketplace maximized for the kingdom of God was edited by yours truly. When he and his wife Emily would take trips together, my husband and I would hang out with their fabulous six children at their house in Chapel Hill. We have spent countless hours with the Bells. I HIGHLY recommend this seminar if you have ANY desire to see positive change in your life.

If you want to take your life to the next level, if you want to see different results, if you want to help people find freedom, and if you want to have a blast doing it, this seminar is for you. If you’re completely satisfied with where you are and you have no desire for more, save your money and spend your Saturday morning doing something you love.

But if you’re looking for a system that works, I’ll see you at the Self-Leader System on March 7, 2009, at 9:00 AM at the Holiday Inn Brentwood on Old Hickory Blvd.

NOTE: If you sign up for the seminar and say that Lori Todd sent you, not only will you receive a discounted rate for signing up early, but you will also receive a $300 gift card toward a week-long condo stay and a free cruise. Quantities are limited, so only the first 25 to arrive as my guests will receive a $300 condo gift card. See you there!

http://www.sls-seminar.com/

A Person's a Person, No Matter How Small

2009-01-27T23:20:00.004-06:00

Judah and I attended our first pro-life rally together on Sunday. Bundled up and shivering in our hats and gloves and coats, we heard from several pro-life leaders from all over the country. My favorite speaker was the least charismatic. He read his speech directly from his notecards. He often lost his place. He was so shy and nervous that he apologized several times for his poor performance. He had me in tears.

Michael Clancy reminded us more than once that he is a photographer, not a speaker. He likes to be behind the scenes, not in front of a crowd. He shared his experience taking the famous photograph of "The Hand that Touched the World." I didn't realize the photograph was taken at Vanderbilt, just a few miles from my house. I also didn't realize that this photograph was the "earliest human reaction ever recorded." The baby was 21 weeks along when he underwent a successful surgery to treat spina bifida. (Remember Baby David, who was born at 26 weeks? He is now a year old, healthy, happy, and home. For the story and picture of a baby who was born in Miami at 21 weeks and 6 days, a world record, click HERE and HERE.)

Samuel's parents, Alex and Julie Armas of Villa Rica, Georgia, testified September 25 [2003] before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space about the photo and their experience with in utero surgery. They were joined at the hearing by Dr. James Thorp, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Florida Pensacola, and by Michael Clancy, the photographer who captured Samuel's awe-inspiring grasp.
Dr. Thorp testified that in utero surgery, while still in the experimental stages and posing significant risks, offers incredible promise to parents of unborn children with birth defects. Alex and Julie explained that their surgery, initiated to treat spina bifida, remarkably changed the course of Samuel's life and of their own lives.
Alex testified, "Today, Samuel is nearly four years old and has not had to endure the surgeries that are common for most children with spina bifida. He's walking with leg braces, is cognitively normal, and loves looking for bugs."
. . .
Spina bifida, a sometimes fatal and typically severe brain and spinal cord anomaly, results from the spine failing to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. If the baby survives, spina bifida often leaves debilitating defects including accumulation of fluid in the brain (hydrocephalus), and a host of devastating secondary conditions.
Julie, an obstetrics nurse, decided after hearing the diagnosis to research treatments and discovered a pioneering program of maternal-fetal (in utero) surgery for spina bifida at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After intensive consultations with the medical staff, Julie and Alex not only gave the go-ahead for sur-gery on 21-week-old Samuel; they also agreed to let USA Today photograph the event as a way to increase awareness of the new procedure.
USA Today assigned photojournalist Michael Clancy to capture the surgery on film. Michael had no idea that the shoot would change his life forever.
. . .
As Sen. Brownback observed during the hearing, "There is little debate about whether the child in utero is alive; the debate is over whether or not the child is a life worthy of protection."
. . .
If it would be illegal to kill Samuel any day after he was born, why is it "legal" to kill Samuel any day before he is born?
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1012548/posts

Michael Clancy set up a website featuring the picture and the story and offers the reproduction of the picture for free, encouraging crisis pregnancy centers around the world to use the photo in their counseling. You can print the story and picture from this pdf: http://www.michaelclancy.com/Samuel%27s%20Story.pdf.

Some of his testimony, which he shared at the rally, can be found HERE.

While I am thrilled that the country I live in now has a commander in chief who is a man of color, a man who, just 45 years ago, would have experienced overt discrimination in the South and covert discrimination in the North, is now the leader of our country, I am also deeply burdened for our nation and the course that we are taking.

Out of "respect" for pro-life protestors who marched on Washington on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama waited 24 hours before signing a bill that will support abortion providers worldwide.

President Obama said, "I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries,” said President Obama.

"UNFPA Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid welcomes President Obama's decision to restore funding and noted how quickly he addressed the issue." She notes:

"Congressionally-approved funding for UNFPA has been withheld by the U.S. Administration for the past seven years. During that time, the Fund has not received a total of $244 million in U.S. funding. Restoration of funding will allow us to maintain recent gains during the current financial crisis and provide support to women in some of the poorest countries in the world," said Ms. Obaid.

"The current financial crisis." Oh, yeah. We're supposed to be working toward a stronger economy, right? So . . . maybe spending should be pretty strictly curbed and monitored. Does a nation facing an economic crisis need to spend countless millions on supporting abortion efforts in other countries? Does this sound completely irresponsible from a financial standpoint to anyone else? President Bush stopped $244 million from going out to fund "Voluntary Population Planning" projects. However, one of the first things President Obama does once in office is to open the flood-gates for millions in taxpayer dollars to benefit--not our own economic crisis--but the "Voluntary Population Planning" efforts of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

What are some of the results of so-called population planning? Well, in China, where "more Chinese women would like to have more than one child," the enforcement of their one-child policy "has involved forced abortions and other abuses. It has also been blamed for a gender imbalance, as a traditional preference for boys has persuaded some parents to abort girl foetuses."

We are face to face today with a governing body that not only turns a blind eye, but also provides the tree and the rope--in a "safe," "clinical," "legal" setting.

We are at war with an international organization that is systematically targeting country after country in the name of "women's rights" but their hidden agenda is death. For example:

Increasingly the pro-aborts' attention has turned to Central and South America, and specifically Mexico. In 2006, the Center for Reproductive Rights won a lawsuit before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in which the Mexican government agreed to guarantee access to abortion in the case of rape. During the course of the lawsuit, the pro-abortion group Human Rights Watch recommended punishing doctors by revoking their licenses if they refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds. (boldface mine)
But this victory for the pro-choice movement was not enough. It was not enough to require access to abortion for rape victims. No, these pro-choice militants have only one thing in mind: unrestricted access to abortion as a "fundamental human right."
http://www.aul.org/Mexico_Example

Sound familiar? If you've read anything surrounding the so-called Freedom of Choice Act, these phrases should send chills down your spine. Take a few minutes to find out what's going on in other countries with regard to abortion and population control and tell me that we're not at war.

Mexico City now offers "abortion on demand" during the first trimester. This is especially significant because "the new law violates the Mexican Constitution, which states that human life must be defended 'from conception until its natural end.' . . . The law has also paved the way for the legalization of euthanasia, an effort already underway in Mexico.

In the year since the law's passage, 6,400 abortions have been performed. Twenty-two women have been injured, and eight women have died from complications related to their abortions. While the law contains a clause that girls under the age of 18 must obtain parental consent before abortion, at least one of the fatalities was a minor. Thus, an effort that was claimed to "help" women is in actuality killing women as well as their unborn children.
http://www.aul.org/Mexico_Example

Abortion is not simply a "choice." It is more than a choice. It is the most common surgical procedure in the United States. It comes in many forms, some more dangerous than others. Partial-birth abortion, for example, was banned in 2003, but it would become legal if FOCA is passed. According to the ban, partial birth abortion "poses serious risks to the long-term health of women and in some circumstances, their lives . . . [it] could ultimately result in maternal death."

Planned Parenthood would have you believe that abortion is safe, but that giving birth is dangerous. They will tell you how many women die every year giving birth (to make the number sound high), but what they don't tell you is that they're providing you with a worldwide figure and over 90% of women who die during childbirth are from underdeveloped countries.

Planned Parenthood will not, however, tell you how many women die each year during abortions . . . or how many take their lives after undergoing an abortion . . . or how many women give birth prematurely and experience the grief of losing a child they actually want after having an abortion. No, they will instead warn you about Crisis Pregnancy Centers. They will say that what is inside of you is simply a blob of tissue. They won't tell you that the abortionist actually has to piece together all the body parts afterward to be sure he didn't leave any inside your uterus. No, they won't mention any of those things. There's no money in full disclosure.

Combine declining morality with a powerful, well-funded international federation of busy, intentional, passionate advocates and what do you get? I'll give you a hint. It's not constitutional.

Two Open Letters

2009-01-21T16:21:00.003-06:00

An open letter from me to Congressman Steve Cohen of TN, co-sponsor of FOCA, the "Freedom of Choice Act."

Dear Congressman Steve Cohen,

You are already aware, I'm sure, that the 2003 congressional ban against partial birth abortion was intended to "draw a bright line that clearly distinguishes abortion and infanticide."

Did you also know that it says that partial birth abortion "poses serious risks to the long-term health of women and in some circumstances, their lives"?

It also states that "by choosing not to prohibit it will further coarsen society to the humanity of not only newborns, but all vulnerable and innocent human life, making it increasingly difficult to protect such life."

The "Freedom of Choice Act" seeks to overturn this ban. Whose freedoms, may I ask, does this act seek to protect?

After reading through the ban Congress passed in January 2003 on partial birth abortion, which President Obama promises to overturn with the "Freedom of Choice Act," I felt compelled to contact you.

I implore you to vote against the "Freedom of Choice Act."

This act, which would overturn the 2003 ban on partial-birth abortion, would allow for a "gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited."

Partial birth abortion "poses serious risks to the long-term health of women and in some circumstances, their lives."

Please take a moment to review [DOCID: f:publ105.108]:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ105.108

If "partial-birth abortion poses serious risks to the health of a woman undergoing the procedure . . . and could ultimately result in maternal death," then why would any lawmaker in America seek to overturn the ban and make partial birth abortion legal?

"In addition to promoting maternal health, such a prohibition will draw a bright line that clearly distinguishes abortion and infanticide, that preserves the integrity of the medical profession, and promotes respect for human life."

These words were documented in November 2003, but they are just as powerful and relevant for January 2009.

I implore you, as a representative of Tennessee, to do whatever is in your power to protect both the partially-born child and the mother, whose life is also at stake.

You and I both know that "The vast majority of babies killed during partial-birth abortions are alive until the end of the procedure. It is a medical fact, however, that unborn infants at this stage can feel pain when subjected to painful stimuli and that their perception of this pain is even more intense than that of newborn infants and older children when subjected to the same stimuli. Thus, during a partial-birth abortion procedure, the child will fully experience the pain associated with piercing his or her skull and sucking out his or her brain."

"Implicitly approving such a brutal and inhumane procedure by choosing not to prohibit it will further coarsen society to the humanity of not only newborns, but all vulnerable and innocent human life, making it increasingly difficult to protect such life. Thus, Congress has a compelling interest in acting--indeed it must act--to prohibit this inhumane procedure."

Again, Congressman Steve Cohen, I implore you to read the ban once more, which states, "For these reasons, Congress finds that partial-birth abortion is never medically indicated to preserve the health of the mother; is in fact unrecognized as a valid abortion procedure by the mainstream medical community; poses additional health risks to the mother; blurs the line between abortion and infanticide in the killing of a partially-born child just inches from birth; and confuses the role of the physician in childbirth and should, therefore, be banned."

As you review [DOCID: f:publ105.108], please consider voting AGAINST FOCA.

Thank you.

Lori Todd
Nashville, TN

*******************************

What follows is an open letter from Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., the President and CEO of Americans United for Life (AUL) Action:

An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama on Behalf of All Ohio Parents

Dear President-Elect Obama,

A 14-year-old girl walked into a Planned Parenthood clinic in Cincinnati, accompanied by her soccer coach, John Haller. He was 21 years old and had initiated sexual activity with the girl when she was 13. Now that she was pregnant, Haller wanted her to have an abortion.

Rather than calling the parents as required under Ohio law, Planned Parenthood called the soccer coach’s cell phone and failed to verify he was the parent.

Planned Parenthood turned a blind eye . . . and performed the abortion. Afterward, they provided the girl with a bag of condoms and a Depo-Provera shot.

Thirty-six states across the country require some form of parental notification or consent prior to an abortion involving a minor child. And these laws are supported by 80% of the American people. In addition to the obvious reason that parents need to be involved when their child undergoes a medical procedure, these laws also protect young girls from sexual abuse. Research shows high percentages of teen pregnancies are fathered by adult men and a relationship between early teen sex and coercion.

President-Elect Obama, why do you oppose these parental involvement laws that protect our children from sexual abuse?

Despite Planned Parenthood’s actions, the parents of the Cincinnati teenager found out about her abortion and the sexual abuse perpetrated by her soccer coach. Eventually John Haller was convicted of seven counts of sexual battery and served three years in prison.

President-Elect Obama, the mainstream media refuses to ask you these questions, so we will:
Why have you promised Planned Parenthood that the first piece of legislation you will sign is the Freedom of Choice Act, a piece of abortion legislation which would eliminate ALL of the common-sense parental involvement laws across the country?

Sincerely,

Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President and CEO, AUL Action

****************************************************

Looking for a simple way to take action? Join me in signing the "Fight FOCA" petition here: http://www.fightfoca.com/. Then, share this link with your friends and family!

One person represents one thousand others who feel the same way. Make your voice heard!

FOURTH FOLDER, FOURTH PHOTO

2009-01-08T15:31:00.004-06:00

Words Fitly Spoken blogger, my friend Christy, tagged me in a blog game. Here are the rules: Look into the fourth folder in which you store pictures on your computer, and select the fourth picture therein. Post it. Explain it.

Here goes. . .

My fourth folder contained only four pictures. All four were of Judah sitting on the floor in the upstairs hallway with his blocks and his books. Daddy had come along to help him create a message for Mommy. Digital camera in hand, Daddy brings me the photo to let me know that Judah wants me to read to him. Surprise, surprise. Everyone who reads to him can't believe that he will sit there as long as you're reading. It doesn't matter if you pick up Dr. Seuss or Narnia or the Scriptures. I actually read to him from my Bible this week--not his Child's Story Bible--but my four-translations-in-one Bible, and he sat and listened and asked thoughtful questions. I think we underestimate our kids. I know I do.

Thanks, Christy, for taking me back to this time last year!

Pictures from Nana

2009-01-02T11:31:00.003-06:00

Getting there . . . slowly.

2009-01-01T22:20:00.006-06:00

With the children tucked in, prayed for, and told "I love you," I head downstairs to write. Instead, I end up reading, trying to catch up on friends' blogs, finding out the latest news on Facebook (terribly addictive social networking site that feels like reading magazines about your friends), and checking e-mail.

Always waiting for the perfect opportunity to jot down a few thoughts, I find myself reading more than writing these days. It's easier to sneak in a few pages of a book than it is to open my computer and write coherent phrases. My kids are FULL of life and energy and ideas and fun. I'm trying to "realize life" as I live it--to be "in the moment" as much as possible--to fully absorb these fleeting moments I have with my growing children.

I glance up and see a picture of Miriam when she was four months old. So tiny. So soft. So precious. She's full of wonder and delight and personality and opinions now. I'm going to try to upload a video of her tonight . . .

after I add a couple pictures of the kids to this post (at the request of my dear friend Joan who loves visuals and who recently started blogging--YAY!) The pictures I chose are from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Grandaddy (James' dad) and Papa (my dad). I love watching my children interact with their grandparents and the grandparents get such a kick out of their grandchildren!

My grandmom asked me what I got for Christmas this year. I could have responded with the material gifts, but what came to mind were two experiences that were greater gifts to me than anything else I received.

The first experience happened on Christmas Eve when the kids opened their gifts from Auntie Lisa in Minnesota. When I read her card, I got all teary-eyed. Lisa and Nate, whose only child is a sweet little puppy, donated two boxes of toys to Operation Christmas Child on behalf of Judah and Miriam. I couldn't believe it. My friend Lisa, whom I've known longer than I've been married . . . 12 years? 13 years? Donated toys to children who may not own a single toy. She gave each of my children a little something (that they LOVED), but she gave even more to children who might not receive anything all year--on behalf of my children. What an amazing gift.

The second experience happened on Christmas Day. Last year's Christmas with the Todd family was awkward and uncomfortable. This year was, perhaps, the best Christmas we've ever spent together. Not only was everyone kind to each other, but we also received a gift from James' brother Ben that I will never forget. Ben said that he wanted to be especially generous this year, but he looked at the toys that his children own (that go on for days) and said that if he had it to over again, he would do it differently. He appreciated that we didn't go overboard for Christmas (we bought Judah one toy--a $6 bow and arrow that probably could have waited until his birthday given all the toys he received from everyone else--and didn't buy anything for Miriam) and that we aren't focused on material things. He gave James an envelope with some money in it and told him to do what he wanted with it. We set it aside to seek God about how He would have us use it. For the first time in our marriage, I felt heard and understood by someone on James' side of the family. For years I've felt like an oddball. Weird. Abnormal. Peculiar. Misunderstood. And for the first time, I felt embraced. Loved. Accepted. Understood. Honored.

This Christmas was significant in many ways, but what made it particularly meaningful for me was having two people in our lives who blessed us in immaterial ways, speaking to the deepest parts of our hearts.

What a glorious way to begin a new year.

Capturing the big boy and the baby girl in words . . .

2008-12-21T10:45:00.000-06:00

Miriam is dressed up today in a pretty little dress with a green sweater and eggshell tights. She has her hair in piggy-tails with red ribbons tied into bows around each one. When I hugged her and told her that she's my pretty little princess, Judah shouted:

"She is NOT a princess! She's BEAUTIFULER than a princess! She's a QUEEN!"

********

This morning, Miriam was sitting on the counter eating an apple while Judah was standing on the step-stool. He jumped down, and in his most exciting way, said, "MIRIAM! Do you want to PLAY? Do you want to play pirates?!?" She shook her head, "No."

He said, "What do YOU want to play?"

She said, "Girls."

He said, "Pirates?"

She said, "Girls."

He said something silly that made no sense and made her laugh.

Then he tried again, "Miriam! Let's play pirates!"

She shook her head, "No" and said, "Dress."

"OH! You want to play dress!? I know how to play that!" Judah exclaimed. Then, he said, "There's a PIRATE! And a dragon! And the dragon has on a dress! And he EATS the whole crew! Ha ha ha!!!!" (that's his sinister laugh)

Miriam says, "Baby doll dress."

********
A few weeks ago, Miriam was in a dress with tights for the first time in months, and Judah said, "Daddy, I can't stop looking at her. She's so beautiful."

********

I love living in a house with a little boy and a little girl, and I just have to laugh any time someone suggests that gender differences are not inherent. Right. Tell that to Miriam the next time Judah begs for a story about a pirate, and Indian, and a cowboy, and Miriam shouts, "NO! GIRL!"

Judah might have put some of his stuffed animals to bed every now and then, but Miriam puts them to bed, feeds them, puts clothes on them, changes their diapers, gives them baths, sings them songs, and cuddles them while singing in the sweetest voice, "Rock a baby tree top, cradle rock." What a precious, precious little girl.

My mighty warrior is saying right now, "You know that you are going to get killed, right? Yes!" There's a war going on downstairs with blocks and Noah's ark animals and tiny weapons molded from clay. A four-year-old boy was "exercising his strength" earlier with a make-shift barbell: a summer pool noodle (long cylindrical piece of styrofoam) with his two heavy snow boots on each end.

My children are so different yet so amazing. I'm trying my best to soak it all in with thankfulness. As a friend said recently, "When your children are young, the days are long, but the years are short."

**********
Danny Silk of Loving On Purpose wrote a short newsletter that got me all teary-eyed. You can find it here:
http://news.lovingonpurpose.com/2008/12/dec-newsletter.html

Merry Christmas

Addendum to "Legitimize this statement" re: Genocide

2008-12-17T10:40:00.006-06:00

Have you ever thought that I'm a complete lunatic to make the connection from abortion to infanticide to genocide?

Did you know that the 2003 congressional ban against partial birth abortion is intended to "draw a bright line that clearly distinguishes abortion and infanticide"? Did you know that it says that partial birth abortion "poses serious risks to the long-term health of women and in some circumstances, their lives"? It also states that "by choosing not to prohibit it will further coarsen society to the humanity of not only newborns, but all vulnerable and innocent human life, making it increasingly difficult to protect such life"?

Did you know that the "Freedom of Choice Act" seeks to overturn this ban? Did you know that President-Elect Obama has promised to sign the "Freedom of Choice Act"? Do you know what this means for our nation? Do you understand the implications?

Whose freedoms, may I ask, does this act seek to protect?

Thanks to the Internet, you can find nearly any congressional legal document you wish to read--not just a commentary, but the real thing.

After reading through the ban Congress passed in January 2003 on partial birth abortion, which President-Elect Obama promises to overturn with the "Freedom of Choice Act," I just had to post some of it here--especially since I have friends who think I'm nuts for suggesting that Obama supports infanticide and that a vote for Obama was a vote for genocide (Patrick, I promise you're not the only one!)

This is the actual text from the congressional ban, not someone's interpretation of it:

http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/partial_birth_abortion_Ban_act_final_language.htm

The Congress finds and declares the following:

(1) A moral, medical, and ethical consensus exists that the practice of performing a partial-birth abortion--an abortion in which a physician deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living, unborn child's body until either the entire baby's head is outside the body of the mother, or any part of the baby's trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother and only the head remains inside the womb, for the purpose of performing an overt act (usually the puncturing of the back of the child's skull and removing the baby's brains) that the person knows will kill the partially delivered infant, performs this act, and then completes delivery of the dead infant--is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited.

(2) Rather than being an abortion procedure that is embraced by the medical community, particularly among physicians who routinely perform other abortion procedures, partial-birth abortion remains a disfavored procedure that is not only unnecessary to preserve the health of the mother, but in fact poses serious risks to the long-term health of women and in some circumstances, their lives. As a result, at least 27 States banned the procedure as did the United States Congress which voted to ban the procedure during the 104th, 105th, and 106th Congresses.

. . .
(14) Pursuant to the testimony received during extensive legislative hearings during the 104th, 105th, 107th, and 108th Congresses, Congress finds and declares that:

(A) Partial-birth abortion poses serious risks to the health of a woman undergoing the procedure. Those risks include, among other things: An increase in a woman's risk of suffering from cervical incompetence, a result of cervical dilation making it difficult or impossible for a woman to successfully carry a subsequent pregnancy to term; an increased risk of uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, and trauma to the uterus as a result of converting the child to a footling breech position, a procedure which, according to a leading obstetrics textbook, `there are very few, if any, indications for * * * other than for delivery of a second twin'; and a risk of lacerations and secondary hemorrhaging due to the doctor blindly forcing a sharp instrument into the base of the unborn child's skull while he or she is lodged in the birth canal, an act which could result in severe bleeding, brings with it the threat of shock, and could ultimately result in maternal death.

(B) There is no credible medical evidence that partial-birth abortions are safe or are safer than other abortion procedures. No controlled studies of partial-birth abortions have been conducted nor have any comparative studies been conducted to demonstrate its safety and efficacy compared to other abortion methods. Furthermore, there have been no articles published in peer-reviewed journals that establish that partial-birth abortions are superior in any way to established abortion procedures. Indeed, unlike other more commonly used abortion procedures, there are currently no medical schools that provide instruction on abortions that include the instruction in partial-birth abortions in their curriculum.

(C) A prominent medical association has concluded that partial-birth abortion is `not an accepted medical practice', that it has `never been subject to even a minimal amount of the normal medical practice development,' that `the relative advantages and disadvantages of the procedure in specific circumstances remain unknown,' and that `there is no consensus among obstetricians about its use'. The association has further noted that partial-birth abortion is broadly disfavored by both medical experts and the public, is `ethically wrong,' and `is never the only appropriate procedure'.

(D) Neither the plaintiff in Stenberg v. Carhart, nor the experts who testified on his behalf, have identified a single circumstance during which a partial-birth abortion was necessary to preserve the health of a woman.

(E) The physician credited with developing the partial-birth abortion procedure has testified that he has never encountered a situation where a partial-birth abortion was medically necessary to achieve the desired outcome and, thus, is never medically necessary to preserve the health of a woman.

(F) A ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure will therefore advance the health interests of pregnant women seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

(G) In light of this overwhelming evidence, Congress and the States have a compelling interest in prohibiting partial-birth abortions. In addition to promoting maternal health, such a prohibition will draw a bright line that clearly distinguishes abortion and infanticide, that preserves the integrity of the medical profession, and promotes respect for human life.

(H) Based upon Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992), a governmental interest in protecting the life of a child during the delivery process arises by virtue of the fact that during a partial-birth abortion, labor is induced and the birth process has begun. This distinction was recognized in Roe when the Court noted, without comment, that the Texas parturition statute, which prohibited one from killing a child `in a state of being born and before actual birth,' was not under attack. This interest becomes compelling as the child emerges from the maternal body. A child that is completely born is a full, legal person entitled to constitutional protections afforded a `person' under the United States Constitution. Partial-birth abortions involve the killing of a child that is in the process, in fact mere inches away from, becoming a `person'. Thus, the government has a heightened interest in protecting the life of the partially-born child.

(I) This, too, has not gone unnoticed in the medical community, where a prominent medical association has recognized that partial-birth abortions are `ethically different from other destructive abortion techniques because the fetus, normally twenty weeks or longer in gestation, is killed outside of the womb'. According to this medical association, the `partial birth' gives the fetus an autonomy which separates it from the right of the woman to choose treatments for her own body'.

(J) Partial-birth abortion also confuses the medical, legal, and ethical duties of physicians to preserve and promote life, as the physician acts directly against the physical life of a child, whom he or she had just delivered, all but the head, out of the womb, in order to end that life. Partial-birth abortion thus appropriates the terminology and techniques used by obstetricians in the delivery of living children--obstetricians who preserve and protect the life of the mother and the child--and instead uses those techniques to end the life of the partially-born child.

(K) Thus, by aborting a child in the manner that purposefully seeks to kill the child after he or she has begun the process of birth, partial-birth abortion undermines the public's perception of the appropriate role of a physician during the delivery process, and perverts a process during which life is brought into the world, in order to destroy a partially-born child.

(L) The gruesome and inhumane nature of the partial-birth abortion procedure and its disturbing similarity to the killing of a newborn infant promotes a complete disregard for infant human life that can only be countered by a prohibition of the procedure.

(M) The vast majority of babies killed during partial-birth abortions are alive until the end of the procedure. It is a medical fact, however, that unborn infants at this stage can feel pain when subjected to painful stimuli and that their perception of this pain is even more intense than that of newborn infants and older children when subjected to the same stimuli. Thus, during a partial-birth abortion procedure, the child will fully experience the pain associated with piercing his or her skull and sucking out his or her brain.

(N) Implicitly approving such a brutal and inhumane procedure by choosing not to prohibit it will further coarsen society to the humanity of not only newborns, but all vulnerable and innocent human life, making it increasingly difficult to protect such life. Thus, Congress has a compelling interest in acting--indeed it must act--to prohibit this inhumane procedure.

(O) For these reasons, Congress finds that partial-birth abortion is never medically indicated to preserve the health of the mother; is in fact unrecognized as a valid abortion procedure by the mainstream medical community; poses additional health risks to the mother; blurs the line between abortion and infanticide in the killing of a partially-born child just inches from birth; and confuses the role of the physician in childbirth and should, therefore, be banned. [bold and italics mine]

I didn't write this. I copied it directly from a legal congressional document that comprises a part of our nation's history. It was written five years ago after much deliberation, multiple court hearings, congressional meetings, countless testimonies, extensive research . . .

Why would President-Elect Obama--or anyone, for that matter--seek to overturn this ruling? Again, whose freedoms does the "Freedom of Choice Act" seek to protect?

The only answer I have is that the prince of this world, who is a thief, comes to steal, kill, and destroy; and "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

We MUST know what is in these documents. We MUST know what we're voting for. We MUST know the implications of our decisions on future generations.

Now is not the time to agree in silence. Let us awake. Let us unite. Let us fight.

Our nation's future depends on us.

"Legitimize this statement" re: Genocide

2008-12-17T01:01:00.005-06:00

An open letter to my long-time friend and compatriot Patrick Layne:

Dear Patrick,

I had a dream about you a couple nights ago which reminded me that I have yet to respond to the comment you left on my blog. This might sound weird, but thank you for disagreeing with me—and not just in your head, but out loud. You are one of the friends I’ve had the longest, and I’m so honored that we’ve continued to remain friends even through major disagreements. My response to you has turned into another long blog post. I’m sure you’re not surprised.

This is the comment that you left on my post "A matter of life or death and a decision impacting generations":

While I have every option not to voice my opinion here as it is unlike all the rest posted here, I can't help but one million percent disagree with the notion that a "vote for Obama is a vote for genocide." Um, legitimize this statement. Roe v. Wade was legalized in 1973. Like it or not, it is the law of the U.S. I struggle to see how Obama will make abortion more legal than it already is. Abortion would almost certainly continued to have been legal had John McCain won the election. Would that have made a vote for McCain a vote for genocide?

In a nutshell, I believe I did legitimize my statement in my post, but I'll happily expound. In a nutshell, abortion was legal in the U.S. pre-Roe v. Wade. It would continue to be legal in some states if Roe v. Wade were overturned; however, other cases have opened wide the door to not only abortion, but also to infanticide, and that's where I believe genocide begins (as in the case of Nazi Germany which gradually moved from killing infants to three-year-olds to 17-year-olds to adults in fewer than ten years). I'll repost that section in this response.

President-Elect Obama supports not only abortion, but every form of abortion including partial birth abortion, which congress found to be "a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited." Most partial birth abortions have been performed on babies during the second trimester, or after 20 weeks (five months), which is when the gender of the baby can be determined. Dr. Martin Haskell, the author of a paper outlining partial birth aboriton,"performed over 700 of these procedures" and in 1992 wrote that he "performs these procedures up to 32 weeks or more." A full-term baby is one who reaches 40 weeks on average, give or take two weeks; therefore, 20 weeks is half-way through the pregnancy.

Obama also opposed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act four times, which would proposed medical care for babies born alive during abortion attempts (that is outlined in my previous post, but I'll expound on it here, too).

Finally, he promises to sign the so-called “Freedom of Choice Act,” which would legalize partial-birth abortion and eliminate current restrictions on abortion, including requiring doctors who choose not to perform abortions to begin offering abortion services.

In January 2003, congress passed an act "to prohibit the procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion":

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds and declares the following:

(1) A moral, medical, and ethical consensus exists that the practice of performing a partial-birth abortion--an abortion in which a physician deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living, unborn child's body until either the entire baby's head is outside the body of the mother, or any part of the baby's trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother and only the head remains inside the womb, for the purpose of performing an overt act (usually the puncturing of the back of the child's skull and removing the baby's brains) that the person knows will kill the partially delivered infant, performs this act, and then completes delivery of the dead infant--is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited [boldface mine].

Before I go on, let me say that I sincerely hope and pray that I’m wrong. I really do. But I wholeheartedly believe what I wrote in my previous posts. I really do believe that our country is on a path toward socialism and, yes, even genocide. Maybe I’m crazy. I can live with that. But when I look at the cycles that other countries have experienced and when I consider that history repeats itself and when I think about the gradual changes that have been made with regard to the “pro-choice” movement, I can’t help but visualize our country, as early as 10 years from now, progressively legalizing horrific and barbaric “procedures” beginning with abortion and killing infants who are born alive during abortion attempts to eventually killing unwanted toddlers, teens, and adults. Remember the Nazi Germany example? I'll re-post it in a minute.

Back to Obama and his position on infanticide. His supporters like to point out that he said, with regard to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, “if these are children who are being born alive, I, at least, have confidence that a doctor who is in that room is going to make sure that they're looked after." However, that statement is taken out of context. He uses clever semantics to distinguish between a "live birth" and an "abortion" before he references "children who are being born alive." You can read the full context of his statement on pages 31-34 of the State of Illinois 92nd General Assembly Regular Session Senate Transcript here: http://www.ilga.gov/senate/transcripts/strans92/ST040402.pdf.

If you will, just hang with me for a minute while I lead up to my point . . . on page 29 you'll find that the "Induced Birth Infant Liability Act," which became known as the "Born Alive Infants Protection Act" would "create a cause of action where medical care, as provided for in Senate Bill 1663, is not provided" http://www.ilga.gov/senate/transcripts/strans92/ST040402.pdf. In other words, babies who were born alive during abortion attempts in Illinois were not (and still are not), offered medical care.

Some of the quotes that really stood out to me as I read through the transcript are as follows: Obama states, " . . . one of the things that we were concerned about, was what impact this would have with the respect to the relationship between the doctor and the patient and what liabilities the doctor might have in this situation" (p. 31) . . . adding a--an additional doctor who then has to be called in an emergency situation to come in and make these assessments [confirm that the baby was, in fact, born alive and is also considered "viable"], is really designed simply to burden the original decision of the woman and the physician to induce labor and perform an abortion . . . this issue ultimately is about abortion and not live births . . . because if these are children who are being born alive, I, at least, have confidence that a doctor who is in that room is going to make sure that they're looked after" (italics and boldface mine).

Here you have a great example of clever legal semantics. When Obama refers to “children who are being born alive,” he is not referring to babies who are the product of a “botched abortion.” Look at the previous sentence. He says, “This issue ultimately is about abortion and not live births.” He makes a distinction between the two before he offers his “confidence” that babies who are "born alive" in hospitals will be looked after by doctors. Of course those babies will be looked after. They are not under contract to be killed. The babies that will not be looked after—the ones who will be left to die even if they are delivered alive--even if they are considered viable—are those who are under contract to be delivered dead. A woman seeking an abortion signs a contract essentially asking the doctor to produce a dead baby. If a live one is produced, as Obama pointed out, “what liabilities [might] the doctor have in this situation”?

My question is, "What liabilities might we as a nation have in these situations?" If we do not make laws to protect the most vulnerable in our nation, what then? Laws are designed to protect the innocent, not the wealthy.

Can abortion become more or less legal? No. However, the next link in the chain is infanticide. And then what? Remember Nazi Germany? Have you read or taken time to consider the following section of my previous blog post?

The Unimaginable Becomes Imaginable;
Then It Becomes Common

. . . Acceptable thought changes throughout time. History continually repeats itself as in the examples set before us by Christian Overman, the author of Assumptions that Affect Our Lives, "Infanticide was commonly accepted and widely practiced in ancient Greece. The Spartans tossed unwanted children from the side of Mt. Taygetus, and the Athenians exposed them to the elements in earthen jars placed next to the temples of their gods." Now fast-forward to the early to mid-1940s in Nazi Germany where "there was a special agency set up for the purpose of child termination. It was made up of psychiatric and pediatric experts, whose function it was to decide--entirely on their own--which children were to be eliminated" (1996, p. 67) [boldface mine].

In his book The Sign for Cain, Dr. Fredric Wertham writes of the agency that Overman described:

The children slated for death were sent to special "children's divisions." ... They were killed mostly by increasing doses of Luminal or other drugs either spoon-fed as medicine or mixed with their food. The dying lasted for days, sometimes weeks. In actual practice, the indications for killing eventually became wider and wider. Included were children who had "badly molded ears," who were bed-wetters, or who were perfectly healthy but designated as "difficult to educate." The children coming under the authority of the Reich Commission were originally mostly infants. The age was then increased from three years to seventeen years. Later, in 1944 and 1945, the work of the commission also included adults (quoted from Assumptions that Affect Our Lives by Christian Overman, 1996, p. 69) [boldface and italics mine].

In case you need help with the math, in less than 10 years, the killing went from “mostly infants” to unwanted children who had “badly molded ears,” who were “bed-wetters,” who were perfectly healthy but “difficult to educate. Those who were slated for death went from infants to three-year-olds to 17-year-olds to adults in less than 10 years.

Couldn't happen in America? Consider this: while abortion was unthinkable in the 1950s, today it's embraced by many as a "right" or a "choice." Infanticide is currently unthinkable to many Americans. We have a hard time believing that babies who are aborted couldn't possibly be born alive. They're just a blob of tissue, right? My dear friend and former employer Gianna Jessen, who was born during a saline abortion, is proof that a baby is not a blob of tissue and that babies who survive abortion attempts can go on to live full and prosperous lives given proper medical treatment at birth.

What if the abortionist had been present during Gianna's birth in 1977? She would have received proper medical treatment, right? Not so. The truth is, she would have been strangulated, suffocated, or left to die. Sadly, infanticide has been a reality in our country for years. In states like Illinois, infanticide is still legal.

"Even as far back as 1982, legal infanticide hit the headlines when the Indiana Supreme Court officially sanctioned the deliberate withholding of medical treatment and the subsequent starvation of a newborn child known to millions as 'Infant Doe.' Born with Down's Syndrome, the baby suffered from a blocked esophagus that could have been easily corrected through routine surgery. But the court granted the parents authority to withhold food. After six days, Infant Doe starved to death, not in an earthen jar, but in a modern, sterile American hospital" Assumptions that Affect Our Lives by Christian Overman (1996), p. 69.

Sobering, isn't it? The law protected the parents from being tried for murder. They let their baby starve to death, and the law protected them--not their baby. As a believer in the Most High God, I am commissioned to stand up for and plead the case of the orphan and the widow—to give a voice to those who cannot plead their own case. This is my plea.

Why did I say that a vote for Obama was a vote for genocide? One of the main reasons is this:

In his July 17, 2007 speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Obama said,

"We know that a woman's right to make a decision about how many children she wants to have and when— without government interference—is one of the most fundamental freedoms we have in this country. . . . I have worked on this issue for decades now. I put Roe at the center of my lesson plan on reproductive freedom when I taught constitutional law. . . So, you know where I stand. . . The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."

Do you know what the Freedom of Choice Act states? Have you taken the time to read it?

According to Wikipedia,

“The bill is described by NARAL Pro-Choice America president Nancy Keenan as a bill to ‘codify Roe v. Wade’ which would ‘repeal the Bush-backed Federal Abortion Ban,’ referring to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, ‘and other federal restrictions.’
Similarly, opponents of the bill assert that^[2] it would, if passed, invalidate every restriction on an abortion before the stage of viability, in every state, even those previously found consistent with Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court, such as parental notification laws, waiting periods, requirements of full disclosure of the physical and emotional risks inherent in abortion, and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Opponents further assert that it would challenge the right of religiously-based hospitals or clinics to refuse to perform abortions, and that it would force the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts the use of Federal funding for abortions. Conservative legal scholar Douglas Kmiec disagrees with the latter assertion, noting that the Hyde Amendment is renewed annually by Congress and argues that this legislation would not supersede it ^[3].

In other words, minors seeking abortions would not need parental consent. Waiting periods would be eliminated. Physical and emotional risks would not be disclosed. Doctors who currently refuse to perform abortions would be required to perform them by law. The partial-birth abortion ban act would be reversed. Taxpayer dollars would fund these "gruesome and inhumane" procedures. This is not a bill about abortion. It is a bill about infanticide: government-protected, and perhaps eventually government-legislated infanticide.

Let's go back to Wikipedia for a moment:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been vehemently opposed to the Freedom of Choice Act. According to the USCCB's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activites, FOCA would not only "codify the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade" but "in allowing and promoting abortion, FOCA goes far beyond even Roe."^[9] On November 12, 2008, Francis Cardinal George, president of the USCCB, warned that FOCA would limit the right of Catholic hospitals and doctors to not offer abortions adding that, "those who support FOCA must realize that if Catholic hospitals are ever required to perform abortions, the bishops will close every one of them; no one would be hurt more than the poor."^[10] Drawing on Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae, the Catholic apologist Frank M. Rega, S.F.O., writes^[11]:

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is legislation co-sponsored by Barack Obama which would nullify all state laws that in any way attempt to limit or regulate abortion, including partial-birth abortion. Ironically, it specifies that government will not interfere with a woman’s choice to keep or to kill her unborn child. Nevertheless, FOCA would be a major move towards the dangerous precipice of government-mandated abortion, since it would consolidate all power over birth control into the hands of federal law and authorities. From there it would only be a small step to amend it in the light of overriding national health interests, environmental or population concerns, or any other reason deemed appropriate. Thus the FOCA clause in section 4.b.1.a, stating that a woman has the “right to choose to bear a child” could conveniently and easily be changed to, for example, that a woman has the right to choose to bear up to two children. More ominously, it could be amended to state that a woman has the right to bear a child, except in cases of rape, incest, Down syndrome, etc. [boldface mine].

The pro-life organization Americans United for Life (AUL) began a petition called Fight FOCA to collect signatures to oppose FOCA. AUL also wrote an open letter to Senator Barack Obama on FOCA.^[12] As of Friday, December 5, 2008, at 22:39:00 UT, the Fight FOCA petition has 311,013 signatures.^[13]"

My signature is included among the many.

In her conclusion to "The Freedom of Choice Act: A Radical Attempt to Prematurely End Debate Over Abortion," Denise M. Burke, the AUL Vice President of Legal Affairs writes:

“Clearly FOCA will not make abortion safe or rare – on the contrary, it will actively promote abortion and do nothing to ensure its safety – so, abortion advocates’ unrelenting campaign to enact FOCA is a “wake-up call” to all Americans. If implemented, FOCA would invalidate common-sense, protective laws that the majority of Americans support. It will not protect or empower women. Instead, it would protect and promote the abortion industry, sacrifice women and their health to a radical political ideology, and silence the voices of everyday Americans who want to engage in a meaningful public discussion over the availability, safety, and even desirability of abortion.”

Can abortion become more or less legal? No. However, our President-to-be has made some promises to a very large, wealthy, influential organization that, if fulfilled, will open many doors to frightening places. I believe with my whole heart that we are a nation waltzing toward genocide. PRAY. SPEAK. ACT. Now is not the time to be silent. Remember, acquiescence means to agree in silence. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. warned us all against acquiescing. Stand up. Make your voice heard. Pray. We are a nation hinging on a great comeback or a great fall.