On Children In Church With the Big Peeps

I had a different blog post started, one that is a little more frivolous than this one...updates on life and such, but then, I randomly came across a blog and got sidetracked into looking around. I somehow quickly stumbled across a whole blog post dedicated to what was supposed to be a humorous response to children making noise in church. I'm still not quite sure where the author is headed with a few of these statements, but they sure do open up a big can of worms.

If we’re supposed to take our kids to big church and have them experience the same sermon adults experience, how come none of the disciples were little kids? How come we never heard about Timmy, the 4-year old disciple who used to get all grouchy when he hadn’t had a nap in a while and got sick of eating fish and loaves? Timmy wanted some chicken fingers!

You can read the whole article here: Babies Crying During the Sermon. Don't forget to read the many comments left, too. That's where it'll really get ya!

Children Can't Understand 

...the point of children's programs isn't to get them out of mom and dad's hair, but to provide them an opportunity to hear the message of God on a level they understand. -A Commenter

Maybe not in every church body, but I'm sure there are some parents out there who look forward to being able

to send their kids to kids church so that they can have a couple hours of "peace and quiet." That aside, children understand a lot more than adults give them credit for. If you're in a church body that teaches from the Scripture and uses that as the basis for everything, then your children most certainly ARE being provided with an opportunity to hear the message of God on a level they (yes, even the little guys) can understand. And if they have questions, then it's daddy's job to draw those out of the little guys over lunch on Sunday afternoon, thus providing an even better learning experience and opportunity for growth. A dad can't do this quite as well if he has no idea what his son or daughter has been learning about in kids church...

"Well, I Don't Like It."

I, for one, find it totally distracting to have a family with 3-4 kids crawling around, squacking, crying, etc. We went to a small church with a nursery, but one family did not take their kids down. They had kids every year (it seemed!), and sat near the front. My personality cannot handle such distractions, and I never got much out of the service as I watched this circus every week. Now, they are raising their 3 grand kids, and same circus. We now go elsewhere, but when we visit, I'm right back to distraction. I love this family too, don't get me wrong. Not judging, just saying that some personalities can block all this out, some can't. I for one would be embarrassed to have my kids causing someone to miss out on the message... -A Commenter

Not only would this make a family that chooses to keep their children with them during church feel awful, it also shows a lack of grace on the authors part. "Church" isn't for us. When we get together with other believers, it should be to help edify and encourage them, and in turn, we get edified and encouraged.

This whole thing is like an ice burg. Children in church is just the very tip. When we start looking a little further, we will find out that we're dealing with (what we deem) a "problem" when really, our whole "church" structure is the issue. WE are the Church. Church isn't a place you go to and listen to a pastor preach a sermon, although, this is what it has become today. And this is where the root of our problem is.

It's All About ME 

Our culture (and the ones before us) are so ME centered. We "go to church" expecting "me" to be encouraged, "me" to be taken care of (nursery, anyone?), "me" to be able to sit in peace and listen, and so on.

I love kids to death. But church time is my time to get away from the kids and peruse my relationship with God. I don't know why people would choose to have them in the large sanctuary over children's church, or whatever it's called in other churches. They learn age specific things about God and it's good for them.  -A Commenter

It's all backwards.

We should be getting together with fellow believers to have good wholesome conversation that edifies one

another, including the children. It would be so much more beneficial for everyone if the setting wasn't in a "sanctuary" with rows and rows of chairs or pews, but rather, a small group of people gathered in a living room after sharing a meal together, or at a park in the evening. Discussion, rather than a sermon. And really, this does two things. One, if there is discussion going on, the children are able to give their thoughts, ask questions, comment, etc. And two, it takes away the "need" for everything to be peace and quiet so that everyone can concentrate on one person because everyone is allowed to talk. We are a community, understanding of each other. Even the children.

The Truth 

• Children take in a lot more than adults give them credit for
• Parents are supposed to be the ones teaching their children 
• Anything that the children don't understand from the "big people lesson" can be used as a springboard for conversation at home
• "Church" is not done the way it was intended to be done 
• People are the church. Not a building 
• People need to be less "me-centered" and more "us-centered" 
• Our culture needs to revamp their view of children. Since when is a child making noise a bad thing?

Usually the parents that have their kids in service with them have a pretty good reason for doing so. Maybe

they want to be a part of what their kids are being taught at church. Maybe they believe in having the family together to worship. Maybe the mom breastfeeds but doesn't feel it's necessary to leave the service to feed her baby (after all, she can just do it right there!) There are tons of reasons that parents may have chosen to keep their children with them. The most important reason parent's choose to keep their children with them is so that they can do what God has called them to do.

Family doesn't need to be separated pretty much ever, and especially not when it comes to learning about God.

To The Folks Who Keep Their Kiddos With Them

First, I think that it is wonderful that you keep your kids with you during church. Even when it gets discouraging because of looks or comments from others, keep it up. Keep doing what the Lord has called your family to do, and don't let it get you down when others don't agree. Raising your children for the Lord is one of the highest callings, and one of the things we should treasure most and strive to do our best at. When times get discouraging, remember that your children are a blessing to you, and that God has trusted you to raise them for his glory. When they make noise, rejoice in the fact that they are alive and well, and that one day, and perhaps even now, they are using that voice to echo the amazing love of the Savior.

We meet in a home. The children are taught on their own level at home by their parents (a biblical mandate), and on Sunday they are a part of what the adults do. Why? Because children need to learn sit and listen, and much like children benefit from being read to on a higher grade level, they benefit from hearing adult conversation at an early age. Furthermore, when the entire family is broken up during the service, each age level is on a completely different page from each other, and has no way of really digging deep together outside of the building. We live in a massively age/generation segregated society, and I think it is unscriptural. As far as it being a distraction to other adults, I really think we need to step back and see that taking care of our kids is just part of real life, and we shouldn't keep the children back, like the disciples did from Jesus, because they are learning not to make too much noise. -John at Restoration Homestead 

A Little Background 

Consider the way Jesus talked to children. He said "let the little children come unto me," so clearly there were children present listening to his teaching. Families learned and traveled together. And take a look at the early church for another example. When we look at the Bible, we can't find mention of any sort of segregated children's ministry. It was a household affair. (See Acts 16:33-34 and 18:8)

To Sum It All Up

I believe "church" should be a family affair. It is the parent's responsibility to raise and teach their own children - not a Sunday school teachers. Fellowship should be a time of just that: fellowship. Think how much richer fellowship will be if you have a range of ages instead of sending each age group off to their own separate room! Everyone will have a better opportunity for growth when they are allowed to learn from those older (and younger) than them. And besides...

It's the way God intended it to be.

Your Thoughts

Many of you are here from Facebook, and if you feel like leaving your comments, you'll probably end up doing so on Facebook. Feel free! Why do you agree or disagree? If you choose to keep (or not keep) your children with you during church, why? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Qoheleth's Birth Story

I woke around 3:00am Saturday morning to my first real non-Braxton/Hicks contractions. After trying to go back to sleep, and sleeping on and off, Chuck and I decided to get up and try to take a morning walk. After showering and getting dressed, a walk no longer sounded appealing. We decided to stick around the house and wait these contractions out. Everyone said that if you “think” you’re in labor, then you’re not. When you’re in labor you’ll absolutely know it. After having this in my mind, I guess I wasn’t too sure if this actually was labor. I hadn’t had any previous “pretend labor” moments, but this sure felt pretty intense. When contractions didn’t let up for a few hours, we decided to give Julie (our doula) a call and let her know what was going on. She asked if I had lost my mucus plug, was having bloody show, or if my water had broken yet. At that moment, none of those things had taken place. She figured we were still a ways out, and that this was very early labor still. She mentioned that we probably wouldn’t have the baby until Sunday or possibly even Monday. Not exactly what I wanted to hear at that moment. ;)

I continued having contractions throughout the morning. I went to use the bathroom at one point and lost my mucus plug. It was so exciting to finally feel like a big step was being made towards having this baby! We let Julie know, and she said that it all probably hasn’t come out yet. Yet again not exactly what I wanted to hear. I was hoping for something more along the lines of “WOW! I’ll be right over!!” as I pictured her grabbing her purse and rushing out the door to attend our birth. But no. She didn’t think we were close yet.

Chuck had bought the first two seasons of Duck Dynasty for me to watch during labor to keep my mind off the contractions and give us something fun to do during the long hours. I’m so thankful for such a thoughtful man! We sat on the couch together, me moaning in pain and sounding like a drowning hippo as the contractions came, some more intense than others. I’m not sure how much Duck Dynasty I missed through my moans, but once the contractions were over, watching a light hearted fast paced show was a welcome reprieve. Chuck made sure I had water and food throughout the day to keep me energized and hydrated. At the end of one of the contractions I felt a gush, and my water broke. (Thankfully Chuck had planned ahead and had given me a towel to sit on!) All of the sudden the pain from the contraction couldn’t even be felt as excitement overrode the pain. My water; another seemingly big step toward giving birth! Once again we texted Julie and she responded “Great!” Yes, this was most certainly true labor. Mucus plug, broken water, and strong contractions.

The contractions continued on through the day. Chuck continued to make sure I had water and juice to drink, along with food to eat when I felt like it (which I really didn’t...but Julie said to eat things that would give me strength, so I tried.) I finally decided I wanted Julie to come over to our house and check up on me. She arrived at about 8 o’clock Saturday evening. Once she walked into our house she asked me how I was doing, and I think I just answered “It hurts.” I’m pretty sure I sort of smile/smirked too, but I wanted to be careful not to smile too much because I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t really for truly in labor! I remember being told before that if a woman is smiling and laughing through “labor” then it’s not really labor. And there was no way I was going to let Julie think I wasn’t really in labor! My labor must have been pretty convincing though, even through my smile, because she told us she was going to run home and get her birthing bag and be back in about 20 minutes. Yay! Since Julie was staying, that made me super happy. Labor for *real*!!

Before she left, she started telling me to relax and explained how to let the contractions roll over me. She reminded me that every contraction is one more closer to our baby. She told me to not tense up my shoulders, and to breathe deeply and slowly, and not in little gasps like I was doing. I remember reading in a book that your cervix “mimics” your jaw. So if your jaw is tensed, then your cervix is going to do the same. I was trying super hard to keep my jaw relaxed through the contractions so my cervix would follow suit.

The birthing pool.

While Julie was getting her birthing bag, I decided I wanted to get back in the birthing pool. I had been back and forth from the pool to the couch throughout the day. The comfort of the water was incredible, and I would have stayed in the water through the whole labor, but Julie informed me that I’d end up looking like a big raisin. Didn’t really want that. So I spent about two hours in at a time. Chuck sat with me each and every time, even bringing the laptop and setting it up so I could see it and turned on Duck Dynasty for me to watch! He continually offered me water and juice, and was a constant encouragement. I am so thankful for him!

The hour passed by, and around 11pm I told myself that I was going to have this baby by 12pm. I set a goal in my mind, and before long, midnight arrived. Still no baby. But boy, the contractions were still coming strong. Around 2am, I was so tired and complaining that I just couldn’t do this anymore. Julie and Chuck kept telling me that I could, that my body was made for this, and that everything was okay. It was so easy to let worry and doubt creep in at that point! All I wanted to do was sleep. Julie offered to listen to the baby’s heartbeat to put my mind at ease, and as she put her tool on my tummy, we heard one of the most amazing sounds ever. Our child’s heartbeat! Because we never had an ultrasound done, this was the first time we had heard this.

Contractions were still coming, and I was getting more and more tired. Julie suggested drinking a small amount of wine to help the contractions slow down enough so that I could try to sleep for a little while. We didn’t have any wine, but we did have vodka, which we use for making tinctures. (For more on tinctures, see here.) I decided to try it. Needless to say, vodka is the most disgusting drink I’ve ever tasted. I drank about ¼ cup and tried my hardest to not throw it up. Surprisingly, I succeeded through Julie and Chuck’s coaching to breathe deeply and relax. Wowza. Gross, gross. gross.

Julie headed home once again to try to get a couple hours of sleep and nurse her babies, while Chuck and I crawled into bed and turned on a movie to fall asleep to. I slept on and off for about an hour, waking rudely every little while to a hard contraction. I tried drinking a little more vodka, but this time wasn’t able to keep any of it down and ended up throwing it all back up all over our bed. Not cool for me or the bed. Finally I couldn’t take the waking and sleeping any longer, got out of bed, and went back to the birthing pool. Chuck and I sat in the office together, me in the birthing pool, and Chuck in his office chair, contraction after contraction, getting closer and closer every time. Chuck sent Julie a text just telling her that we were back in the pool again and that we were finally seeing more bloody show. Even though we I was in the water, I still was dozing off between contractions, just to be woken again a few minutes later. After a little while of this, things really started to move.

I could feel the baby in the birth canal. I wasn’t 100% about what I was feeling. It partially felt like just having to go to the bathroom, and I wasn’t sure if it was that, or if it actually WAS the baby. As it turned out, it was indeed our child.

At this point, we hadn’t texted Julie to give her an update. I was in the throes of being ready to push this baby out, and I was excited at the possibility of Chuck delivering the baby without the help of Julie. The contractions were doing their own thing now, and my body pushed with them without me even having to tell it to, just like Julie said would happen. Another checkpoint! I could feel the baby’s head moving closer and closer to coming out with each push. Finally I could tell that it was getting super close, so Chuck got in the pool with me. Chuck and I could feel the baby’s head with our fingers, and the desire to be done with labor and meet our baby was so intense, I told myself this baby is just coming and that’s that! Contractions kept coming, and every time, the baby was getting closer and closer. Before too long, Chuck told me he could actually see the baby’s head. The excitement!! More pushing, even closer to meeting our child then we were a minute ago.

At last, we were at the end of labor and delivery. Chuck was encouraging me. I remember him saying things like “I can see the head!” and “You can do it honey!” and “Just keep pushing!” I was so thankful for his encouragement. He made it so much easier at the end, telling me I could do it and telling me what he could see happening with the baby! It was incredibly exciting. It was just us, experiencing the biggest thing of our lives together, ready to welcome our baby into the world completely alone.

With one last push, the baby’s head was out and following was the rest of his wet little body that slid right out with ease. It was 4:15am, and we had our first child: a son. Chuck pulled him out of the water, and for the first time, we saw our little boy in all his cuteness. What an incredible moment! When Chuck lifted him out of the water, we saw that the cord was around his neck, so we unwrapped it and Chuck handed me our son. He wasn’t crying, and I wasn’t sure why. (I guess I watched too many Hollywood movies where the babies always came out screaming and bloody!) It worried us for a few minutes, along with the fact that he didn’t seem to be breathing immediately. We patted his back, and I remember praying and asking God to let everything be okay. Looking back, I realize it was silly to be worried because, as I learned about 15 minutes afterwards, that is totally normal for a baby born in the water. Julie said that “water birth babies” usually don’t cry because they have nothing to cry about. And the breathing: totally normal. Nonetheless, for first time parents, these things were a little concerning at first!

Chuck called Julie just a few minutes after birth to tell her that the baby was here, and Julie told him that she had her phone in hand, and was just getting ready to call to see how things were going. Pretty cool timing!

Fifteen minutes after birth, Julie showed up to help me and the baby get out of the birthing pool and into bed. Chuck had previously made a walkway of chux pads from the birthing pool, down the hall, through the bedroom, right up to my side of the bed. They were very helpful! Once I got settled on the bed, Chuck and Julie cleaned up a few things. Before long, Julie helped me birth the placenta by pushing on my stomach and having me get into a squatting position. Goodness, giving birth to a mass of soft pliable tissue was a breeze compared to giving birth to a baby! ;) Once the placenta was out, Julie examined it to make sure all the pieces were there, and while doing so, explained parts of the placenta to me. (Placentas are amazing, by the way!) Julie wrapped the placenta up in a chux pad as she and Chuck continued to get things in order. We delayed clamping our baby’s cord for about two hours so that our sweet son could get all of his blood from the placenta. So while I sat on the bed with our little sweet baby, cuddling and admiring him, he continued getting blood from the placenta. After the two hours were up, Chuck cut the cord and tied it off with unwaxed dental floss. Julie and Chuck proceeded to weigh our little guy and measure him. In the midst of all that, we nursed for the first time. What an incredible experience!

Qoheleth Andrew McKnight
Born May 12, 2013
5 pounds 13 ounces
19 inches long

Postpartum

Now to catch you up to date, Qoheleth has gained almost two pounds since birth (weighing in at 7lbs 12oz), is exclusively breastfed, loves being in a ring sling, loves listening to Chuck sing and play his guitar, and loves being outside. Seeing Qoheleth’s personality develop over these past 3 and a half weeks has been incredible! This adventure is just getting started...we have SO much to look forward to!

Healing up after birth went exceedingly well. For the first week and a half I experienced being pretty sore in my pelvis area, falling in love with sitz baths even more than I was while pregnant, and waking multiple times during the night to take care of Qoheleth. I also experienced more of being told to take it easy, slow down, and “let me do it for you” offers from my family and my beloved husband. I am so thankful for a man who takes such good care of me even when I am utterly stubborn about it!

We were also blessed with a wonderful doula, and are so thankful we were able to meet Julie for this amazing experience!

If you're wondering about the name Qoheleth, Chuck has written a blog post explaining the meaning of the name over on BeingFilled.com. An interesting factoid about our son's name is that we had it picked out before we were even married. <3

Today, Qoheleth is 3 weeks and 4 days old. He’s already grown so much...Chuck and I are so thankful the Lord chose us to be his parents and raise him up to love and honor the Lord. What a huge blessing and honor! We pray that God would help us to do this, and we also pray that our son will grow up with a passion to live solely for Christ.

Book Review: The Other Baby Book

First off, I want to start by saying that every parent (or parent to be) should read this book. I kid you not. This book is concise, full of humor, extremely fun and easy to read, and absolutely jam packed with important (and often disregarded) information.

For Starters...

This book has an awesome name. The Other Baby Book. The one you're not going to find on the shelves at Barnes and Nobles. The one that you're probably not even going to come across unless you happen to be in a random "natural parenting" Facebook group (or here reading this blog post. ;)) The random "natural parenting" Facebook group is how I found out about this book and from there, promptly requested a review copy. I was not in the least disappointed. Being a new mama myself, and trying to do things quite opposite of most modern day practices, this book is one that holds a lot of great information in an easy to understand writing style that makes it fun and enjoyable to read and learn from.

I've even considered giving this book to family members to help give them an understanding on where Chuck and I are coming from with some of the choices we have made regarding the way we do things with our baby. Because it's an easy to read, frank, and lighthearted book, it would be perfect for this.

What's Within?

Within The Other Baby Book you will find all sorts of information and encouragement. I love how the authors provide their thoughts on the subject, but they are also sure to include research and other information that back up their claims. Not only is this book reliable, it's also well researched.

From the beginning of the book:

Our purpose in writing this new mama guide is to bring to life an often-forgotten truth: a mother’s instinct is the best resource she has to create a joyful and connected relationship with her baby. The estimated $ 100 + billion dollar global baby product industries would rather you buy into this prevalent myth: mothering is a burden to be relieved by modern technologies. Today’s moms are pressured (know it or not) to believe that a crib, disposable diapers, formula and sleep-training books are baby essentials. But we’ll give you the other side to the story, like any good friend would.

This gives you a good idea where the authors are coming from and where the content is headed. I love that they cover everything from breastfeeding (even including some basic tips) to co-sleeping, to how important physical touch is. And yes, pretty much everything the authors say is indeed contrary to popular belief and practice. And that's part of what makes this book so awesome!

The Other Baby Book is written from a purely informational standpoint. So you won't be finding any new-age junk here! 

Table of Contents

Foreword by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker
Intro: welcome to an “other” world
Birth: bring forth new life
Touch: nurture with affection
Milk: feed with love
Sleep: rest in security
Potty: respond to elimination cues
Relate: connect from the heart
Eat: enjoy food together
Flow: letting go into joy
Authors’ Helpline
Join Our Community
The Other Baby Bookshelf
Chapter Notes
Acknowledgements

My Recommendation

I HIGHLY recommend this The Other Baby Book. Like I mentioned earlier, I've considered giving this book to family to read so they can have a better understanding of where Chuck and I are coming from. This book would make a  great baby shower book, too! Especially if you know the mama is already sort of "natural." The Other Baby Book, while not huge and overwhelming, is one of the best reference books I have ever come across when it comes to doing things "opposite."

While yes, there are some things that I still don't agree with and probably wouldn't utilize, it doesn't mean they are not right for another family, and it certainly doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend this book. All in all, The Other Baby Book and I see eye to eye.

Your Thoughts

So what are your thoughts? Have you read The Other Baby Book? How did you like it? Would or wouldn't you recommend it? Why? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Baby Bumps, Book Deals, And Pictures

We're finally all moved into our new apartment. There's just one room that still needs a tad of unpacking, but not much. The feeling of having everything done before baby (just like I was hoping for!) is such a good one! And this new apartment is just awesome. The extra space is incredible! The way we have it arranged is just great, and best of all, the kitchen is magnificent. Having more space to work is awesome. I didn't really realize how much I'd actually love having a window in the kitchen even though it doesn't sit over the sink. Chuck bought me a bird feeder that suction cups to the window and the birds just flock to it. It's TONS of fun to watch them. Although, I think they may be pigs with feathers instead of finches and sparrows...those things eat like crazy!

Baby prep is going well. We now have everything we need to have a complete homebirth. Meaning, we have the right kind of scissors to cut the cord, the right kind of string to tie the cord off, and lots of other small items that will come in handy. My New Mama Tush bath should be coming in the mail any day now, and I'm super excited about that too! (It's a mixture of herbs for after birth for mama and baby to bathe in. It helps with healing.)

I have a good amount of freezer meals made and frozen, which was another thing that I wanted to be sure to have done before baby McKnight arrived. As it happened, getting my list of important things to do before baby arrival done has actually been a lot easier than I thought it might be. ;)

The other main thing I wanted to have done before the arrival date was to make sure that the house looked ready for company. Oh, and get curtains for the kitchen - which again, was able to happen because my awecious husband took me to Goodwill on a 50% off day and I found a beautiful valance for about $3 that looks amazing! Yay for sales and thrift stores!

Speaking of thrift stores...last Sunday we decided to go exploring in a new part of Cincinnati and happened upon a super cool thrift store down a little out of the way street. This place was huge! (And I still don't know the name of it!) Anyway, they were having a 50% off sale on vases, pots, and books. Yes, BOOKS! WHOOHOO! And guess what's even better? In the children's book section, hard backs were 50 cents, and paperbacks 25 cents. THAT means that the sale was 1/2 off THOSE prices. Paperbacks only 12.5 cents?! YES PLEASE! Take a look at what we found by scouring those shelves for probably a little over an hour...

Back to the baby update, we're two days away from 40 weeks, which is super duper exciting. My belly feels huge, and I'll bet little baby is feeling a little cramped right about now. Mama is too. Sleeping comfortably is becoming a challenge, but I've found that the most comfy way to sleep is laying sorta on my side, sorta on my back with blankets stuffed behind my back and pillows in front of me. I like sleeping, especially these days! 

Everyone in mine and Chuck's family is writing their guesses down as to the date of arrival, gender, weight, length, and name. I can't wait to see who is closest!! I also can't wait to see their guesses for names... 

Here's a few pictures. :) 

In other news, my upcoming review of The Other Baby Book is going to be going live soon. I'm so looking forward to writing this review, and can't wait to spread the news of such a great book. 

Lastly, one of the best baby gifts we've received (only not via mail yet!) is this incredible baby sling (pictured below!) I can not WAIT to start using this with our little chunkamunka! Be sure to check out the Etsy store where it was purchased from. You can get there by clicking on the link on the right hand side bar.

Well, maybe by next time we'll have a wee one to post pictures of. ;) Until then, be blessed ye reader!

Book Review: Beautiful Babies

 

The first major introduction to how much nutrition affects your baby came from our birthing classes given by our doula. Before then, I had a basic understanding of what it meant to "eat healthy" and "eat whole foods" but I never realized the extent and depth of importance these things actually have!

I was excited to discover Beautiful Babies, and have almost everything our doula taught us literally written out in book format. This is a big deal for me since it means I can keep it forever, highlight, underline, make notes, and go back to it over and over again. Plus, I can loan the book out. So it's a win for everybody!

What It's About 

Beautiful Babies is about nutrition for fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and baby's first foods. That sounds pretty all encompassing, but you might be surprised that it includes a LOT more than that. Also, Beautiful Babies is a book you'll want to have your hands on even if you're not pregnant. The wealth of information and knowledge within this book is so helpful for day to day living, whether you have kiddos, are pregnant, want to get pregnant, or are just living on your own with a desire to eat healthier.

Highlights

Kristen Michaelis is an easy to read writer. I find this very helpful when reading a book jam packed with information. It helps in keeping it from becoming a chore to read, and it also helps in keeping your encouraged, rather than discouraged with trying to hold all the information in your head. And that's an easy thing to happen when you're trying to learn how to eat healthier.

Beautiful Babies is divided into two parts. Part One is about nutrition, and Part Two is a collection of recipes to help get you started in your quest for eating healthier. This book also includes a collection of beautiful full color photographs of the finished dishes! Talk about making you hungry...

Beautiful Babies is 255 pages long. The book is a typical size - not huge, and not small. I enjoy this when it comes to an informational book because it makes toting it around a lot easier. It's the perfect size for slipping into a backpack and carrying with you.

Something To Note

Beautiful Babies is written from a purely informational standpoint. They mention "evolving" and also "millions of years ago." However, this in no way affects the information in the book. The author and I just come at things a little differently when it comes to "evolving" and the age of the earth.

Table Of Contents 

Part One: Nutrition for Fertility, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, & Baby's First Foods

1. Paradigm Shifts
2. Why Nutrition Matters
3. Just Say No
4. What to Eat Instead
5. Taking Care of the Gut
6. Eating For Fertility and Pregnancy
7. Nutritional Myth-Busting
8. Beyond Nutrition: Alternative Treatments for Fertility and Pregnancy
9. Breastfeeding and Homemade Formulas
10. Baby's First Foods

Part Two: Recipes for Sacred Foods

11. Snacks and Condiments
12. Odd Bits: Organs and Bones
13. Seafood
14. Eggs
15. Beverages

Appendix A: Understanding Food Ingredient Labels
Appendix B: Eating Real Food on a Budget
Endnotes

As you can see, this book just about covers it all. I love the fact that in the chapter called What to Eat Instead, the author explains to you the best options, and then proceeds to tell your your second best options, third best options, and also your fourth best options. I think this is so helpful because it doesn't just leave you hanging if for some reason the first option isn't available to you.

You'll learn so much from this book, and best of all, you'll be encouraged to start implementing some of the information into your own life without becoming overwhelmed.

My Recommendation 

I highly recommend Beautiful Babies. Like I said earlier, even if you're not a mama, this book holds great information in an easy to understand manner that makes learning fun instead of hard.

If you've read Beautiful Babies, or books similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Behold, Children Are A Gift

Yesterday Chuck and I were sitting on the patio enjoying the weather, catching up on Facebook, and casually chatting back and forth. While I was scrolling through my news feed, I came across the same article shared by multiple friends, so I clicked over, figuring it must be a good one. It was most certainly an article worth reading and sharing!

This article, titled Having Babies in Opposite World (Read the whole article here.) is about the discouragement new parents receive from the world about marrying and having children young. It's about the lack of encouragement newlyweds and newly pregnant mothers receive (or rather don't receive!) And it's about the direct attack on families by the outright rude and degrading comments couples who DO choose to have as many children as God wants them to have receive. If you're a young mother, a mother of more than 2, a stay at home mom, or a young person getting ready to enter into marriage, then I'm sure you've received some sort of negative remark or another that seemed totally uncalled for.

For me, when Chuck and I were courting, I had people telling me that I was too young (19 too young to get married? Pshh.) I had people tell me that I should wait and live life, experience life (You mean as opposed to what I'm already doing; working a full time job, living with roommates, buying my own food, paying my own rent, and taking care of myself?) The things people say are quite humorous sometimes! So basically they were telling me to PASS UP the biggest and best thing that ever happened to me. That makes a lot of sense...

Follow your dreams, they say.

You won't be sorry, they say.

The man of my dreams walked into my life. He romanced my heart. Asked me to marry him. Gave me a beautiful ring to wear. Helped me plan my future. Married me. Gave me everything I ever wanted. He provides my food, a wonderful home, great companionship, advice, correction, guidance. He gave me our first beautiful baby, and plans to give us lots more. Supports me in every area of life, encourages me in my adventures.

They were right. I wasn't sorry, and I'm still not. And I'm never going to be sorry.

And people told me to wait. Wait for what? Something better than this? I don't think such a thing exists. I would have been the biggest fool to ignore the man God put in front of me to chase after the things friends were telling me I would be happier with.

Ever since I was young, my dream was to be a wife and mommy, just like my mom. My dreams were a little different than most of the other world. But does that mean they aren't dreams? Absolutely not. My goals in life were (and are) different than most of the other world. Does that mean they aren't goals just because they aren't typical? Of course not. So why do people say "Follow your dreams!" and "Chase after your goals!" and then tell you to NOT when they realize that your dreams and goals aren't the same as theirs? Kind of silly, if you ask me.

Yes, everyone has different dreams, different goals, and different ideas. It's no fun being cookie cutter people who are all running after the same thing. Besides, if we did that, the earth wouldn't be around much longer. If every woman decided to "live life" like my friends encouraged me to do, there wouldn't be any women having children under the age of 30. There would be a decrease in world population. And before too long, people would just cease to exist!

It sounds like most of the world has a desire to self destruct.

God has called me, as he has called many other women, to get married and bear children for the glory of God. Before folks start assuming I'm saying God calls all women into this quest, I'm not. Sometimes God does indeed have other plans for women. And they should absolutely follow in those plans as God is leading. I do think, though, that because our view of families and raising children for the Lord has become so skewed, that many women do indeed miss out on the calling of being a wife and mother simply because they are so absorbed trying to become a woman of the culture.

I love this excerpt from the Desiring God blog:

Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.
Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.

So after I finished reading the article I mentioned above, I shared it on Facebook and continued scrolling through my news feed.

About 3 or 4 status down my Facebook page I came across a status that included the statement that "anyone who wants more than one kid is crazy." Huh. Funny how that happens isn't it? I just got done reading an article all about having babies, being different from the cultural norm, and then I spotted this. My hackles got a little raised, and I decided to comment. (I probably shouldn't have.) I said "Children are a blessing! And we want as many as God will give us." I was going to say something like "Children are a blessing! And call me crazy, because we want as many as God will give us!"

I don't mind being called crazy. I like being a little crazy.

What bugs me is when people don't seem to realize what a blessing children are, and how clearly the Bible speaks to this fact. And to anyone whom God has called to have more than one child, they are deemed crazy.

Crazy for living out the life the God of the universe has called you to. I kind of like that. It sounds extreme and exciting. And in all realness, it IS extreme and exciting. It's the best adventure in life EVER!

I can take being called crazy, I can take being made fun of, being the butt of rude jokes, stares, and pointing fingers. Really, people already think we're a little crazy for the way we do things...natural birth, no unnecessary hospital visits, home church, homemade medicines, our homeschooling mindset, no vaccines, and the list goes on and on. Hey, adding lots of children to the mix really won't be that different! ;)

Yes, being called crazy might be frustrating sometimes. I'm not saying it will never hurt or get annoying, but what I am saying is that it's TOTALLY worth being called crazy to follow after the dreams God is calling you to fulfill. It is totally worth being seen as odd, and having an overwhelming amount of people tell you that you shouldn't do things "this way" or "that way." It's worth all the frustration. It's worth lots of dirty diapers, never ending laundry, a messy house, criticizing friends (and maybe even family sometimes...), hard long days and nights, and it's most certainly worth every every little hug and kiss you receive from your precious little arrows God has blessed you with.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3

 That sounds pretty straightforward to me. Children are a blessing. We need to embrace them, love them, nurture them, teach them about the Lord, and help equip them to do the same for the children they will one day be raising.

Both Chuck and I are thankful for parents who raised us for the Lord. Because of the godly heritage we had and still have, we are better able to raise our children the same way.

Yes, I know we are still expecting our first (any day now!) Yes, I know that we haven't "experienced" parenthood or long sleepless nights with a fussy baby yet. In truth, though, I'm looking forward to those nights. I'm looking forward to the trials and hardships of being a mama. I am looking forward to God using labor and parenthood as a refining process for me, as he has already used my pregnancy. I'm looking forward to growing closer to the Lord, to my husband, and to our children throughout this journey. And already, I can say I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Those folks who told me to follow my dreams were right. I wouldn't be sorry.

So what are your thoughts on this topic? How do you handle negative comments? What are some things you find encouraging and helpful when it comes to living in "opposite world" as Courtney so aptly put it? Leave a comment and let me know! 

And By This We Know...

Surprisingly, I feel like I'm on a little writing streak right now. Seems funny in the midst of trying to move, live in a house made of boxes (hey, it's like being a kid again!), and working other details out in random areas of life. But there is this thing that has been kind of domineering over my thought life lately.

Have you seen that movie called Walking Across Egypt? It's about a teenager who has absolutely no one in life but a friend in the delinquency prison he is in, and this older lady who seeks to be Jesus "to the least of these." The boy, through a series of events, ends up breaking out of the prison, and living with this older lady who he is convinced must be his grandma. (She's not of course.) They live life together, and the lady treats him just like she'd treat her own son. Giving him good home cooked meals, taking him fishing, going swimming, and living life. Even through this love that she shows, the boy's heart is still without Jesus and wicked. He steals her keys, and even takes money out of the cookie jar on the counter, and all the while, his plans are to eventually escape the area altogether.

The most incredible part of this movie is the fact that even though the boy wrongs this older lady over and over again, she NEVER stops forgiving, she never stops providing what she can for him, and she continues to be Jesus "to the least of these" even after it got uncomfortable for her.

And to me, that's pretty cool.

They did a great job of portraying a real life "Jesus" in today's culture through this movie. Sometimes we get so busy with life that we forget to stop and take a look at those around us. We forget the see that others have needs. We tend to be so selfish and self-absorbed that the people in need all around us are getting pushed to the wayside and forgotten.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he [Jesus] said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." -Matthew

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. -1 John

I know most of us don't have hundreds and hundreds of dollars to spare. But what about the $5 in your wallet that you were going to buy your coffee from Starbucks with? What about the few spare bills you have stashed in your back pocket for a snack to tide you over until dinnertime? When I think about things like this, I realize that I CAN do without my Starbucks or bag of chips...especially when there are other folks out there who are standing on the street, sleeping in cars, eating out of garbage cans, and going hours and hours between meals.

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I've never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world: population me

I try to stay awake during Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give 'til it hurts
And I turn off the news when I don't like what I see
It's easy to do when its population me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world

Stopped at the red light, looked out my window
I saw a cardboard sign said, "Help this homeless widow"
And just above that sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, "God, what have I been doing?"
So I rolled down the window and I looked her in the eye
Oh, how many times have I just passed her by?
I gave her some money then I drove on through
And my own little world reached population two

Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put Your light in my eyes and let me see
That my own little world is not about me

I don't wanna miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start living right now
Outside my own little world.

My stomach growls? Let it be a reminder to me to be thankful that I have a beautiful kitchen to come home to and create a nice dinner in. Let it be a cause to be thankful rather than a cause to grumble because I'm a little hungry. There are folks out there who haven't even had their first meal today, or a hot cup of coffee, and are wondering how they are going to feed their baby, or if they will even be able to.

We have so much in life! So much to be thankful for, and so much to bless others with if we will only open our eyes and hearts and live out love like Jesus did. Exactly like we are supposed to.

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the brokenhearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way You've seen the people all along

We have so much opportunity. We have so many chances to show the love of Jesus to others. I've been really encouraged lately to stop being so "me" centered and instead, look around me and see how I can bless others with what we have - even if it is small. Even just a smile, a $10 bill, a hamburger, a friendly conversation. Life keeps us walking so fast sometimes that we fail to see the people God has put around us, the people God is using to train US to be more like himself.