Book Review: Global Mom

I am a member of a book club in my ward (meaning I am on the email list, so I know what book we are reading and where we are meeting each month), though I have only finished two books in the last 8 months? of book club membership.  As much as I enjoy it, I just don't have/make time for pleasure reading.  When I get into a book, I have a hard time getting other things done- including sleeping- until the book is finished.  That's what happened to me when I read Global Mom by Melissa Dalton-Bradford.  

"After more than twenty years living internationally—sixteen addresses, eight countries and five different  languages—writer Melissa Bradford shares a fantastic journey of motherhood that will inspire any family.

Follow this family of six on their passage—extraordinary, hilarious and heartbreakingly poignant—from Bright Lights (of New York City) to the Northern Lights (of Norway) to the City of Light (Paris) to the speed-of-light of the Autobahn (in Munich).  Continue deep into the tropics of Southeast Asia (Singapore) and end your voyage in the heights of the Swiss Alps (Geneva).

As varied as the topography—the craggy fjords, the meandering Seine, the black forests, the muggy tropics, the soaring Alps—this multicultural tale traverses everything from giving birth in a château in Versailles to living on an island in a fjord. From singing jazz on national Norwegian T.V. to judging an Indonesian beauty contest. From navigating the labyrinth of French bureaucracy and the traffic patterns of Singapore to sitting around a big pine table where the whole family learns languages, cultures, cuisines—where they, in short, learn to love this complex and diverse world and, most importantly, each other." (From Amazon's synopsis)

I got a taste of cultures around the world through Melissa's experiences.  I love her writing style and descriptive details. Her observations about people and life are honest and full of wisdom.  She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (she's actually the niece of former Young Women's General President Elaine Dalton who was my mom's dorm mom at BYU. . . we all have connections through BYU, right? :), and some of the most poignant parts of the book are about her faith and her family.  You HAVE to read this book!  It will broaden your horizons and strengthen your faith.  

Call or email  or comment when you do read it so we can have our own mini-book-club and chat about it! 

Blog blog blog, blog blog-a-log...

Do you ever feel like this?

I kindof do all the time these days. I know I missed my blog day like 4 times or something. You know, my friends, I like a lot of things about myself, but if I could change one thing, it would be my forgetfulness. I am a really talented forgetter. Now I need to work on the talent of remembering. Sigh, well, here we are. 

Swing Shifts

I was referred to this talk by Sister Julie Beck from the 2010 Women's Conference by a friend. Here's the part I am going to emphasize today:

In order to prioritize time wisely, I learned something from my father-in-law years ago. He was a steel worker and spent his life working three different shifts. He either worked the day shift, the afternoon shift, or the night shift. As a young mother I realized one time that I was working all three shifts, and that’s why I was so tired. We can’t do all things all at once, and we have to be careful and safeguard our shifts. 

As I have talked to young mothers and mothers with children at home—those with teenagers and young adults especially—they tell me that their most important shift to be at the top of their game, to be the strongest lioness at the gate is the “swing shift.” That’s the afternoon shift. That’s when everyone comes home hungry, tired, needy, and less lovable. It is when you are hungry, tired, needy, and less lovable. It is also the time of day when people are more teachable, when they are most grateful. When we realize and prioritize our time properly, we don’t expect to use all of our strength on the other two shifts so that the afternoon shift can be safeguarded and can be a time of strength and power. We plan for times when the meals are there together, when we can create that home environment and when that family can gather, and you are the strengthening power and force in that family. Remember that influence and power come when we prioritize correctly. If you spend time elsewhere, you don’t have it to give. For other women it might be another time of the day. Some of us have to be on call during the day shift. There are many who need help during the day. Service is needed during the day, but look at and evaluate your life. Ask “Where do I need to prioritize my time?” and “When do I have to be at the top of my game?” I have learned that a good woman with the help of the Lord can usually work two to two and a half shifts. However, no one can work all three shifts. You have to prioritize where you are going to spend your energy.

I feel like lately, I have been trying to work all three shifts, and I have been feeling burnt out. I like the idea of finding what time I need to be at the top of my game, and focusing my energy there. I find that if I am fully present with my son for his preferred morning schedule of (1) play time and (2) breakfast time, then he will play by himself for a bit whilst I clean up the kitchen and get ready for the day's activities. And then I have some other times of the day where I need to spend my strength. I feel like mealtimes are a huge part of that, and I can safeguard my energy and time so I have it to give at the important moments. 

What are your thoughts?

Meatless Meals - Quinoa Vegetable Teriyaki Bowl

We recently tried a new vegan recipe that I actually really enjoyed - Teriyaki Veggie Quinoa bowls. I was excited to find a new recipe for quinoa as it is a complete protein and a great way to get protein without meat. It was also more filling than I thought it would be.

The original recipe is found here but I kind of simplified it. I just used a frozen bag of stir fry vegetables and cooked those up in regular oil (I'm not into the whole coconut oil thing - it's really high in saturated fat although it would probably give it a nice tropical flavor). For the sauce I just used soy sauce and I didn't have much maple syrup so I put in some brown sugar. Next time I will make more sauce as it wasn't a lot of sauce to flavor all the quinoa. Also, I never have minced garlic or ginger so I just used powdered.

I didn't take a picture but you can click on the link above to see what it ends up looking like. Ammón wasn't a huge fan as he isn't big on cooked vegetables but he ate it. Zeke took a few bites which I figure a success and with more exposure he'll get more used to quinoa. If you try it I'd make sure and serve it with some sides that your kiddos like to make sure they have other stuff to fill up on just like introducing any new food. We had strawberries on the side for our meal.

Also, Happy Birthday to my Zeker today, he's 4! We're celebrating up in the mountains at Glacier National Park!

Ear infections

Some of the most common questions I get are regarding ear infections.  And I have had a lot of experience personally with them as well.  Isaac used to get them all the time as a baby/toddler, and he eventually got tubes in his ears.
In basic terms an ear infection is when the middle ear becomes blocked in some way and that blockage becomes infected.  This is a very common ailment in children/babies.  However, it can also be an over diagnosed ailment as well.  When Isaac was younger, as I said, he would get ear infections all them time, and they would prescribe antibiotics all the time.  And he would have reactions to those antibiotics.  It got to the point that they thought he was allergic to amoxicillin which is the main ABX used to treat ear infections in children.  He would have severe diarrhea, and then he would get severe diaper rash.  It was not fun.  At one point they (we were going to the student health center, not my favorite place for pediatrics) prescribed this very strong ABX, and Isaac couldn't keep it down, he would just throw it up immediately.  I was not happy, especially since it cost us like $70.
Now the question I get most often is should I take my child in if I think they have an ear infection?  First, I want to say, if you ever feel like you really need to take your child in, for any reason, do it!  I really believe that we will be prompted when our children need to be seen, and we should never ignore that prompting when we feel it. 
Here are the basic guidelines I use and tell people when they ask me.  A lot of the time people mistake water behind the ear for an infection.  There are lots of reasons that kids get blocked ears.  They have very short Eustachian tubes which get plugged easily.  When this happens kids will complain of feeling pressure, or just like their ears are "plugged".  They will also not be able to hear as well.  When this happens, it is not a problem, often the issue will resolve itself and no intervention is required.  When it doesn't resolve itself, and the fluid becomes infected, that's when it becomes a problem.  This is a list I took off of WebMD about when to take a child into the doctor, and I actually really liked it.  The link here if you would like to check out the whole page.
Call your doctor immediately if:

• Your child has sudden hearing loss, severe pain, or dizziness.
• Your child seems to be very sick with symptoms such as a high fever and stiff neck.
• You notice redness, swelling, or pain behind or around your child's ear, especially if your child doesn't move the muscles on that side of his or her face.

Call your doctor if:

• You can't quiet your child who has a severe earache by using home treatment over several hours.
• Your baby pulls or rubs his or her ear and appears to be in pain (crying, screaming).
• Your child's ear pain increases even with treatment.
• Your child has a fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher with other signs of ear infection.
• You suspect that your child's eardrum has burst, or fluid that looks like pus or blood is draining from the ear.
• Your child has an object stuck in his or her ear.
• Your child with an ear infection continues to have symptoms (fever and pain) after 48 hours of treatment with an antibiotic.
• Your child with an ear tube develops an earache or has drainage from his or her ear

I have an otoscope that I use all the time to look into my kids ears.  It is actually easier than you might think.  The key to having your own otoscope is to recognize your own limits and respect them.  When I see something that isn't normal and I don't know what it is, I tell parents to go and get it checked out.  There are thousands of pictures online of what a healthy eardrum looks like versus an infected eardrum.  Basically a healthy eardrum will be a nice gray shiny color, and an infected ear will be red and inflamed. 
My advice to parents is, unless there are severe symptoms found in that first list, to watch and wait.  No one likes to have to spend money to go to the doctor only to be told there is nothing they can do.  Like I said before, if you ever feel prompted to take a child in, do it!  But if not, I usually err on the watch and wait side unless as I said before there is a severe symptom.  If they don't start getting better in a day or so, then take them in.  
What have been your experiences with ear infections?

Family Home Evening

Hmmm...I think it's kind of ironic that I mentioned at our Draper get together that I was so happy everyone had been posting so consistently. HA! Then I missed the boat and dropped off the blogging world for a bit. Sorry about that! :(

My post for today revolves around simple FHE ideas for toddlers or young kids. Of course, you could spend your whole day looking online for such things. I have compiled just a few ideas here that we have used.

Topic: Families
Song: Families Can be Together Forever
Lesson: Talk about what it means to be a forever family
Activity: Look at pictures of grandparents, cousins, and practice saying their names. This is helpful before family reunions, family get-togethers, family trips.

Topic: Prayer
Song: A child's prayer
Lesson & Activity: Use a prayer puppet (a doll or puppet you have that shows how to pray). Talk about how we are supposed to pray and everyone can take turns saying a prayer.

Topic: Book of Mormon Stories
Song: Book of Mormon stories ;)
Lesson: Choose any story from the Book of Mormon that can be acted out. Have dad or mom tell the story.
Activity: While telling the story, help kids act out the people and what they did in the story.

Topic: Prophets
Song: We thank thee, O God, for a prophet OR Follow the Prophet
Lesson: Teach who the prophet is and how he helps us
Activity: Have everyone stand in a line and the line leader can hold a picture of the prophet glued to a popsicle stick. Go around the house singing the chorus to "Follow the Prophet" and switch line leaders periodically.

Most importantly, I want to share that the main thing I remember about Family Night (that's what we called it) growing up is that my family had it consistently, every Monday night. We had a very strict rule that nothing was to supersede family night (sometimes we would have band concerts and sporting events, but then the whole family would attend and support the sibling involved). If you have not already made FHE a priority in your family, I promise if you do you will find more peace and love in your home.

What other ideas do you have for simple FHE lessons?

Recognizing the Lord's Hand in Our Lives through Analogy

This past week in Sunday School we listened to a rendition of "The Lord is My Shepherd" (Psalm 23). As we listened, I remembered an article I read years ago in an old book of my grandma's entitled "The Basque Sheepherder and the Shepherd Psalm" by James K. Wallace*. The author was a Basque sheepherder from Nevada who goes into detail about each line of the Psalm and what it means to a shepherd.

What struck me as we listed was how David (the author of the Psalm) was able to see the Lord's hand in his daily life, not just in scriptures and ancient prophecies. He was able to draw analogies between his work/training to his relationship to the Lord.

I love the idea of looking for the Lord in all that you do, because I think we all learn better when things can be applied to our daily actions. Here are a few examples that have come up in our family recently:

1. Apostasy and Restoration. Andrew asked us the other day what "Catholic" meant. I explained that it was another religion, then he asked if it was "a good religion." I explained that there are many great people who are Catholic and that my dad was even raised Catholic. As I started to explain about how lots of churches have bits of truth, he responded, "Yeah! It's like the blocks! In Primary they built a church out of blocks then knocked it down to show how all the pieces broke apart after Jesus died" [apostasy]. Even Emma (age 4) remembered the object lesson and chimed in with a few details about how the church was broken and needed to be put back together [restoration].

Photo Source

Both kids love to build with blocks, so it was an easy way for them to not only understand about the Apostasy and Restoration, but to be able to retell it to us later.

~

2. Lord's Personalized Care for Us. Because of my training as a speech therapist, I always like stories about communication and struggles with communication. I am fascinated by two stories of stuttering (or "slowness of speech") in the scriptures. Both Moses and Enoch describe themselves as being slow of speech and ask the Lord to help them in their ministries. Although they both suffer from the same basic ailment, the Lord provides individualized solutions for each of them. Moses is granted a spokesperson, while Enoch is given the words to say.

Photo Source

I know from personal experience how important it is to take into consideration a client's situation, personality, family support, and abilities when teaching communication skills, and I love to see how the Lord demonstrates that as well. It helps me apply that to my own life, and recognize that the Lord will help me, bless me, and challenge me in ways different from those around me.

~

I think even the Lord recognized how important it is for us to see His hand in our lives daily, because he frequently taught using parables that his disciples could apply to their common situations (gardening, fishing, caring for children or animals, etc.). And I always find the talks in church or Conference most memorable when they include stories from the speaker's personal lives to help draw analogies and teach principles.

What are some ways that your education, experiences, or training have helped you see the Lord's hand in your lives in a different way than you otherwise would have?

The Battle of Gettysburg

151 years ago today the Battle of Gettysburg ended.  It was three days of battle that became the bloodiest battle in the Civil War.

Here are just a few things I learned about the battle while we lived in Gettysburg:

- The casualties were staggering.  According to Wikipedia, the Union suffered 23,055 casualties and the South had 23,231.  The casualty numbers include those killed, wounded, and missing.  The numbers, particularly on the Southern side, are actually an estimate.  A good friend who worked for the park service mentioned that we don't have the actual casualty numbers from the South because Lee did not want it known how badly the battle turned out for them.

- In the Civil War (and I imagine other wars of the time) the "loser" of the battle was the side who left the field of battle first.  At Gettysburg, Lee retreated, giving the North the win despite pretty much equal losses.

- The first day of the battle began July 1.  It mainly occurred to the north and west of Gettysburg.  If you've ever been to Gettysburg you know that to the west are the Appalachian mountains.  The whole area is full of rolling hills.  On the first day it was important for one of the armies to get the high ground.  Due to inaction on the southern side, the Union took and held the high ground, giving them the advantage.

- Many of the generals on both sides were friends from West Point and other military assignments prior to the Civil War.

- One civilian was killed during the battle: twenty-year-old Jennie Wade.  She was killed while baking bread for Union soldiers in her sister's home.  A Confederate sharpshooter was trying to sight-in his gun using the doorknob of her home.  The bullet hit her, killing her instantly.

- Fun fact:  The locals pronounce Gettysburg as "Gettisburg."  :)

And now, enjoy celebrating the Fourth of July tomorrow.  This country was desperately fought for multiple times.

Q&A

Laura beat me and put her question on Facebook as well (maybe if I put this up on time I would have beat her) but I thought I'd put it here too for those who might not have seen it:

"A question I've been needing input on lately is how to balance 2 kids. I'm nervous about having a newborn and another child and that whole adjustment. I'd welcome any and all advice on that front, if that's the kind of question we're entertaining here...."

lds.org media library