WordPress, Blogger, and Facebook – 7 Quick Takes vol. 7

I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks since I last blogged. Unacceptable. Please accept my humblest apologies.

Thank goodness Jen’s 7 Quick Takes link-up is always patiently waiting, every Friday (except apparently Good Friday, because she’s a better Catholic than I), for me to get my rear in gear.

–1–
I need more time. Who doesn’t, right? I have this sneaking suspicion that in order to get more time to do the things that I really want/need to do (blog, housework, NFP teacher training, etc.), I have to spend less time doing things I don’t necessarily want/need to do (Facebook, mindless internet surfing, Facebook, etc.). In fact, I think it is time for me to admit that I have a serious Facebook problem.

The first thing I do every time I pick up my phone is check my Facebook. Even if I just closed Facebook from my computer! It’s not something I even think about. I swipe my screen open then go automatically to the app. Next thing I know, I’m scrolling through my news feed wondering why nothing is new! Ridiculous.

–2–
Typing that out made me more ashamed than I thought it would. So, I deleted my facebook app.

I feel very unconnected now. It had to be done! I admire people who set limits for themselves, but if I am to kick the Facebook habit, I’ve got to purge it from my life as much as possible. I’d love to delete it entirely, but I really do keep up with family and friends there.

–3–
I joined a new forum last night. Bellyhood.com is a social networking site especially for moms and moms-to-be. I joined as part of a giveaway, but I’m also hoping to connect with some local moms here in Raleigh too. Have you heard of it? What do you think of online forums? Beyond my Facebook groups and Twitter I rarely ever participate in any type of “forum”. I technically belong to the July 2013 birth club on BBC but nothing could convince me to post there and actually interact with those women. Nothing. 

–4–
Pregnancy update: Lucy seems to be growing like a weed! My stomach has definitely popped out, as you can see:

22.5 weeks!

I feel so big! And I’ve gotten to the point of pregnancy where rolling over is uncomfortable at best. Gee, first 24 hour morning sickness, pregnancy insomnia, increased chance of peeing myself, I can feel my hips expanding, and now I can’t even roll over. Does the fun never end? (Please don’t tell me what I have to look forward to. For the love of all things holy, DO NOT TELL ME MORE).

–5–
Is there a way to add my Instagram feed as a widget on the blog? I know it’s possible in the (free!) Blogger world, but is it possible in the free wordpress.com world too? I looked for a widget through my dashboard but couldn’t find one. Every time I do a Google search for something WordPress related, the results are always for wordpress.org. Which would be awesome if I wanted to pay for hosting. But as it stands, I don’t. Sigh. Maybe I should just go back to Blogger.

What do you think? Stay with WordPress or go back to tried-and-true Blogger?

–6–
I’m in full-on nesting mode. And nesting for me apparently means
I’ve cleaned out my closet and had 1 trash bag and 2 large shopping bags to give away. And I still have a tupperware tub that I need to go through. Then the other day I was in my kitchen and thought “How many spatula’s do I really need?!” which led to a quick and superficial sweep of the kitchen, resulting in a grocery bag full of items including a mini drip-coffee maker. I kept it for 3 years even though I lost the carafe and had never gotten around to buying another one. ( I did replace it with a French Press though – we don’t drink coffee all that much, only the iced stuff, but all of our family and friends do. I want to be a good hostess and the french press doesn’t take up near as much room as the coffee maker.)
I’ve been eyeing up the space underneath the sink in our master bath as well as the space underneath the sink in the kitchen. Then there’s my desk. Then the guest bathroom (How does Ryan sleep knowing that we don’t have matching towels for guests?!). Then the bookshelves.

Ah. Staging bookshelves. I’m torn. On one hand, I love a pretty bookshelf, with trinkets just so and the books artistically stacked/arranged. On the other hand, my favorite homes of people I know have bookshelves so stuffed that their shelves are sagging and there are books stacked on the floor because they’ve ran out of space. We’re currently rocking that set-up. I love it, I hate it. It looks messy, especially since our bookshelves are spread out in different rooms. But we have so many books that  I don’t know that I can justify “staging” our bookshelves. Where would all the books go? And no, I will not get rid of them. Unless I find a book that is absolutely horrible (like, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. No, I won’t link it. I’m ashamed that it was even on our shelves), I just can’t bring myself to get rid of books.
So what do you think? Stage the bookshelves or leave them as is? Do you have any tips for making bookshelves functional and attractive?

–7–
Easter is next weekend!!  I’m so excited! In case you couldn’t tell! Bridget is coming to visit, we’ve invited some local friends over for Easter dinner, everyone in RCIA is officially coming into the Church! The Easter Vigil Mass is always my favorite of the year. It doesn’t even matter that I never know the RCIA candidates and catechumens, I tear up every single time. It’s such a beautiful, hope-filled Mass. I know that is what the Mass should be like each time, but there’s just something extra about Easter Mass, you know?

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Wore Sunday – My first time linking up!

Every Sunday since the fine ladies at Fine Linen and Purple started the link-up, I’ve wanted to participate. But I would either forget to take a picture or was too sick to even go to Mass. But not this time! I remembered! Now if only I owned a full length mirror.

Can we focus on my shoes for just a second? These are the only pair of black pumps I own. I think they are around a year old. Maybe. It’s not a lie to say that I’ve walked *miles* in these shoes. Hence the heals. I just can’t give them up. They are so comfortable! But as you can see….they’re pretty ratty. Is there a way to fix these or do I have to suck it up and buy a new pair?

Other than the shoes, I was pretty happy with my whole outfit. I made the belt my senior year of college, which is also when I bought the dress from either JCPenny or Sears. I’m pretty sure the cardigan is from Goodwill, bought in high school. I got the bump approximately 21 weeks ago from Ryan. Oh, and the tights are from Target.

I tried to do this with my hair. I couldn’t do it though, but I’ll try again tomorrow. 23 isn’t too old for a hair bow, right?

Swearing babies, gorgeous chicken – 7QT vol. 6

Another week, another round of Quick Takes with Jen

–1–
I’ve decided to clean out my closet (again). I do this every year, but this year I’m pregnant so I can’t try everything on. Which actually is a good thing. This way, I actually have to think about the last time I wore an item and what I felt like in it. No persuading myself that it actually does look good and *I might* wear it one day.

–2–
The other day I was being completely calm and rational about being pregnant when I came to a conclusion: This year, my Lent is 40 weeks long. And then I got a little pissed. And then weepy. And then hungry. And when I think about it, that’s not really untrue. Nor is it really bad. Just difficult. It actually could help me deepen my faith if I allowed it too. Of course, I’m not saying that my discomfort is 100% comparable to Christ’s wandering in the desert, but there are some comparison’s I could draw and reflect on. I mostly like the 40 days/40 weeks part. And the rebirth/birth part. Hmmm. I sense a blog post. Stay tuned.

–3–
Speaking of blog posts. This week I wrote about my (lack of) routine. It’s gotten some great feedback that I’m very thankful for. Check it out and tell me: What is your routine, and how did you get into it?

–4–
I’ve discovered the secret to making laundry not as awful. I’ve stopped folding our clothes. At least, I don’t include it as an extra step between dryer and put away anymore. Now, they go from the dryer into the laundry basket and (eventually) from the basket to wherever they belong. All of my clothes are hung up expect my pants, and the majority of my husband’s clothes are just stuffed in his dresser or hung up. Nothing stays folded, so why bother? When I’m putting the clothes away I fold what needs folded. Otherwise I was just folding shirts that I would unfold to hang up. And folding was so tedious that I put it off forever. And then laundry got backed up, then we would be pulling laundry from the basket and doing the smell check, I’d be overwhelmed with how much laundry needed to be done…you get the picture. Surprisingly, eliminating folding has really helped me get the laundry done!

–5–
Lucy has really started to squirm! It’s so much fun to feel her move around in there, and Ryan’s gotten to feel her a couple of times too. It’s the weirdest feeling. I can’t even describe it really, other than to quote my friend Sarah ”It feels like you are being erased from the inside”.  Lu is most active at night and pretty calm in the morning, which I’m reeeeallllyyy hoping means that she will like to sleep in. Please don’t burst that bubble.

–6–
Ryan and I came up with our swearing rule! It all started at the Hurricanes vs. Pens game on Thursday. As we’re sitting there shouting obscenities and talking about how excited we are to take Lu with us to the games, I realized that she is for sure going to be repeating us. Which is obviously a problem. Now, Ryan and I aren’t anti-profanity by any stretch. But we do try to be selective about the time, place, audience, and choice phrases we use. I think a flat no swearing rule wouldn’t work in our house, plus it just pisses me off when kids call you out on things “Uh-oh, Mommy said a bad word! Bad mommy!”. So we decided that our rule is swearing is allowed only at hockey games. No holding back. If she wants to shout with us, great. If not, great. We’re hoping that by teaching her that there is a time and place for swearing, that she won’t be that kid who uses it in everyday language because she thinks its cool. Kind of a “taking away the mystery makes it less enticing” kind of thing. And then that kind of extends itself into other areas of our parenting philosophy as well. We’ll see how it goes I suppose. If we completely screw her up, count this as my public apology to all her friends’ parents.

–7–
As a rule, I try not to take pictures of my food. But this chicken is too beautiful not to document.

You can follow all of my (mostly non-food) pictures on Instagram: @mrs_peterson12

Establishing a Routine

Do the dishes

Study for my NFP certification

Put away the laundry

Figure out exactly what we really need to register for

Catch up (start!) on my Coursera course about Contraception

Apply for online jobs

Redeem Swagbucks

Meal Plan/Find coupons/grocery shop

Paint nails?!

I think you get it.

I have a lot to do! And this is only the tip of my list. I can’t say I was ever good at getting my chores done. Even as a kid, money was not a good motivator and I didn’t really care what people thought about my room. I had self esteem/body image issues so I didn’t put a lot of energy into what I looked like either. I never took the time to budget my time, or learn the most effective ways to do anything. Now that I’m a wife and mother though, that’s a frickin annoying habit that I’m trying to break.

For the longest time I lived by my planner. I may not have been “organized” per say, but I at least knew where things were and when they were due. It never really helped me with time management though. When I got married, I didn’t feel like I had a need for a planner at all. Ryan is a go with the flow kind of guy and besides, he takes care of things like paying bills on time anyway. The most I had to keep track of was the occasional Dental/Doctor/Eye appointment. You can imagine how much more unorganized I became. Lately, I’ve been adding more to my role as wife. Now I’m studying to be certified to teach Natural Family Planning, I work full time with a schedule that varies somewhat, we live in a city where I can’t just walk to the nearest grocery store if I forgot the milk, and I’m trying to find some online jobs to supplement our income so that I can stay home with Lucy when she is born.

Frankly, none of this is getting done. I haven’t studied for my certification in an embarrassingly long time. I haven’t applied for any online jobs.  We’re house hunting right now too and I’ve looked at the listings our realtor sent us maybe once. Please don’t ask how often I do laundry or the dishes.

I did break down and call my mother-in-law a few weeks ago for help with the housework. I felt like I was drowning in it and worried that if it was overwhelming now, what would it be like once Lucy gets landside? Though I don’t think she believed me about the direness of our situation, she was able to give me some great tips that I have been trying to incorporate into my day.

What I’ve realized is that my lack of routine seems to be what is holding me back. I can haphazardly go about my day, randomly bumping into chores and getting some things done. Or I can establish some sort of routine which will allow myself to prioritize tasks and not feel like I’m constantly running behind.

So now, because procrastination is everyone’s friend, I’m going to read as many blog posts as I can about other people’s routines.

What’s your routine? How did you go about setting it? Is it tailored for your personality type?

19 Weeks Down, Way too Many to Go – 7 Quick Takes vol. 5

Hanging out with Jen’s crew as always

–1–
My bump made it’s Facebook debut this week. Apparently all of my mother’s friends wanted to see what I look like now.

So here I am, in all my 19 week glory. It doesn’t really seem like much, but tell that to the pants that I can no longer button (and we’ve moved past the hair tie stage as well).

–2–
Speaking of pants – I bought my first maternity jeans last week. I wore them for the first (and last) time this week.  They were Goodwill, so it wasn’t like I was expecting them to be The Best Maternity Jeans A Girl Could Hope For, but I was expecting them to fit. Especially since when I tried them on in the store they fit just fine. Apparently I have the magical ability to not shrink clothes in the wash, but expand them. In the store they hugged my legs without cutting off circulation and they even had pockets that were just right to avoid mom-butt. After the wash though? Saggy. No butt. Horrible. Ryan did his best to love me while I was wearing them, but we were both grateful when it was time for PJ’s. I guess I’ll just stick to skirts and dresses. Since the weather is getting warmer that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

–3–
But Kayla, why not just shell out the $$ for a good pair of maternity jeans? Why? Because after 19 weeks of morning sickness, I have convinced myself that I will never be pregnant again. EVER. And I have a hard time buying “temporary” clothes. I know, it’s laughable that I’ve declared us to be done making babies so early in the game (but not having! I still want a large family. Adoption baby!). But bear with me. I don’t really care right now that I’ll apparently look at Lucy’s adorable face and tell Ryan to impregnate me again PRONTO. I can’t even fathom that happening. So no. I’m not going to buy actual maternity clothes.

–4–
Things not to say to a pregnant woman:

You’re always eating!
You can’t have that (Yes I can have a friggin soda, now HAND IT OVER)
Oh, it only gets worse!
Just wait till the third trimester!
Are you sure you don’t want to be in a hospital for the birth? CNM’s are just nurses that took an extra class…
Ew, don’t cloth diaper! Then your washing machine will be all poopy!
Oh no, don’t drink ginger ale, drink tomato juice instead! (and then proceeds to hand me a cup of tomato juice. GAG)

–5–
Yes, I have heard a variation of each of these. Frankly, it’s a credit to my amazing self-control that these people were able to walk away unharmed. I know, I’m a saint.

–6–
Oh! I almost forgot. I published a post this week: An Introvert Shops

It’s a recap of one of my most traumatic/hilarious (now) shopping experiences. Thank God for online shopping.

–7–
The seventh take is always the hardest.
Enjoy this picture:

An Introvert Shops

I once went into Victoria’s Secret with the vague idea of buying something. I wasn’t sure what that something would be. Maybe I would stumble on a panty sale, maybe I would finally find “the perfect bra”, maybe I would get some lounge wear. I wasn’t sure. I did know that I at least wanted to get fitted because my weight had changed in the past year and I was pretty sure that I was wearing the wrong size. So I started looking through the bras.

There were so many! Push-ups, padded bras, T-shirt bras, balconette bras, backless, strapless, convertible. My head was spinning by the time I found an associate. She took me into the back with the promise of helping me find just the right bra and size.

The room was small and the back was crowded with people yelling over each other. She took my measurements and left. I waited for what felt like am eternity. The longer I waited, the more panicked I began to feel. What was I doing here? She didn’t ask my budget! Why are these rooms so small? Am I supposed to take my shirt off? With someone else in the room? This is taking forever, Ryan and Kate are going to be so upset that I left them out there! And on and on until I was almost in tears by the time the sales associate came back in the box room.

girl’s training bra from jockey (click on link for source page)

She had in her hand what I could only assume were children’s training bras. I might have not known what size I was, but I did know what size I wasn’t and it certainly was NOT the size she had in her hand. I protested, but in vain. Together we wrestled the too-small bras onto my body and then she stepped backed and said “perfect!”. She must not have noticed the look of panic on my face and the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. It was definitely not perfect. We tried on three styles, all the same size. She assured me they fit, but I just don’t think a bra is supposed to cut your boobs in half. They were squished up into my armpits and the bra itself only covered about 1/3 of my boobs. Wrong cup size by a trillion.

She left me to put my clothes back on and I sunk into the corner. I started crying and shaking. Thankfully Ryan sent his sister Kate back to see what was taking so long. She calmed me down enough to get me out of the dressing box out to the front. Ryan took one look at my face, decided we all needed to go get an Aunt Annie’s pretzel and go home.

It took me the rest of the day to recuperate. I slept a lot and then felt guilty for ruining what was supposed to be a fun, light hearted shopping trip with my boyfriend and his sister. We didn’t get to go to other stores in the mall that day or goof around. Instead we were stuck at home, babysitting me.

I wish I could say that was an isolated incident. However, it took me many similar shopping trips (even with better sales associates!), to realize that I cannot shop casually. I can’t just go into a store with the intention of buying “something”. I have to know exactly what I want. I can only shop for two, maybe three items max. Usually I just shop for one. It’s taken me a few years, but this panic attack prone introvert has finally created a shopping strategy that works.

And the baby is…. 7 Quick Takes Vol. 4

Linking up with Jen’s posse this week

–1–
Ryan and I got rid of our cable when we moved into our first apartment. It was partially to save money, but it was also because I get horribly, easily addicted to trashy tv shows. I might sit down with the intention of watching an educational show or just 30 minutes of tv…. 4 hours later in the middle of a 16 and Pregnant marathon my husband has to physically startle me out of my screen induced coma and I miiiight leave the room in a hissy fit. So we got rid of the temptation.

–2–
The internet, however, seems to try its best to undermine my best efforts at avoiding trashy tv! While babysitting during the Super Bowl, I flipped to TLC instead to watch “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”. After one episode, I’m hooked. It’s like crack man! One hit and you’re done-zo. There’s no looking back. And thanks to the internet gods that be, there is no end to the availability of episodes, even for those of us without cable tv. AHHH!! I watched another episode the next day and then the next and then…well, I wasn’t able to watch one Wednesday and now, Thursday night I might not be able to watch one either. And Oh-em-gee it feels like withdrawal. I’m all “What are they doing now? What kind of craziness are they getting into? What’s the next wedding dress going to look like? How do they keep their houses so clean?!”

–3–
For those of you who don’t follow me on twitter (why not? let’s be friends!), you’re a little out of the loop. On Tuesday Ryan and I got some pretty great news. We found out that Little Monster’s real name is…….

……..

………

Lucy Elizabeth!

–4–
Little Lucy toes!

–5–
Are those not the cutest toes that you’ve ever seen? The. Cutest. I die. Lately, I’ve started to feel her kicks and hits. She gets most upset when she feels her space is getting encroached on, like you know, when I wear work pants or if I have to bend a little in the middle. I’ve started leaving the top buttons of pants unbuttoned but geez this kid is very particular about her space! I’m excited for when Ryan will get to feel them.

–6–
Ryan has decided that since he knows Lucy will have him wrapped around her littlest little finger, he should start practicing saying “No”. Lucky me, he’s decided that I’m the perfect person to practice on. Not a fan. I liked him better as a softie.

–7–
It’s a rare week that I can think of a seventh take.

Having babies, making babies, avoiding babies, 7 Quick Takes vol. 3

Hanging out with some better writers this week.

–1–
I’m excited to start NFP teacher training again. I took a little hiatus that stretched into a looooong hiatus but I think I’m finally ready to pick it back up again. I hate that it’s been so long since I last studied. I’m actually also taking a course through Coursera called “Contraception: Choices, Culture and Consequences”. I want to be as informed as possible for my students, and since I want to teach NFP, I think it’s important that I know as much as possible about the alternatives.

–2–
Has anyone ever tutored online? I’m trying to look into online, part time work for next year. I like my job, but we’ve always wanted me to be a stay-at-home mom, like both our mothers. As it stands, I’ll be working full time outside the home for a while, but I’d like to look into options now. Anyone have experience with Tutor.com or brainfuse.com?

–3–
So Lent. February 13 huh? Did this sneak up on anyone else? I mean – Oh my gosh! Anyone have any ideas for what they will do or not do? I have no idea. Lent has always been my favorite Liturgical season though. It always leaves me feeling so refreshed come Easter! Usually though I feel like I have a little more warning to get ready.

This is my favorite prayer book. It’s perfect for Lent.

–4–
I’m pretty sure that I get to be a part of the lucky % of women who get morning sickness for 9 months. I feel like I’ve tried just about everything short of standing on my head and singing Yankee Doodle Dandy to try and stop it. I’m 16 weeks now and will be 17 weeks on Sunday. I give up. I’m just not very good at being pregnant I guess. Oh well. At least if I tell myself it isn’t going to end, it’s not going to be a surprise when it doesn’t, right? That’s just proper planning really.

–5–
Speaking of morning sickness, I have this horrible taste in the back of my mouth. It doesn’t seem to matter what I eat or drink, or how often I brush. It, like the morning sickness, just won’t go away. Has anyone else had this? Is there a particular mouthwash that worked well for you?

–6–
Do you remember ever seeing specials on TV about people who made a living by entering giveaways? Do you think there are any downsides to that? I mean, can someone enter too many giveaways? Do you have to pay taxes of the total sum of ALL prizes is equal to or greater than a set amount? Or do you only pay taxes if an individual prize meets or exceeds a set amount? I haven’t actually won anything, but I’m trying to enter as many cloth diaper and baby giveaways as possible. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time…

–7–
Yesterday when ordering lunch, I told the woman taking my order that I am pregnant. We were on the phone so it was a little difficult to work in, but listen. Olive Garden salads are just so. good. I ordered Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks and I so badly wanted extra salad. So for the first time outside of my marriage, I played the pregnancy card. And wouldn’t you know it, I got extra tomatoes and pepperonchinis!

I hope I respond like her

In 1988, my mother sat down with my grandmother and said the three words every parent of a teenager dreads hearing: “Mom, I’m pregnant.”

My grandmother’s response, which I am eternally grateful for, was “It’s ok! We’ll get through this!”

It is my hope that if/when my child comes to me with news of that weight, be it a teen pregnancy, an announcement that they no longer hold the same beliefs as our family, LGBT feelings, whatever, that I will do as my grandmother did for my mom and smile, shake my head, and say “It’s ok! We’ll get through this together!”

Ryan and I think that the most detrimental thing a parent can do is create a relationship with their child where the parents are more feared than anyone or anything else. Unless our other children’s lives are in danger, we cannot imagine any scenario where we would throw out a child and we will make sure they know that.

It horrifies me when I hear stories of parents forcing or encouraging teen abortions, of kicking their child out for expressing LGBT feelings, of forbidding teenagers to question anything, of cutting drug addicted teens out of their lives. Even more so when the parents in question are using their “faith” to justify their actions. I think it shows complete ignorance and fear. When we turn our backs on our children, their lives will only become worse.

Our hope for our children is that they can come to us with anything and that we will respond in love. A group of my friends were discussing this issue a while back and I wanted to pull out some statements of theirs that I think really exemplify what Ryan and I want to do.

Stacy C. “I think the only thing would be if my child was putting someone’s life in danger in the house. I would seek some type of residential/psychiatric inpatient help at that point. But other than that, I would feel like my job is to love them through it without enabling (ie. drug addiction).”

Katie E. (regarding LGBT teens) “My planned response: awesome! Sex is for marriage, & at 16 you’re not acting on your attraction regardless of whom you are attracted to.”

Sarah B. brought up a fantastic quote from Ronald Reagan’s son Michael and followed it with her own thoughts “It actually makes me think of something I heard during a great pro-life talk a few years ago. The son of Ronald Reagan, who was adopted (and had a teen mom) was talking about the dismal fact that of teen girls getting abortions, more than half identify as some kind of Christian. He said, “We have to make sure our children are more afraid of the abortionist than they are of us.” It has stuck with me ever since, how many girls probably have abortions because their “christian” parents would throw them out on the street for being pregnant outside of marriage.”

Anne B. linked a fantastic document to our discussion with the thought “3 Words: Always Our Children“ (I do hope you click on that link and read it. I really love what the Bishop’s have said here and I think it should be required reading for all parents, before any issues even come up.)

Paige D. “In a talk by father John Corapi, he was asked by someone what they should do if their child came out to them. He said to the effect of  ”Love your child. What else would you do?”“

What else indeed.

“It’s OK! We’ll get through this!”

7 Quick Takes Vol. 2 – 2 weeks in

Happily joining Jen and the crew for your weekly dose of quick takes.

–1–
Two weeks in and I’m still happy here at WordPress. Ryan is a little confused about the change in venue but once I explained that this is open source software with even greater possibilities should this ever grow, he got it. Open source is near and dear to his nerdy little heart.

–2–
Today is the March for Life! I’ve been to the March twice
and every year I’ve been bummed that I can’t go. Hopefully next year though! I’m hoping to join virtually though via twitter. You can follow all the action with the hashtag #march4life too!

–3–
My own pro-life story was posted earlier this week.
I originally published it at The Alluring World and I thought this week would be a good one to revisit it. I love my mom so very much and I’m proud of her decision, not just because she gave me life, but because I think it shows a part of her character that any woman should be proud to possess. It was published Tuesday, On the Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. 

–4–
My friend Katie from NFPandMe is going silent on social media today to honor the 55 million lives who have been prematurely silenced through abortion. I’m so infrequently on social media that being intentionally silent wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice for me. I will however be observing a period of silence.

–5–
I think that it is a tragedy that we really believe that abortion is freedom. If a woman believes that abortion is the best solution, then we have failed her. We have failed to support her. We have failed to love her. We have failed to exult her womanhood. That’s why I’m so glad that Theresa Martin has really been spear heading the New Feminism movement. I’m so very excited to be given the chance to review her book, Woman, How Great Thou Art. I’ll be posting the review on IuseNFP.com.

–6–
We scheduled the anatomy scan for Little Monster!
On February 5th, child permitting, we will find out if I’m carrying a boy or a girl. I’m so excited! I’ll be 17 weeks and some days at that point. In North Carolina, I can have a surgical abortion up to 20 weeks. I just can’t fathom that. You can clearly see the body, see and hear the heartbeat, know the sex – it’s a human! And we can legally kill any human as long as they are in the womb – they don’t have a choice because they don’t have a voice.

–7–That’s all I’ve got guys. I’m out.