DISQUS

What a beautiful gift! And, that picture is hair raising!!

I have a friend who used this test recently. I guess that there is something novel about being able to find out so early on. It's like instant gratification for gender determination!

Thank you for sharing this Jonalyn. I have seen this so much in the youth I have know and those I don't know.
I pray that I would be sensitive to the soul of not only my husband and child but to those around me.

How can a movie ever live up to a book? The only instance that comes to mind is "Anne of Green Gables" which was so artfully and thoughtfully done it really had the same feel as the books.


My heart sank when I read your post because I have been anticipating the movie so much. I have to admit that the trailers have left me a bit cold. I recently read the book in preparation for the film and it looks like it will be a hard act to follow.

There is so much back story and texture to the book and I'm sure it would be hard to capture that magic and flavor in an epic Hollywood film.

I'll see it in the theater but will be aware of the subtle and not so subtle changes.

What a sweet article Jonalyn. God is a good God isn't He?
I really had fun thinking about your last post and I ended up talking with Heidi at length about it. Very good stuff. I realize that I have a hard time truly expressing my unformed opinions in writing. =0)

Jonalyn, I agree with most all of what you said. I do believe that dads can nurture just as well as moms (my husband is an example of this).Moms tend to do it more because of pregnancy and breastfeeding etc... This subject is pretty complex and I do agree that not every situation is the same.
I like the example you gave of your Psychologist friend. I'm sure that she is doing the absolute best that she feels for her family. It would be interesting to ask her kids and many like them what they would have preferred when they have grown. I think most kids feel safer and less of a second priority when parents have more time with them. No matter how good the care, kids need parents not nannies on a regular basis.

I know that this is not necessarily what you are saying but is sounds a little like that.

I do believe that women can be involved in business and commerce as the Prov. 31 women is without working full time outside of the home like women today do. Most likely her children were by her side or with her mother/sister if she was away.

There are alot of nuances to this subject and this really is a difficult format for such a discussion. I realize in writing this and my last post that alot is being left out. So, thank you Jonalyn for addressing this subject. It's a hot one! =0)

A couple of thoughts about Working and mothering.
As a mother of one young child I now understand the importance of being available to to my family and home. I work two days a week and those days I come home tired and socially worn out. It's hard to deal with a toddler, laundry, and basic things on those days. I can't imagine working much more than I do.

I (now) have strong feelings about the importance of women's role in the home and I do feel that it is a major problem in our society that we encourage and applaud women so much for building a career while they have young children and a husband that need them. I'm not talking about the single mom who is desperately trying to survive. She is a symptom of a broken society. (fathers not fathering, lack of community etc...)

I'm talking about the women who doesn't feel fulfilled by the role she took on as a mother. Mothering is NOT glorious. It's tiring and can be a boring, sometimes (alot of the time) thankless job. There are no financial bonus's no certificates or applause but it is the most foundational part of our society.

I understand that financially many women need to help bring in a little extra. That's what I have to do but my first and most important job is mothering. I don't think that it is in the best interest of my son to have someone else spend everyday with him. They don't care about him like I do and he knows it. I don't ever want him to feel second to my whims or selfish need for accolades. I LOVE my job of styling hair. I'm good at it. People love what I do but in the end I'm left with the questions, "How have I loved my family? What lasting impression did I leave on them?, and are my desires in the best interest of those that I love the most?" These are basic issues of selfish verses selfless. This doesn't mean that I won't spend time nurturing my self as a creative interesting human being. I will always have hobby's and interests. But they never take precedence over people. Especially little people that I love and am responsible for!

I know that as life goes on things change. My son will go to school grow up and need a little less of my undivided attention. I may be able to put in more time at the salon. But not at the expense of his safety, well being or needs.



Your comment about "traditional motherhood" not being in the Bible rubbed me the wrong way because it occured to me that when the Bible was written there wasn't a question of whether mother's mothered. It's just common sense that mother's mother.

It means women have to put self aside. Just as Father's have to put self aside to love, provide and protect.

I'm sure there is more but not for this format.

I've been through this.... I feel every emotion again as I read this.

What I'm wondering is, if women have told you that they don't connect with you or support you for those reasons?


I feel like although there is some cattiness out there much of it can be overcome very quickly by entering into relationship. For example I may notice that a women is thinner and prettier then me but when I take a moment to connect with her, that doesn't matter anymore unless she chooses to let it be an obsticle. The reality is that most women and people in general want to be known for who they are inside not what they look like or have on the outside.



I believe that everything comes down to how we percieve ourselves and how we choose to relate to others and that it's not about how others relate to us. Meaning that we can choose to let others come into our lives and be open or we can be aware of how others may or may not percieve us and feel hurt or judged by something that someone may or may not think about us.



I'm sure that a book about this topic would be very interesting!

Knowing the people involved makes this post especially sweet.
I keep being amazed at how much sweeter my marriage becomes with time but it's fun to think back on those months just after the wedding with all of the change and poinency.

Strangely enough when I think of the literary side of Port, I think of your typical 18th Century novel that requires the ladies to retire to the parlor for tea while the gentlemen are served Port and cigars.... the trick was that the gentlemen each consumed about a full bottle of Port during the course of an evening...


Luckily, we live in a time when the ladies are allowed to enjoy the Port as well....

It looks great for a start... I have been playing with WP a bit and am still having problems... Congrats!

I really agree that it is just plain old sin nature with the female "mean girls" twist.
The reality is that with some maturity and grace women don't have to compete and compare. I believe that comparing and competing with other women comes from poor self worth and that's the reason it gets especially ugly around the teenage years. Girls haven't come to see who they are or where they belong and the insecurity manifests itself in ugly ugly ways. There are many women who haven't grown up, and the behavior continues into adulthood.

While reading your post I was reminded of a particularly low point in my Jr. High career. There was one girl in our group of friends that was.... gorgeous. She looked older than all of us, dressed artsy and cool and had perfect sultry green eyes and long honey colored hair. She was known for borrowing clothes and sometimes returning them with stains or some other blemish.
So....I decided to pay her back. blechhh. I borrowed her much loved "Phantom Of The Opera" t-shirt and another friend and I tortured it. We bleached it, tore it and completely ruined it (at my house). Then I brazenly walked down to her house and gave it back to her with the breezy explanation that it had been washed with some bleach. so, yeah.... sorry.

I cannot believe how mean and horrible I was. It still haunts me to this day!



Oh yeah, there was also a batch of exlax brownies that we brought to church youth group at one point.

Seriously, what makes girls so mean???

How exciting for Auntie Laurel. Feel better soon, and can't wait for your Sept 1st news.

Dear Lord, that will be me in 2 years! Ack! Actually, I'm about to start home schooling my soon-to-be 6th grader...But my 4th grader is just fine where she's at: "I don't wanna be home schooled, Mommy!". Okay. No problem. :)

LW, what an amazing way to honor these truly incredible women. Great, great post.

Congratulations Jonalyn!!! I am so happy for you and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

I was really interested in this story and it really made me reevaluate my faith. It also made me do some research into the claims that the film makers made. I came across a very interesting blog that you might be interested in. It's "benwitherington.blogspot.com". He addresses some of the major points and does some of the more tedious research that needs to happen. Very interesting!

Hi Jonalyn, I'v been following along and enjoy reading your proccess.

Hey if you like the Get Up Kids, you should check out the Paper Chase. They've got a similar, yet unique sound you can check out at www.thepaperchase.net. Oh, and they're currently on the Explosions in the Sky tour throughout the US

In response to the inevitable gay-bashing arising from Foley-gate (I'm not a member of the GLBT community, just a human rights advocate), Randi Rhodes on Air America consulted the Pediatric Journal for information about who preys on underage kids. Turns out 98% of the boys who are abused are preyed upon by heterosexuals, and 99%+ of the girls, it's heterosexuals. It's so NOT gays and lesbians who are pedophiles. She's a raver, but I love her. She's referring to the GOP as the Grand Old Pedophiles. I haven't done it, but I know you can check out her web site for links to this information. She's also one of the few I've heard expressing genuine concern for the pages and not just for the political fallout. Wow, the hypocrisy of the Republicans on the issue is truly appalling.

For a truly great opinion (in my opinion), check out "The Worst President in History?" by Sean Wilentz, an historian from Princeton, the Rolling Stone, posted April 21. Not that I wasn't already convinced! Great to get facts.