Stay-At-Home Moms Unite!!!

I discovered a wonderful voice for those Moms who were courageous and said--"No, I do not want to work outside my home, I want to be home with my children"  It is so important....

From my book--Thoughts From the Heart:

Mothers Are Important

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day and to all you mothers, I hope you had a wonderful day. Having children is such a blessing. On a more personal note, most people don’t know I am the mother of nine children.  It sounds unbelievable but I actually planned and wanted all my children and they have been a blessing to me.

 

In this modern society, I believe that many young couples do not believe that children are a blessing. They are afraid of what adding to their union will do to themselves.  If they are selfish, then the children will suffer.  If they are willing to sacrifice something in their life for something better, then children become a welcomed blessing.  What else is there to live for if we do not have people who are important to us in our life?  Certainly, leisure and travel activities become boring after a while.  You can travel around the world many times and still not have joy when returning home.  Our employment can only give us so much satisfaction until even our work takes a back seat to our families.

 

I saw “The Bucket List” last year and it is the perfect example of what I am writing about. In this movie, one man with cancer had a family with a wife of many years.  He wasn’t considered a wealthy man in the financial world but had children and grandchildren whom he spent his time. The other man with cancer had female partners over the years but not one that stuck around by his choice. He even had a daughter by one but they were estranged.  He lived on his own in a very nice condo, had lots of money from his corporation, but really didn’t have much joy.  He seemed happy at first but in the end when the cancer was worsening, he realized what he was missing in his life.  He realized that family was really important and made an effort to visit his daughter to patch things up and see his granddaughter.

 

I hope all you mothers and fathers will realize the importance of raising children to be good productive citizens.  I hope you appreciate who you have given birth to in this life.  Motherhood is a sacred calling. To have so much influence to do good over one person in a life is very powerful.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World!!!!!

 

The words of Washington Irving, an early American writer, rings true: “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”

 

Appreciate the children you have created and help them to see their potential in life for one day they will rise up and call you a great blessing.

                         _______________________________________________

Amanda King is a mom who wants to be a good mom to her two daughters.  She started a wonderful blog/website called the www.lastmomonearth.com which was her ideal of a great mom.  Unfortunately--in June she wrote her last post and will no longer be writing.... We need great moms like her to post positive articles about motherhood. Here is one that made it to the Huffington Post:

What We Mean When We Say We Need a Break

        by Amanda King

As a stay-at-home mom of two small children, when I say that I need a break, I'm not talking about wanting a vacation or a treat as a reward for doing my job. Needing a break doesn't mean that I'm seeking a respite from my responsibilities or that I want to put my feet up. It means that I need a moment to feel like a human being in the midst of a relentless life where I don't belong to myself anymore; where I give my love and energy away, every moment of my existence, and can't figure out how to keep any for myself.

We're all very aware of men who don't understand the point of giving the mother of his children a break. They go to work all day and they don't have fun at work, do they? When they come home and their wives say, "I need a break," they think, When do I get a break? I just worked all day and now I have to come home and give my wife a break?

The point of a break, when you're a stay-at-home parent, isn't fun, or excitement or relaxation, although breaks that contain those things are great, and we absolutely totally deserve them, because everybody does. When a stay-at-home parent says, "I need a break from being a mommy for an hour or two," they aren't trying to swindle you into doing the work of caring for the house and children so that they can get out for some fun and letting loose. Needing a break isn't the same thing as wanting a vacation.

Read the rest here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-king/stay-at-home-parent_b_2558642.html

I'm Amanda King and the best and most important thing I've ever done is to be a good mom. Everything else I've ever accomplished is kind of silly, compared to the fact that I get out of bed every morning and I try, so very hard to make these little people happy.

I have two daughters, Scout and Louise. They're three years apart and they keep me very busy. Sometimes I think I'll die of busy-ness, but I never do.

I used to be a misfit.

Read more here.....

To Find: http://www.lastmomonearth.com/

I just love what she has to say and I hope we can convince Amanda to keep blogging about being a Mom and how challenging and wonderful it is!!!

Modesty Never Out of Style

 I have been writing about the importance of modesty over the course of the years and am delighted to promote a young woman who tells it like it is!!

Jessica Rey has achieved a great following after appearing on television and the movie screen. She even finished an MBA and now designs her own line of modest swim suits and promotes modesty around the country to young women.

She says it so well in her talk which you can see and listen to by clicking on the link below.

She is worthy of every mother's attention, especially if they have daughters.

Like she says- dressing modestly does not have to be frumpy and old. There is so much more to clothing than "itsy bitsy"
She is a wonderful example of using education and ideals to help others.


Click here for a wonderful talk from Jessica Rey

Musings on Motherhood.....

Cover

I know this is somewhat late in promoting. I was so tied up with a new job and my daughter's graduation--(homeschool parents are in charge of their own) that I could not properly promote this before Mother's Day.

So I thought that since Father's Day is coming up this would be a great gift for fathers as well because after all ---being a parent is being a parent and it might help fathers understand mothers better.

Susan Law Corpany has been through many trials and tribulations yet sees a lot of experiences through a funny sense of humor.  A cross between Erma Bombeck and Erma Bombeck.  Just a hoot and if you are having a crummy day it will be a much better one because of this book.

Musings on Motherhood is written by Susan Law Corpany who is a great writer friend and has a series of interesting novels about a widow---which I can relate to. Read this in either paper back or kindle version.

From the back cover:

Served alongside her breakfast in bed, this "momoir" will make any mother less inclined to notice the burnt toast, runny eggs and limp bacon. Warm and fuzzy like a pair of comfy slippers, but with a lollipop stuck to them. There is something here for anyone who has ever been a mother or had a mother.

So regardless of what holiday it is---buy this book.  It will do you some good!!!

Where to buy this wonderful book!!!!
  Or if you like the Kindle Version for 99 cents that is good too!


Another Great Review of Susan's Book!!!

Positive Attributes of Becoming Man and Wife

Prince William and Kate Middleton as man and wife

This is the third part of a three part series on marriage. How important this institution is to our society. There are many positive attributes of becoming man and wife which reminds me of a song I heard as a youth. It’s called There is Love or Wedding Song by Paul Stookey, who was part of the famous Peter, Paul and Mary trio. I always felt shivers down my back whenever I heard this song.

There is Love

Paul Stookey

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love,
there is Love.

Well a man shall leave his mother and a woman leaves her home
They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and til the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love,
there is Love.

Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it love that brings you here or love that brings you life?
For if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there is Love,
there is Love.

Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love,
There is Love.

There are many positive attributes of becoming man and wife.  First, there is a closeness which married couples feel towards each other that cannot be felt with anyone else.  Second, married couples can create children which are a part of each of them and third, for the most part there is a peace and contentment in life.

Closeness: If one has never been in a married relationship then the understanding of this closeness might not be seen at a positive attribute.  Human beings need positive, close ties to other humans and marriage fulfills that need.

Children: This positive attribute seems like an obvious one but for those who are married the need to create offspring is a token of love between man and wife. This is a great blessing although a great challenge as well to raise good children.

Contentment: Even with disagreements between couples there still is a certain amount of contentment humans can feel in a marriage relationship with the right person. The knowledge of a committed relationship brings peace and security for both in the relationship.  It’s work in progress to be sure, but none the less a wonderful way to spend your life.

 With the war of words for the institution of marriage, the ongoing battle to keep this important aspect of our society stands strong. There are positive attributes of being man and wife which encourages and sets an example for our youth who are struggling with decisions of whether to get married or not.  As the song above says, the reason to bring two souls together in matrimony is because of love. The love we feel for each other as human beings.

Is Marriage Becoming Obsolete?

Part 2 of a 3 Part Series....

There is no nice way to say this: families are under attack from all over the world.  Media executives might pussy-foot around the truth of the topic but let’s face facts: Families have not been considered a sacred institution for over ten years.

Case in point: A study done by the Pew Research Center shows the changing dynamics of the American family. It is no longer a mother and father couple but guardians or partners.  It is shown that 29 percent of children under the age of 18 now live with a parent or parents who are unwed or no longer married which according to the Pew Report released in November of 2010 shows an “fivefold increase from 1960”.

pendorelleco.org

Marriage is the concrete that keeps the family together. People who bring children into the world should be committed enough to stay together to raise them. The family is the foundation of our country and this should be the message for parents from all areas of life.

Hope Yen states in her article, No Love, No Marriage, from November 17^th, 2010 that “The changing views of family are being driven largely by young adults 18-29, who are more likely than older generations to have an unmarried or divorced parent or have friends who do.” 

Most Americans might see her thought as a valid one but if we take a closer look to where these ideals are coming from, the driven ideal that marriage is unnecessary, can be traced back to the media news and entertainment world.

We are bombarded by social mores from our own entertainment saying if we are unhappy then do what it takes to make ourselves happy, no matter what.  If we are unhappy in a marriage, get a divorce and find someone else.  If we are unhappy raising children, send them off to someone else.  Never mind getting help to stay and figure out how we can fulfill the roles we had originally chosen instead of giving up.

The creation of same sex-marriage has been in our society for years which has had a detrimental affect on marriage between a man and women. Society’s intellectuals tell us its okay to have both. From David Blankenhorn’s writings, The Future of Marriage, he says this: “One can believe in same-sex marriage. One can believe that every child deserves a mother and a father. One cannot believe both.”  This statement would send the liberal world screaming but it is true. Children need a mother and a father who will raise them with upstanding morals and righteous ideals.

From The Family: A Proclamation to the World it states: “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness to provide for their physical and spiritual needs to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.”

havegot.seesaa.net

From Family Watch International, its founder Sharon Slater says: “Social science research has conclusively proven that a strong family based on marriage between a man and a woman is the best environment to protect, nourish and develop individuals. This family structure provides significantly better outcomes than any alternative structure.”

Just from reading articles and blogs posted online, one can see that the mindset of those single adults discussing the topic of having to be married to be parents are completely different from 20 years ago when most of the world considered marriage an important step to parenthood.

The idea of committing oneself to a life with another scare those who have grown up with divorce as a way out but we must teach our children that divorce is not an option.  Marriage requires work at a relationship and this might be a dirty word to most but a necessary element to a healthy and long lasting marriage, but that is a whole other topic for our next article.....

For now, we must remember that we need to keep marriage in the forefront of our society.

Premarital Sex: Why Couples Should Wait.....

Part 1 of a 3 Part Series.....

Just recently I was reading from several different online websites of open discussions about whether couples should wait until they are married to sleep together or get right on with it. There are many opinions which surfaced and I was somewhat shocked with some of the answers.

For example: the question of “What good reason is there not to be intimate before being married?” was raised on Goodreads.com. 

by GregoryJordan.org

My answer was as follows: “What? The intimacy between a man and women bonds them together like nothing else on earth. You become one and if you sleep around with different partners it messes with your psyche. It causes insecurity and girls are just being used. Don't get sucked up into the media hype that sleeping around is fun. It is very difficult to protect from emotional tug of war. It causes a lot of emotional and physical problems including sexually transmitted diseases. Also no protection against pregnancy is 100%. You are playing with a child's life here. Is that enough reason not to?”

What followed was a whole discussion on this topic which posted opinions from it's no big deal to sleep with someone to a talk about the importance of being married.

On September 24^th 2012 there was an article posted on The Guardian by Jill Filipovic called “Why Sex Before Marriage is the Moral Thing To Do”. Any self-respecting parent would double take on that title and wonder where in the world did Jill Filipovic get that idea from?

As the article reads, Ms. Filipovic explains her ideals by giving opinions and “supporting facts” for her argument which are not backed up by any research or study.  The laughable statement that “95% of all Americans” have sex before marriage is unbelievable and that in her grandmother’s generation, nine out of ten couples did participate in sex before marriage.  I don't believe that for a minute.

I found my source of back up for what I believe:

In a new study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, researchers surveyed about 600 U.S. couples who were either married or cohabiting and found that couples who had waited longer to have sexual relations reported having better relationships.  

The study also found that the women who had sex within the first month of their relationship reported having less satisfying current relationships than the women who delayed sex, and the women who waited at least six months were the happiest of all.

The researchers from Cornell University stated, “A strong sexual desire may thwart the development of other key ingredients of a healthy relationship such as commitment, mutual understanding or shared values.”

Researchers also stated that “Good sex is sometimes confused with love; some couples overlook problematic aspects of their relationship that ultimately matter more in the long run.”

These findings support the advice many parents give to their daughters and that until recently virtually all societies reinforced—that once individuals in a relationship become physically intimate, it is often difficult to clearly judge the quality of the relationship or the character of one’s partner.  This is because when hormones are raging, judgment can be impaired. 

Research on a human hormone called oxytocin done primarily over the past decade also supports the wisdom of adhering to traditional values with regard to premarital sex.  In females, oxytocin acts to bond a mother to her baby during breastfeeding.  A woman’s body also produces oxytocin when she has sex, causing her to feel bonded to her sexual partner.  If a woman’s sexual partner is only looking for casual sex with no true commitment, a woman, particularly a young woman, may suffer emotional distress and even depression because her hormones cause her to desire a long-term commitment with her partner.

In addition, promiscuous sexual behavior, especially among adolescents whose brains are still developing, can actually alter brain development in ways that can make it more difficult for them to form long-term committed relationships and have successful marriages.  Most girls are completely unaware of how their bodies are hardwired and how sexual behavior may affect their brains and their future patterns of behavior. 

So not only are relationships better when sex is delayed as the Cornell study shows, but girls and women are happier when they delay sex until they are in committed relationships. 

The Cornell researchers advise, “Courtship is a time for exploration and decision-making about the relationship, when partners assess compatibility, make commitments and build on emotional and physical intimacy.  The rapid entry into sexual relationships may, however, cut short this process, setting the stage for ’sliding’ rather than ’deciding’ to enter co-habiting unions.”

There are some clear lessons here for developed nations and especially for developing countries. The biology of the human body, including the way our brains develop and the way our bodies produce hormones, does not necessarily change just because a society’s values or standards change.  In virtually all the developed nations the increasingly serious social problems they are confronting can be largely attributed to the breakdown in families as traditional family values are not just being ignored but often ridiculed.  There is an obvious connection.

As we have frequently reported, many developing countries are under increasing pressure from developed countries to change their laws and customs to accommodate elements of the “sexual rights agenda” and other so called “enlightened policies” that promote promiscuous behavior thereby undermining traditional family values.  

A major part of the work that Family Watch does at the international level is to help these developing nations resist this pressure from the developed countries that are trying to export their failed policies that have proven to lead to more problems, not less.

            So not only are relationships better when sex is delayed as the Cornell study shows, but girls and women are happier when they delay sex until they are in committed relationships. 

The Cornell researchers advise, “Courtship is a time for exploration and decision-making about the relationship, when partners assess compatibility, make commitments and build on emotional and physical intimacy.  The rapid entry into sexual relationships may, however, cut short this process, setting the stage for ’sliding’ rather than ’deciding’ to enter co-habiting unions."

I couldn't agree more!!!

So my case rests!!!!   For every woman who wants to have a healthy, happy relationship with a man--take my advice and get married.  It's much better for all involved.....

Action Matters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet our latest patriot!!!  Dan Bongino: A true American who talks about the power of the people as Americans if we just take action to do something.

Do something about our guns being taken away. Do something about our right to peaceful assembly. Do something about our right to keep God in our country.

This talk is from the heart and is now going around the internet from Guns Across America. Dan Bongino, who ran for the senate in Maryland, was packing up his office as he lost the election and was asked to say a few words.

What powerful words they are and every American should listen and heed to his words....


Click here to get to link!!!

What a wonderful, motivational, patriotic speech from the heart!!! 

Radio Blog Interview

Today a fun day as I had the greatest opportunity of being interviewed for  WebbWeaver Books Radio Blog.  I had about 25 minutes to talk about my book and myself as a writer for whoever listened and it was quite fun.

I wasn't sure at first as I had been nervous all day and I had to pick out a certain amount of reading from my books to fill most of the time.

One of those articles was called:

A Light Hearted Look At Work

By the time you read this, Hurricane Gustav will have passed by and from the looks of the storm, not a lot of damage will be left behind which is a relief to Baldwin County. 

With all the drama of this storm, the gas prices rising and falling and the political display we are seeing, I feel the need to make my writing this week more light-hearted.

Good heavens, we are bombarded by political news, the effects of high gas prices, our food prices rising, and the uncertainty of the future. We need a break from the world.  School has started and the season will change to the fall of the year.  Football season has started up again and the holidays are just around the corner.

So as I sit at home with seven children in the house enduring the storm not being able to leave the house for over 24 hours I wrote something that would be entertaining in a light-hearted way: Fifteen ways to maintain a healthy level of insanity at work.  Or maybe I should write fifteen ways to maintain a healthy level of insanity at home.  You decide and make it fit into your life:

1. During your lunch break, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time some one asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."
5. Put decaf in the coffee pot for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. Finish all your sentences with "In Accordance With the Prophecy."
7. Don't use any punctuation in any of your writings
8. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
9. At lunch time, order diet water with a serious face.
10. Switch the radio station to opera and sing along.
11. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
12. Five days in advance, tell your co-workers you can't attend the office party because you're not in the mood.
13. Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, “Rock Bottom”.
14.  For your 15 minute break, sit under your desk and play tidily winks with sound affects.

15. And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity.......

     You will have to write your own on that one.....

So as you go back to work on Friday, use these ideas to help your mind relax and appreciate the fact that another work week has gone by and you have survived.

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This writing and 99 others is published in a book called Thoughts From The Heart: Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama

 CK --the host of the show was genuinely happy with what I read and dig a great plug for my books!!!  It was fantastic and I'm hoping that more people will read my stuff...
 
Click here for the link to the interview....

Free E-book from Amazon

My ebook--Of One Heart: Being Single in the LDS World is free on Amazon...

February 5th to February 9th

Here is the link....

Great read for anyone who is single or who knows a single.

Christianity Under Fire

Valerie J. Steimle

Over 2 years ago I wrote this for my Heart Thoughts from the Heart column which was food for thought.  It still is as our times have not improved. Hold on to your convictions.......

            From the United Kingdom, we hear some very disturbing news: Christianity is “almost vanquished in the UK.” This report seemed believable but as I read the story, I was astonished to find an attack of Christianity in Great Britain. 

Jesus Christ

            In Times past in Britain, especially in England and Wales, Christianity was used as a “backdrop” to people’s lives and moral decisions where as in the present time the rise of secularism and other non-Christian beliefs has caused basic Christian principles to be ignored by its people. 

            As it was reported by members of several churches in Britain, their society has been demoralized with people seeking transient happiness in alcohol, drugs and pornography as well as a rise in new age and occult practices replacing Christ as something in which young people could trust. This rise in secularism has led their liberal society to be hostile to Christian morals and values in which religious beliefs are viewed as “a private eccentricity.” It was also reported that there are serious tensions between Christians and secularists in which atheists are becoming more vocal and aggressive in society. 

            This is a scary thought for the United States as the UK seems to think that our country is next to feel the effects of this demoralizing attack. That is not possible if we keep our beliefs and churches in the forefront of our lives. We should ask ourselves what is considered too “eccentric” in a society when we try to safeguard what we know to be the backdrop to our moral decisions. 

            Is the basis for the Ten Commandments and a Christian lifestyle wrong in a society? I say it is not. How are we to govern ourselves to be peaceful and upstanding citizens if we don’t have any belief or faith in what we know to be right? Certainly our Constitution should not charge us with every minute detail of our life. That would be detrimental to our freedoms. Governments are formed to govern with laws in secular decisions.  Our belief system in God should govern our lives in moral decisions. If we destroy Christianity from our country, what would be the result in our moral decisions to treat others as we would like to be treated? 

            As the first Amendment of the Constitution has stated, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….  We still have our right to worship however we may, and with our Christian/Judeo belief, should never experience what Britain has over the past five years.

           Our country has always stood for the Christian values of our Forefathers and I hope for our sake, we stand by our moral principles, never to be overcome by secularism.