Fiona, Kaisa & Nathan Judd

A couple of weeks ago, I stood behind an old man in line at the post office. He admired Kaisa, and then got all nostalgic and started talking about his own children when they were young. Then, he said something really interesting. He told me that his grandmother told him when she was young and having babies, they stayed inside all nine months and made baby clothes. I laughed and said, “I worked all nine months and bought all my baby clothes!”

A couple of days ago, Nathan and I made a quick trip to Costco for some essentials. I got in line behind a little boy sitting in a cart. He was about 3 or 4. He took one look in my cart and exclaimed, “That’s all you guys got!?” I laughed and said yes. He then took a moment to study the items and said, “That’s it? Only four things?” His face showed such total shock, I couldn’t help but laugh again. His mom overheard and, as she unloaded her cart that was full to the brim, told me, “I wish that’s all we were getting!”

It’s interesting how from a very early age, Americans are taught to be consumerists. I don’t think parents teach this intentionally; in fact, a lot of it probably has to do with television commercials and other advertising. All you have to do is turn on Saturday morning cartoons to know what I’m talking about…they know how to get kids hooked on products!

As I have made the jump from the work force to homemaker, I have noticed even more that I am truly a consumer rather than a producer. I don’t particularly like this feeling. I try desperately to hold onto some sort of feeling of productivity as I occasionally keep a simple garden, make my bread from scratch, and create Kaisa’s headbands and bracelets. But part of me is so grateful for the convenience of boneless, skinless chicken, factory-made clothing, and decorations for my house that I don’t have to make.

I think one of my goals as a parent will be to teach my children to be as productive as possible and that they can’t have everything they want. This will do them a great service as they become adults and are faced with important money management decisions. Sometimes it’s very hard to budget and do without in a world that is so focused on having everything now and paying later. And it’s even more difficult to use free time to do things that you could spend a little extra money to avoid. But I think that’s the way Heavenly Father would rather we do it. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Last night Nathan and I dropped Kaisa off with a sitter and went to see “Cloverfield” with some of our married friends. This movie had such an impact on me that I had to blog about it.

First let me say that this movie is not for people who easily get motion sickness. The entire movie is viewed through a single camcorder held by an amateur twenty-something, documentary style. If you are pregnant (the two other women with us were and both had to leave at some point) or just get dizzy easily, sit as far back in the theater as you can and be ready for some queasiness. But brave it if you can…this movie is great!

I don’t want to give anything away, but the plot is basically your traditional “monster” movie, like Godzilla or Jurassic Park. However, because the movie is shot from the perspective of those experiencing it, you feel as if you are going through it with them. I actually felt as if I were there. Without the use of mood-enhancing music and cool camera angles, the makers of this film were able to create a believable disaster film that had a perfect mix of humor and terror. The characters were perfectly designed…everyone knows someone like Rob, Hud, Beth, or Lily. The special effects were ingenious–you never once doubted the fact that what you were seeing was real.

For those who haven’t yet seen it–look in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen during the last scene–when Rob and Beth are in the ferris wheel together. (Wish someone would have told me this because I didn’t look and now I want to go again!) Also, after you watch it think about which character your would be in a disaster situation. I like to think I would be a Hud, providing the comic relief and optimistic attitude, or a Rob who saves the day. But…probably not.

Those with kids: I would suggest not taking younger kids. This will probably give them nightmares! There is some language and quite a bit of blood, and of course lots of scary moments!

Well…stop reading my post and go see the movie!!!

Whenever I am asked about my Hypnobirth, people always want to know one thing: did it hurt? For this reason, I have decided to write my next Hypnobirthing post on the pain relief issue.

When I was researching which birth method to use, I saw several impressive videos where the woman had chosen Hypnobirthing and appeared to have no pain whatsoever. I’ll admit that I was optimistic; it looked so easy, why couldn’t I do it? One statistic I read found that of women who chose Hypnobirthing, around half had no pain, and around 70% reported no pain until transition (7 cm).

I wouldn’t call my birth pain-free. I would say that I had very manageable pain until transition, and during transition the pain did increase, but that was the shortest part of labor and before I knew it, I was pushing. Hypnosis, combined with counter-pressure and the tub, helped immensely to ease any discomfort. When things got really intense, I changed it up. Trying something new always helped.

I am often asked what a contraction feels like. Basically, imagine a charlie horse that surrounds your whole torso (including your back). It grows in intensity over about 45 to 90 seconds and gradually subsides. This repeats itself every 2 to 3 minutes for a very long time! They definitely hurt, but I think more than that, they are tiring! Giving birth without drugs is hard work, so prepare for the long haul!

So many women have told me they think I’m crazy for not using drugs. After all, “that’s what they’re there for!” To those women I would say, there is nothing more empowering than giving birth to your baby naturally. It is so amazing to feel everything that is going on in your body as it works to bring your baby out. You gain so much confidence in your body and your place in this world as a woman and mother. If you are trying to decide whether to have drugs or not, my advice would be to choose a natural birthing method that appeals to you and educate yourself…no…immerse yourself in it. Give it 100% of your attention. Practice the techniques daily. Picture your perfect birth. Be optimistic, and go for it! You’ll be glad you did.

Actually, just dark chocolate, not white or milk, provides the antioxidants which can help lower blood pressure and help with bad cholesterol. It’s proven! And it’s been verified by many groups.

I just looked at a few studies but I was surprised of effect 100g of dark chocolate had over just 15 days. These studies used milk and white chocolate as a control, which provided very little, if any benefits compared to the dark chocolate. Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of the Blood Pressure Association, said “The benefits of eating chocolate are likely to be outweighed by the disadvantages as chocolate is high in sugar and fat.”

That’s good advice. With respect to my monthly goal, I’ll still continue the goal for January, but in February I’ll include dark chocolate, in limited amounts of course, and that’s good…I like dark chocolate. :)

That’s right, not one chocolate chip this month. I’m halfway through the month and still going strong. But why chocolate? Why just a month? It hasn’t been as hard as you might think, but it has had an effect on my life.

Real or imagined, I’ve noticed two major impacts:

1. Self-mastery - I think any time you give up something you enjoy, for a good reason, you are going to feel more in control of your mind and your body.
2. The Social Impact - People wonder why you’re not eating chocolate and most everyone around you is partaking of the delicious cacao but my friends and coworkers have been, on the whole, very supportive.

Why? A few reasons - the health benefits of not consuming extra calories, it helps me think about what I eat, and to show my wife (and myself) that I can do it. It’s easy to dip into the snack drawer at work and pull out 100+ empty calories that could have been satisfied with a small piece of fruit. I haven’t changed anything else about my lifestyle but this and if I like, I’ll add to it next month.

So why a month? I thought a month was a much easier and more manageable time frame than a year. Its also much less intimidating. At the end of the month I’ll consider this goal/habit “up for renewal”. If I enjoyed the previous month’s goal/habit then I’ll add another one. I may also modify the habit, or drop it all together. I’m doing a bit of reading online to find out more of the health benefits and negative effects of chocolate and will do a post shortly about that.

Going without America’s favorite candy hasn’t been easy, but for me the benefits have outweighed the chocolate.