The Duggars: 20 and Counting

I swear, I don’t usually read books like this. But I admit to a certain level of intrigue when it comes to the Duggars. I grew up in conservative Christian circles, but the Duggars just take it to a whole new level. Maybe it’s the traditional gender roles, maybe it’s the lack of any form of birth control, maybe it’s their seemingly docile sweet-natured kids. Whatever – I’m hooked on this freak show. I would be the first in line to poke fun about how Michelle Duggar got married at 17, or about how she began a career of handing out pizza samples following the marriage. Or maybe we could talk about the eldest son Josh and how he would give his fiancee awkward side-hugs. We don’t even need to say very much about Jim Bob, his name speaks for itself.

Food Matters

When my sister said she was going to adopt a vegan diet, I thought that she was a little bit crazy. She asked me to read two books, one of which was Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman. Bittman was struggling with his weight as well as various health maladies at the same time he was writing  a new cookbook called “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”. He decided to become a part-time vegan; until dinnertime he would forego any animal products, simple carbs and junk food. He did not give himself any restrictions for dinner, though gradually he found that he was eating more vegetables and less meat. As time went on, he lost weight and his health maladies went away.

Sounds great, but wait – this is not a diet book. Rather it’s an eye-opening critique of the food that we eat and where it comes from. Despite my skepticism, I have learned that many vegans don’t choose their lifestyle just because they can’t stand to eat Bambi. Many are vegan for very legitimate health and environmental reasons. Yes, I said environmental! Our eating habits aren’t just bad for us – they’re bad for the planet. Bittman focuses on factory farming, a concept that I’ve been relatively ignorant about until now.

Unconditional Parenting

I’ve been intrigued by attachment parenting for the last five years or so. By the time I was pregnant I was fully devoted to AP and all that it entails. I was committed to breastfeeding, to responding to my baby’s cries, and to wearing my baby. I wasn’t sure about discipline, though. I had read some of the posts in the gentle discipline forum on Mothering, and I really wasn’t sure if this was the approach for me. Sometimes the posters had kids that seemed really out of control… and I thought that there must be a better way. Both my husband and I grew up under a very traditional form of his discipline, and honestly it has been hard for us to imagine anything else.

Cloth Diapering for the Lazy Parent

Cloth diapering is suprisingly easy. Invest in cloth diapers and you’ll save money as well as space at the landfill. Cast aside your preconceptions: even the laziest parent can cloth diaper. You’re going to be changing diapers no matter what. All that cloth diapering will require of you is a little extra laundry.

Baby Calvin in a cloth diaper with Thirsties cover. 3 weeks old.

Mitten Strings for God

You might be surprised, but a mother of a 9-month old who only works 2 days a week can still qualify as a “mother in a hurry”. Hurried is sometimes just a state of mind. I become stuck in a cycle of counting down the hours until nap time, rushing out to run errand in between nap times, and then using that precious nap time to do something totally mundane (checking Facebook, for instance). At the end of the day, my baby hasn’t received the attention that he needs and I’m exhausted from all the running around.

 

Blogging: One form of intellectual self-discipline

Apparently I once called blogging a discipline. I’ll publicly pat myself on the back: I was right about that. When else would I be forced to sit down and write in a coherent manner? When else would I have to fully develop a thought in order to share it with the world? My college days are behind me, my career requires little in the way of formal writing, and as a new mother I don’t always have a lot of time for intellectual development. Time is a precious commodity, yet I still manage to squander it in ways that don’t fulfill me. I’ve been working on that lately; I read more and watch TV less. But reading is only one side of the coin – one must express one’s self as well. Writing has always been an important outlet for me. In high school, I journaled. In college, I wrote essays. Today, I write emails. I enjoy these three forms of writing, but right now I find that they pale in comparison to blogging. I no longer have much of a need to journal privately as I did in high school, and I no longer have an audience who will read my essays as I did in college. Email will always be a part of my life, but my emails are written quickly without much thought to style or form – or even organized thought at times.

 

I can’t promise that I’ll always be eloquent. My aim is to be coherent, honest and thoughtful. I’m a bit rusty, a bit sleep-deprived and a bit preoccupied with my 9 month-old son, but I am looking forward to this exercise. (Thanks to Jimmy for the kick in the rear).

Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety

This time the bargain bin really panned out. I picked this up on a whim, after the juxtaposition of motherhood and anxiety caught my eye.

I spend more than my fair share of time on the internet, and one of the things that I like to read about is motherhood. I read blogs and message boards like mothering.com. I want to learn about the real deal, the raw and unadulterated account of the realities of motherhood. From my years of very informal research, I’ve learned that one must sacrifice many of the pleasures in life for the sake of the children. Don’t expect any more nice vacations or meals out. Don’t expect time to yourself- not to sleep, read, go to the gym, or simply veg. Certainly don’t expect your husband to help out. The only pleasure you will find in life will be through your children. The woman’s identity fades into the background. Her career, her marriage, her sense of self all suffer when she buys into the culture of sacrificing self for the sake of the children.

Hopefully heaven isn’t as lame as this book

A few months ago I picked up 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life at the bargain section of Barnes & Noble. I don’t normally read books in this goofy genre, but I had heard about this book somewhere. At the time I thought that I had heard it mentioned on NPR, but I have since decided that this couldn’t possibly be the case.

My short introduction probably gives away my feelings toward this book. The author devoted very little time to recount his visit to heaven following a bad car accident. The book focused much more on the other parts of the story, devoting more pages to the author’s physical therapy than his recount of heaven. The story was mildly interesting, but nothing I would recommend, and not worth the $5 I spent. I didn’t learn much about heaven that I didn’t already know; namely that it is a nice place where your dead friends and family now reside. I sound flippant because I am. This wasn’t exactly a convincing recount of a near-death (or actual death) experience.

Religion rises from fear of death?

Religion rises inevitably from our apprehension of our own death. To give meaning to meaninglessness is the endless quest of all religion. When death becomes the center of our consciousness, then religion authentically begins.

-Harold Bloom, The Mormons

This is an interesting viewpoint. Death and the afterlife are certainly important doctrines of most religions, but is this really the defining doctrine? My personal view has focused more on meaning while living rather than meaning in death.

Sucky life leads to sadness

One blogger alleges that most people are depressed for a very good reason. The thesis is that it’s normal to be sad when your life sucks. It’s strange to nod my head in agreement while I simultaneously feel a little defensive.