LDS Mamas # 36 - Page 2

[mommy2boys]

Originally Posted by Isaacs_mom

DH and I eloped to Vegas in Jan 05. We got sealed in the Oakland Temple Feb,18,2006. We are having a hard time going to the Temple. DH went to a stake preisthood meeting this past sunday and they talked about that and other stuff that we need to do better. OK well just wanted to add that since everyone else said something about getting married . :

That is so nice, dh and I did something similar, it was the right choice for us. We have a hard time getting to the temple too, its 7 hours away. We save and try to go twice a year. If everything goes as planned though we will be 45 minutes away, I cant imagine how wonderful it must be to get to go every month or so.

[Drewsmom]

Christina, congratulations! That's very exciting.

I am Kristen, 33 mom to Andrew 5 1/2 and Wes 3 and expecting baby#3 late June/July.

I was introduced to AP and the forum by my older sister who is the epitomy of AP. AP as far as co-sleeping and bf and EBF came naturally with Andrew as he was a very high needs baby and wouldn't have it any other way. I really wasn't planning on AP'ing him but it was the only way to survive. I was so happy to find the forum and esp this LDS forum years ago b/c I'm not sure I would have had the courage to stick with it. I couldn't find anyone esp LDS who was following this type of parenting. I remember asking everyone around what they did for sleep and was shocked that everyone let their baby CIO. I felt like it was a dirty secret in America. Fortunately I served a mission in the Philippines and so I've kept in touch with my companions and got some support from them as well as you ladies.

I still feel like I am an aspiring AP not perfect in it but I do strive to be gentle and loving in my approach to my kids (not that it always happens) and try to go with their needs esp as an infant. I love slinging my baby, discovered it more with baby#2, Wes. I had 2 natural childbirths in the hospital and am planning a homebirth with baby#3 and am very excited. I teach Hypnobabies natural childbirth ed classes and love that. I would love to become lactation certified or eventually a LLL leader (I've been too outspoken with some of my ideas at meetings though and love to have the freedom to say them without being a leader ).

[Drewsmom]

Magstaphil, I'm sorry that you have those struggles with your Bishop. I've been active now since I was 16 and so for the past 17 years I've had a lot of diff. Bishops and while I've had mostly good experiences with them I have had some who made some big mistakes and it was hard to forgive and get over it and still try to support them in their calling. I just finally realized that they are people too and are still fallable. I could tell you some interesting experiences with the 2 that I'm thinking of. But anyway, I just wanted to say that if you're sensing those feelings you're probably right. He may have those feelings. Ultimately as the Bishop he should be putting those feelings aside and going by the spirit. Best of luck and best of luck with the tithing thing. I guess the church now has a system where you can have your tithing automatically drafted from your account. We automatically draft it into our own tithing savings account so that it's just out and we don't think about it and that has made things easier.

Heidi, that is interesting info re: Alzheimers and very good to know. I'll pass that along to my sis who has been the biggest critic of my grandfather being put in a nursing home. It was aweful, they had to trick him to get him in there and he's just willing himself to die. Granted he was a grumpy, old guy to my Grandmother for years and years and he's a lot more docile now but it's been a learning exp. for me and my sis to see how easily my father could put aside his own father. It's so sad. Even if he does have Alzheimers, he has hospice care right now and there is no need for him to be there, he could be receiving the same care at home but they're "worried" that he could go back to his old ways (of being grumpy, not wandering off or being violent, etc). Tough situation. If we were closer I would be physically helping out more.

[milk4two]

I've been having similar thoughts to you, Becky. I too keep thinking of the expression, "men are that they might have joy," and wondering why I so rarely feel joyful. It seems like our family has endured one trial after another for so long, that all of our optimism and cheer has just burned out. It is a very rare thing for me to not spend every minute of every day completely overwhelmed and stressed almost more than I can stand.

I also need to recommit to reading my scriptures daily, and I hope that will make the difference.

As for nursery - in the beginning we have almost always had to stay with our child for the first few weeks. One child refused to go to nursery altogether until she was almost 3, and the twins who will be 2 in January still require my DH to sit with them for most of the time. It's very challenging, and we don't feel like we're getting a lot from church hanging out in the nursery, but eventually they do get used to it & enjoy being there.

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by Drewsmom

I guess the church now has a system where you can have your tithing automatically drafted from your account. We automatically draft it into our own tithing savings account so that it's just out and we don't think about it and that has made things easier.

i'm going to have to look into this! very awesome, thanks for the heads up.

[Isaacs_mom]

Originally Posted by mommy2boys

That is so nice, dh and I did something similar, it was the right choice for us. We have a hard time getting to the temple too, its 7 hours away. We save and try to go twice a year. If everything goes as planned though we will be 45 minutes away, I cant imagine how wonderful it must be to get to go every month or so.

we only live less than 20 mins from a temple ... i mean since we had the baby we have a hard time leaving him with someone , we did about a month ago with my mom, we just need to get in the habit of doing it then we can go monthly ... (this is to clarify my pp)

[Isaacs_mom]

Originally Posted by magstphil

i'm going to have to look into this! very awesome, thanks for the heads up.

me too , does anyone else do this or now about it?

[Bekka]

About going to the temple: my friend reminded me that you don't have to do a whole session; you can do just a few names of initiatories or something, so since Saturdays are just crazy for us, dh is going to take a morning off work and we're going to put our big girls on the school bus and then go to the temple. I'll do about 4 initiatories and he will take care of the baby, and then I'll take care of the 2 little ones and he will go do a session. He always puts his spirituality aside for the family, and I try to encourage him to go sometimes, but he has cancelled 2 trips since the baby was born. I think it's like a year since he has gone to the temple, and I can tell he (and I) need to go. It's not like he's trying to get out of it or anything--those times the kids have been very fussy and needy, and he always says, "well, I'm not going to leave you with such sad fussy kids."

Oh, and intro:

I'm Becky, I have 4 kids, dd, 8, dd, 6, ds, 2 1/2, and dd 4 mos. Drewsmom used to be in my ward and we miss her . I do a lot of music stuff in the ward (piano, organ) but I had to ask to be release from one little calling because I didn't have enough time for baby care between Sunday responsibilities, and I play for choir practice after church. It's still been hard--I don't know totally what to do about all the things. I even nursed dd the last 15 minutes of church, got her all happy, dry, full, etc., and she still fussed for the last 1/2 of the choir practice. Oh well, there are a couple of new keyboardists in the ward, and maybe we can distribute the piano responsibilities more evenly ... *they* don't have babies!

I love to sew and CD and finally had a wonderful home water birth (still working on the story), and I'm all excited b/c of a discussion I had in the mother's lounge with another new mom, she ordered the starter pack of Motherease CD's! And found out we have a lot of other stuff in common... she kept saying she might offend me, but when I went to her house (she watched ds) she had dollhouses and dressup clothes and handmade wooden toys and was like the epitome of Waldorfy education stuff that I love (not the anthroposophic stuff that feels not quite on spiritually, but the letting-kids-learn naturally and gently aspects of Waldorf). She's very gentle with her kids, and brings her Boppy to nurse every Sunday.

Okay, that was way long for intro. I never know exactly what to say. Welcome to all the new moms and the ones who came back after not posting for a while!

[LDSmomma6]

True, it's important to go to the Temple as much as we can, but "to everything there is a time and season." I've always lived far from the Temple, except when the Houston one was built, I was 75 miles away. How many times did I go in 5 yrs? 1 time! I had 2 babies in that time period, and nursed. DH wasn't to active some of that time, and I didn't want to go myself, and having a nursing baby/toddler kept me from going. Now I'm 3 hrs away from a Temple again (Dallas), and I haven't been since I have moved here. I don't have any excuse really since I haven't had a nursing baby since March 2005, but except that it is to far, and Satan is really trying to not get us there. Now that the baby is due in 8 weeks, I doubt I will be going again anytime soon.

My mom always used that quote up there. She never lived by a Temple when we were growing up, as there were only 18 for the longest time. We lived in S. Alabama and the closest Temple was Washington D.C. We moved 1 yr before the Atlanta Temple was done. My birthday pennies went to that Temple. My parents only went to the Washington D.C. Temple 2 times in 8 1/2 yrs of living in Alabama, and that was with a charter bus provided by the stake. They always had the yearly trip there, but Mom was either way pregnant or nursing a baby still. We then moved to Alaska, where the closest was Seattle. My parents couldn't afford to fly whenever they wanted to go. Before moving to Alabama, my parents did live in Hawaii, and so they did get to go to that Temple regularly since it was close and they and some friends traded-off babysitting (plus she would nurse their baby, and the mom would nurse mom's baby). We then moved to Texas after Alaska, and Dallas was the closest at 2 1/2 hrs. My parents live in an area where within 2 1/2-3 hrs they can either be at the Dallas, San Antonio or Houston Temples. She was a regular worker in the Dallas Temple for years, and then when her stake was put in the SA Temple, they didn't need her as much, so she doesn't go as often as she once did. She loves going, and says it's because she had to miss out so much when she had small children, and living so far from Temples.

I hope one day I can make it more, but as long as I have babies, it won't be possible for me.

[Bekka]

temples

Oh, right. I forgot--I live 40 minutes from the temple in DC/MD. So it's "local" for us. When it was 4 hours away, this is what we did: we went on Friday afternoon, and dh went to do a session, we stayed overnight in a motel, then I went and did a morning session while dh had dd and he checked out, packed up, etc., and then we went home. We did that a few times. Hard to do with more than a couple of kids, but we were able to get to the temple 2x a year for a while, anyhow. Then they built a closer temple.

[kathirynne]

Temple question

This is a little , but it is about the temple, so....

I am taking out my endowments this Spring. The only problem is, I have no idea where to buy a temple dress (or what else I need for my endowments, for that matter. )

!

[FiveLittleDucks]

Hey there, everyone! I've never posted in one of these threads, but have read parts of several. I've been married for 10 1/2 yrs, and have 5 kids (9, 7, 5, 3, and 14 mos). Both my DH and I were born and raised in the Church.

I've been thinking a lot about the temple, mostly about how I don't go as much as I should. Thanks for the reminder.

PS, Kathirynne, right near the temple there is a distribution center that will have everything you need for the temple. Anyone in your ward can let you know where that is. And, congratulations! That is a wonderful step that will so bless you and your family.

[cchrissyy]

my replies from the last thread...

Heidi,
you're clearly a more experienced mama than em ,but her'es some food for thought anwyay.
my last pregnancy felt horrible I was SO tired, SO sore, SO weak I just hated it, I couldn't get around with my kids for the last few months. I dealt with that frustrating limitation by swearing up and down that I'd not ever be doing it again
well, the moment the baby was born, I got my energy and strength back and went back to wanting many more, like it wasn't even so hard.

Now, I'm not saying "just wait, you'll change your mind". Just that the third trimester might not be a great time to make permanent birth control decisions. choose something more temporary and make the permanent deciosn when your life and body are stabilized a bit

on Alzheimer's, my grandpa died of it in 1991 and it had been diagnosed as "Alzheimer's" for years before that.

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by kathirynne

This is a little , but it is about the temple, so....

I am taking out my endowments this Spring. The only problem is, I have no idea where to buy a temple dress (or what else I need for my endowments, for that matter. )

!

you can do all that online now, too. lds.org has a catalog and also i know there is a site thats, i believe, dressedinwhite.com ???? i heard this from a friends who just went through. we have a small temple so she did everything online.

edited to add: @ lds.org you have to have your member ID and recommend # to enter and purchase certain items.

[LDSmomma6]

Or go by your local temple, and if the have a Beehive Clothing "Outlet" there, then you can try on dresses there. That's what I did before I got married. Plus you can go to the church's website and click under "Order Church Materials" (LDS Distribution Center), and they have dresses there, about 1/2 the price of dresses elsewhere.

PLUS! If this is your first time going, you get everything 1/2 price though LDS Distribution Center, no matter how long you have been a member! I bought DH his stuff, even though we have been married for 14 yrs at least (at the time), and it was all 1/2 price, even though he had been through the Temple, it was just the 1st time I ordered him stuff. We always just rented his stuff.

Ok, I think my house is pretty clean now. I am having Lunch Bunch at my house tomorrow. Don't know how many sisters are planning on coming, but I do know of 5 for sure. I am making these croussant sandwiches with a cream cheese/raspberry spread w/ turkey & lettuce. DH is really good at helping me clean the house, and he did today before he left to go back to work (for 6 days!). Like I said before he got my family room done upstairs, and so he helped me rearrange the living room, vacuumed, dusted, etc... I just finished cleaning my room and the kitchen is about done. The hall bathroom is about as good as it's going to get. It needs to be remodeled badly, but I just can't go rip a tub and toilet out unless I have new ones to replace immediately. Think nasty blue tub and toilet. That's what I have. So gross!! I will spray it tomorrow with Lysol after I do a quick swipe. I even lit some candles in house to start getting it to smell Thanksgivingy... I do have to go to Sams tomorrow as soon as I get kids on the bus (7:20am) so I can get the croussants. Such a pain having to drive 25 miles for it!! But I just couldn't go today, and none of the local stores have any...I already checked.

Boys should be home from Priesthood Mtg soon. Our stake does Stake Priesthood Meeting on Wednesday nights. It's weird. But 8 yr old went in too because he had scouts, so I should be expecting them home soon.

Miss K. has decided to quit sucking her thumb! She is 5, and the dentist told her yesterday that she really needed to quick. So last night and tonight she asked me to put a bandaid on her thumb, and she fell asleep without sucking it. I hope it works!! I just need to get Lindsey off the paci...I start trying to take away pacis about 3 yrs old. But I will see since the new baby will be arriving around that time too.

[guestmama9911]

FiveLittleDucks, what does it mean when someone has been Boo'd?

Alzheimer's is the reason we are in Provo instead of Seattle. My step-father has it, and he and my mother have a daughter who is Autistic, so Mom could not take care of both. He is now in a home in Springville and doesn't know any of us, but he is very well cared for here. Mom moved here because she knew his disability would go farther here than in California, and it definitely does. Also, my Autistic sister has never had such excellent schooling. She gets to attend seminary, and earlier this year a hottie from the student council took her to the prom!

DH decided to go back to school while we are here, but we definitely want to leave. We miss ethnic diversity (true, we have a lot of Mexicans, which makes me happy because I want DS to see people with different skin colors and languages) but Seattle had so many cultural opportunities he doesn't have here, outside of the many diverse restaurants that appeal to returned missionaries. There is one black person in our new ward, and DS likes to stare at him. I hope he doesn't mind!

We also think it's crazy and rather inhumane to tax food. This is the first state I've ever lived in that does that. And weird that a Republican state with a 5 year surplus still wants to increase taxes. Also, I hate their pet policies. So many people here keep their dogs chained up outside. I just rescued two feral kittens, and the shelter says they only have to keep them three days before euthanizing them. The nearest no-kill shelter is an hour away in Salt Lake. Seattle has over 30 library branches, over 10 dog parks, and a free feral-cat neuter clinic. If you chain up your dog without water and shelter, you pay a fine and get your dog taken away. Also, Seattle has trees.

I miss Seattle. (sigh)

I'm done.

[holyhelianthus]

i'm sorry you're going through this, Alicia! it's never fun to live in a place you can't stomache. they really tax food???? i've been to Utah once on a ward trip and thought it'd be great for vaccation. it's just too pretty and pristine for us to live there. when DH converted we had all these friends telling us that they'd help us move to Utah and we were just like 'no thanks!' we're really West Coast people. Seattle is a great place so i can understand why you miss it.

[marlygf]

You know, I took a Human Development class Fall 05 and they taught us that Alzeihemers can be diagnosed. Noted, yes it can get mis-diagnosed, but nowadays, what isn't! Also if you start treating it ealier the affects happen slower. So, I do think it's interesting that Heidi's husband was taught it isn't able to be diagnosed. I really wish educaters would make up their minds.

Alisa, see I grew up in Utah and for me going to Oregon or Washigton is too claustriphobic for me! There are too many trees. I love that we have trees but I can see and I know my directions. I wouldn't mind living in California especially because dh wants to work with the movies (robotics) but it's so expensive there. I do admit that I hate there is not much diversity here but I am happy we have had many opportunities. When we lived in the UofU student housing we had neighbors from all over. Africa, China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, Brazil. It was wonderful! Where we live now, it exactly the same. I don't know what attracts all sorts of cultures to our current apartment, but one of my good friends is from Jordan and she is actually LDS We have others from Africa, Korea, Iraq, Russia, India, South America. It's an awesome place for diversity.

magstphil, I think that is so funny people were trying to help you move to Utah. Just because you become a member of this church doesn't mean you need to live in Utah! That's just really funny to me

Marly

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by marlygf

magstphil, I think that is so funny people were trying to help you move to Utah. Just because you become a member of this church doesn't mean you need to live in Utah! That's just really funny to me

i know! it was way weird. but it was mainly friends from Utah or living in Utah who thought it is the best place ever and wanted to share in the wealth, i guess. lol

[milk4two]

Originally Posted by magstphil

i know! it was way weird. but it was mainly friends from Utah or living in Utah who thought it is the best place ever and wanted to share in the wealth, i guess. lol

Well, it's just that THIS IS THE PLACE.