Women as Commodities - The Human Future

I'm a closet bioethicist, in that I am so fascinated with bioethics and want so desperately to help get the word out and educate people and whatnot. I'm not sure if it's the Christian in me, or the biologist, or both, or neither. But ever since I learned of the field of bioethics I've been following it to some extent.

Jennifer Lahl is the founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture. I had the pleasure of attending church with her several years ago and have since followed her career and organization. This last year they released a documentary called, "Eggsploitation;" a film about the human egg harvesting business. I haven't yet had the opportunity to watch it, but I would love to do so. In the meantime, I'm reading about it a lot.

This is what Chuck Colson has to say about the film.

Women as Commodities

via the Human Future by The CBC on 8/26/10

By Chuck Colson, Founder, BreakPoint
You've probably seen them—most of us have. Ads soliciting women to donate their eggs for in vitro fertilization are everywhere: in newspapers, on the Internet, on college campus bulletin boards.
Most people don't even think twice about it. An opportunity for young women to earn a little cash and do something nice for an infertile couple, and it's all supervised by doctors. What could be wrong with that?
Plenty, according to a new documentary. Eggsploitation, a film produced by the Center for Bioethics and Culture, tears down the façade to show the dark side of egg donation.
Continue reading at CBC-Network.org
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Audrey's Words

At 15 months, Audrey has quite a few words. I keep trying to list them all, but can't seem to make one that is comprehensive. I shall try now.

wa-wa: water
more
nulk: milk
dow: down
up
food
cheese
walk
food
eat
book
nose
foot
eye
bath
shower
shoe
belly (the "l" is kind of like the spanish "ll")
baby
bah-bah: banana
phone
bag (this one is hit or miss)
frog
duck
no - probably her favorite word

I'm sure she has more, but this is all I can think of off the top of my head.

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My Confession

I suffer from this disease. It's a chronic condition, but I've never had it diagnosed. I believe the scientific name for this disease is Pod-Oral Displacement Syndrome, however it is more often known as Foot in Mouth Syndrome.

I try very hard to keep this disease under control and not let it take over my life. But every now and then it pops up and I don't even recognize it's actions. Unfortunately yesterday was one of those times. I said something that was intended to be a joke, but the words didn't assemble right and there was a great disconnect from the brain to the tongue and what came out sounded so very mean. It kept happening, and I didn't realize that was I was saying was sounding so hurtful until it was too late.

Fortunately, the person to whom such words were said is very understanding and forgiving and no relationships were harmed; but I'm not always so lucky.

I spent all night repeating my statements to myself and just couldn't believe they came out of my mouth. I'm not a mean person. I don't say mean things. But sometimes my words get put together in the wrong order and it just comes out.

I truly despise that I do this. After a day of episodes, I tend to be extra careful about what I say and try very hard not to offend or hurt anyone unintentionally. But like all good efforts, I eventually get lazy and comments start flinging out of my mouth once again. Aside from being extra careful to watch what I say, I'm not sure the best way to handle my flippant remarks.

I think I know what triggers my comments. I am horrible at making jokes and always mess up the punchline. So when I try to make a one-liner joke, it almost always comes out wrong and that's when my comments are said. I wish that I just made jokes that weren't funny, but unfortunately, it's not that simple. So perhaps what I need to do is accept that I'm not a funny person and just need to not try to join in on the jokes.

I have been VERY blessed in my life to find someone who understands this about me and is very forgiving. He loves me very much and knows that I would never intentionally say something hurtful. He has forgiven me more times than I care to count.

Mt. Diablo

Kymberly has been practically begging to go on a quick day trip up to Mount Diablo.  Mount Diablo is the highest point in the bay area.  You can see it from almost everywhere.  It can get snow in the wintertime.  It is also known for it's tarantula population and their migration in the fall.  It's also a favorite place of Josh and the kids.  Great hiking and camping and viewing.  It's a state park, and we were afraid that it would've been closed when all the talk of closing state parks was happening.  We are very blessed to have such a great park nearby.  Only about a 20 min drive for us, which is really cool.


So on Sunday we finally packed a picnic lunch and went up the the mountain.  Audrey's still a little small to be doing a whole lot of climbing and hiking, and am a little too pregnant to do much.  So with the Jeep stroller in hand and lots of water, we meandered through Rock City. Andrew and Kymberly went to town climbing all over the rocks and squeezing into holes and crevices.  Josh had fun pushing the stroller in off-roading conditions.  And I loved taking photos of it all.

The Versatile Blogger Award....

My friend Katie, over at Texas Tigers, nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. How fun!!

So by being nominated, I must do the following.

Thank the person who nominated me.

So ... Thank you Katie. I didn't realize you read my blog. Now I don't feel so silly spamming yours with comments. BTW --- I totally LOVE your blog. And when I saw that Ali nominated you, I couldn't help but agree wholeheartedly. How funny that we follow the same people. I guess it's a small world, ain't it?


Katie is a mother of 2 and blogs about the time with her children. She posts great photos of all the adventures they go on. Her son is the same age as Audrey. I'm silently jealous of her photography skills and secretly try to take more photos when I see her pictures of all their doings.


I must post 7 things about myself.

1) I'm a wife, mother, step-mother, daughter, sister, and most importantly child of God. I love my baby girl more than anything in the world and every day with her is a HUGE blessing. My husband, Josh, is an amazing man who makes me smile and brings a great deal of joy to my life. His children are terrific kids who I absolutely adore. I am blessed to have them in my life.


2) I am a Colorado native. I love and miss Colorado dearly. I moved to California 7 years ago. There are parts of the bay area that I really like, and parts of California that I really enjoy (the ocean). But, unlike Tony Bennett, I left my heart in Colorado.


3) I work as a scientist at a company that manufactures point of care blood analyzers. I enjoy the idea of my job and think that we have a very interesting product with HUGE potential, but my true desire is to be a stay-at-home-mom. Nothing brings me more joy and pleasure than to spend time with my baby.




4) Music is my passion. I started playing music at age 5 when my parents signed me up for piano lessons. I started playing in band in 6th grade. To be honest, I did band simply because my sister did band and I wanted to be just like her. But I did really enjoy it and stuck with it through all of high school. Marching band was the highlight of high school for me. I marched baritone and tuba and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also picked up trombone in jazz band and that became MY instrument. My parents bought me a bass trombone for HS graduation and I have played it off and on since then. I played in college. I participated in the South Bay Trombone Choir for a couple years, and currently run their website. I also dabble a bit with the trombone at church and hope to play more. I would love to help out with the schools' band programs in any way possible, but recognize that it's not an option right now due to my super busy schedule.

5) I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. It's naturally wavy to curly, depending on the climate. When I got pregnant with Audrey, the hormones took out most of my curl and left me with wavy/frizzy hair. That's about where I'm at, 2 years later. I miss my curly hair. The ease and quickness of doing my hair. It's funkiness. But I now must resign myself to suffering through drying/straightening it, having so-so curls, or just bunching it up on the top of my head so it stays out of my face. Consequently, I've tried various short cuts to keep it out of my face and give me something new, but I can't find anything I really like. Nor am I dedicated enough to go get it cut as frequently as I should. I've recently discovered headbands. I'm in love with headbands. Cloth. They are awesome. Keeps my hair out of my face and doesn't cause headaches.


6) I wish I knew how to dance. I have rhythm, but not the ability to move to the music. I took swing dance lessons several years ago, but have forgotten most of what I learned. I would love to take ballroom dancing. I think it would be a blast. But again, my schedule is so busy, when would I do it? So I've settled for something quite a bit outside my comfort zone. Some ladies at work organized a little dance exercise class during lunch. I've been attending and am enjoying it. We're currently learning salsa. I feel like a total dork doing it and don't think I have the hip dexterity to do it right, but I'm having fun. And maybe next time I'm at at wedding I won't feel super foolish for wanting to dance but having no clue how.


7) I have recently ventured into the wonderful world of cloth diapering. Who woulda thought that a chunk of cotton used to catch waste material would be so much fun. But it really is. I think of cloth diapers as an accessory to Audrey's outfits. I wish we had lots of money to go crazy on buying cloth diapers. I'm settling for making them, and am enjoying that process as well. I'm hoping to sign up to be a diaperparties rep and help get the word out about cloth diapers. I think I know enough people with babies and hopefully know enough moms who also use cloth diapers that I could sell some and make a little bit of cash on the side. Not a whole lot, but some. Maybe enough for some spending money here and there.


Nominate 5 other bloggers


I'm saddened that many of the blogs I'd nominate have already been nominated or are inactive. But I know there are great blogs out there that just need this nomination.


So ...... I nominate


1) Maggie - The Cappuccino Life
2) Audriana - For Such a Time as This
3) Beckey - Zimmages
4) Michelle - Follow Your Bliss
5) Majellamom - Waiting for Charlie


Thank you all for reading. I am happy to know that someone out there reads my randomness.

Mommy and Me Monday - 8/16/10

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

This is my first entry for Mommy and Me Monday.  I started following "Really, Are you Serious" because of the Mommy and Me Monday, but never entered a photo myself.  Well, here we are.

Audrey and myself at Mt. Diablo State Park yesterday afternoon.  We had a blast climbing around rocks in Rock City and showing off the off roading skills on the Jeep stroller.

Get out from behind your camera and post a photo of you and your child(ren) for Mommy and Me Monday.

Wordless Wednesday - Audrey's first ribs

 

 

 

The best free diaper pattern I've found

It's rare that I rave about another blog from mine. Well, not as rare lately, but I don't usually do this.

At any rate ...

In my cloth diapering I have taken on a new challenge - because life is just too boring with 2 teenagers and a toddler and one on the way plus church and everything else. I've started sewing my own diapers. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. I really thought that I would totally screw up, but the first diaper I tried, Audrey wore and it caught everything. I was very proud of myself. So I am making more.

I'm on the hunt for the best pattern. I eventually will just make my own I'm sure. But in the meantime, I want something to trace and work with, even if I do end up modifying it a bit.

A fellow cloth-diapering online friend sent me this link. I added it to all the other links that I want to print out and try. Today I read it a little more thoroughly.

It is absolutely THE best diaper pattern I've seen. Hands down. Detailed instructions. Lots of different available options. All sorts of information on fabric options and enclosure options.

It answers 99% of the questions I initially had when I first started sewing my own diapers. I wish I had found this as my first pattern.

Check it out if you have any inkling of a desire to sew your own diapers.

Tutu Mafia Cloth Diaper Pattern

Thankful Thursday - 7/29

I am very thankful for our friends Brian and Lara. Last Thursday our refrigerator died. Landlord told us to call a repairman. We did. Saturday morning repair person (Best Buy Geek Squad) came out. Dead fuse on the motherboard. A week to get the part. Brian and Lara offered to let us borrow their extra refrigerator until ours is fixed. YAY!!!

Yesterday we got a call from The Geek Squad and were told that the part won't be available to ship until Aug 4. WHAT!?!?!? So we're out a refrigerator for another week. Yikes! Brian and Lara said, "It's OK. Keep the extra fridge as long as you need it."

Thank God for good friends like Brian and Lara. They are good friends even without the use of their refrigerator, but thank God that they have one to let us borrow.

On a related random thought: Why is fridge spelled with a "d" but refrigerator is not????

Discerning The Difference Between Containers and Content

He sums it up all so well.  Please read this blog by Bob Kauflin ... a worship leader who is on the same brainwave as me.

Although there are probably a number of ways to answer that question, what came to my mind was the difference between containers and content in our meetings. “Container” describes what’s going on during a particular portion of the meeting. In a more formal church the containers might be listed out in a bulletin and include things like Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Pardon, Worship in Song, Pastoral Prayer, Giving of Tithes and Offerings, Lord’s Prayer, Sermon, the Lord’s Supper, and Benediction. In a less formal church containers still exist, but are generally assumed. They could include the “worship time,” “ministry time,” announcements, sermon, testimony time, special song, prayer for the sick, welcoming of guests, communion, and the closing song.

In either case, we can get caught up in focusing on the “containers.” How they fit together, how much time each one requires, whether or not we’re approaching them with creativity, and other administrative and aesthetic questions. We think the meeting has gone well when we fit all the “containers” in to the allotted box of time, or when things flow smoothly. “Worship didn’t take too long.” “Smooth transition from announcements to the special song.” If we’re really on top of things, we assign a theme to the containers so that they all relate to the same topic or have a similar focus.