Books I'm Reading and Other Happenings at Our House

1.  I was interviewed on the local Fox network a week or so ago and forgot to mention it here.  The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement warning pregnant women and children from drinking raw milk.  I was a mother's voice speaking contrary to their admonitions.  My family and I have been drinking fresh, whole, unadulterated-milk-straight-from-the-cow for five years and we are very healthy.  Since drinking fresh milk we have not been sick enough to warrant a trip to the doctor.   Here is a logical, easy to understand response from the Raw Milk Institute to the AAP.  This warning is absolutely ludicrous and I wonder who is lining the pockets making donations to the AAP.  It is certainly not the lowly raw milk farmer.  As I told the Fox reporter: if you know your farmer and their practices, the milk is perfectly safe and good to drink.

Whew, that's off my chest.

2.  Books I'm reading:

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know - I was compelled to read this book after a couple of dads told me how much they enjoyed it.  The author is a medical doctor and writes from her experience of counseling women in her practice (young and old).  The first I'd heard of this book was by way of FamilyLife's radio program.  A friend of ours (dad to 4 daughters) said he was bawling while listening to the author talk about the power of a dad.  The chapters that opened my eyes most (thinking about Caroline) were the ones that talked about sexuality and the pervasiveness of it in our modern society.  The chapters that resonated most, when thinking about my dad, was the extreme sense of self confidence I have…and I owe it all to my dad.  Truly I am a strong woman largely in part because of him.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America - The author "goes undercover" and gets a minimum wage job and tries to make due on an hourly wage.  A neighbor loaned this book to me.  After her brother read it, he helped start a ministry to homeless people.  The book, written like a memoir, helped open my eyes (again) to the cyclical power of poverty.  It only takes one domino to fall in the wrong place for several things to go terribly wrong.  In particular, housing and transportation are some of the biggest pieces in the poverty puzzle, not to mention childcare if one has small children.

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison -  The author was sentenced to 15 months in a federal women's prison for her involvement in trafficking drugs ten years prior.  If it weren't for the lewdness (homosexuality and strong language), I would want John Isaac to read it simply because the author clearly writes how sin is not worth its consequences.  Her few months of fun with sex, travel, and money were not payment enough for the YEARS of pain she caused herself and loved ones.  Beyond that, the author writes about hierarchy, social strata, and inner workings of a women's prison.  Memoirs are my favorite!

3.  Speaking of homosexuality, World Magazine came this week and was on our dining room table.  John Isaac will often pick it up and read it cover to cover then tell me which articles I should read.  He read something aloud about homosexual marriage and said, "What does that mean?"  I told him when a man marries a man or a woman marries a woman.  He said emphatically, "That's GROSS!"  Thankfully Hubby was also there and we had a quick chat about what God says about marriage.

4.  I was at Target by 8 this morning and in the mall parking lot before the doors opened.  I've never done that without my mom or sister - even so it has been a looong time.  I scored some good deals at Dillard's thanks to generous family members giving cold hard cash for Christmas.  I bought my first pair of leggings since, oh, middle school.  Yeah, I'm so NOT a fashionista.  I fell in love with yummie tummie brand for the post-baby flabby belly.  Boots were 40% off and I bought a pair of Born.

5.  Schaeffer is sleeping at night but he is refusing the "afternoon" nap.  Killing me.  His first birthday is in two weeks…could he be ready to go to one nap this early?  He usually naps from 9-11 (I have to wake him) then I try to lay him down again at 1.  He is quiet off and on for an hour then he gets really cranked and I've been getting him out of bed at 2:30 or 3.  He is super-cranky-boy until bedtime between 7-8.  Last week he was napping from 1-4 rather consistently.  This boy is going to be the death of me.

6.  A neighbor called this afternoon inquiring about employing our eldest to feed their dog while they are out of town.  I said that would be fine as long as the payment didn't cause inflation to current labor wages.  After haggling a while on what was fair (neighbor wanted to pay waaaaay toooo much), I agreed to send John Isaac down in the morning for specific instructions.  When telling JI about his future employment he was giddy.  He wanted to know how much he would be paid, how long they would be gone, then said, "They are going to pay me to feed their dog?"  Almost as if he would have paid them.

7. I'm not quite regular but I am beginning to exercise more that I'm sleeping all night.  I swam laps on Monday for the first time in a looooong time.  And have dusted off my T-tapp DVDs.

I'll post Christmas pictures, etc. later in the week.  Wanted to tell my bookworm friends what I'm reading. (Hi Shari and Lindsay :)

I'd love to hear what everyone is reading.  Got recommendations of things I should read in 2014?