Up until a few weeks ago, any Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) that assisted in a homebirth in Missouri faced the risk of being charged with committing a felony. But on June 24th, after nearly 25 years of waiting, the Missouri Supreme Court threw out a suit brought by a group of physicians, making it legal for Missouri midwives to practice openly and without fear of prosecution. I rejoice in this victory, which is not only a victory for midwives, but also a victory for families and the entire childbirth community as well! Read the entire press release of the Supreme's Court's ruling at the Friends of MO Midwives homepage.
My joy in this victory is not because I'm anti-hospital or anti-obstetrician. Rather, this is about offering families freedom to make truly informed, educated decisions about their births. Expecting Mamas deserve the right to choose the birthing location where they feel most comfortable, and for some women, that location will be in the safety and privacy of their own homes. In fact, when a laboring mom feels fear and anxiety, it can and often does inhibit her progress. This court ruling opens so many doors for families in Missouri!
Eight years ago, I didn't even know who Radiohead was. Today, not only do I know who they are, but I'm a huge fan as well...and I owe it all to my husband. I may consider myself a huge fan, but I wouldn't dare dream of saying that I'm as big a fan as he is. He introduced me to them a few weeks after we started dating, when the the "Amnesiac" album was released. I was skeptical, to say the least, and little did I know that I would not only come to love them, but our future chip-off-the-ole-block son would, too. (That's right--Calvin adores Radiohead...just ask him, I dare ya!)
Last month I had the great privilege of accompanying my husband to see Radiohead live at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. You know those lists people make of the things they have to do before they die? Well, for Dave, seeing Radiohead in concert would rank near the top of the list. He was like a kid counting down the days till Christmas for the 2 months prior to the concert. And his reaction to the concert itself?? Euphoric doesn't even begin to describe it! I not only immensely enjoyed the concert, but got equally as much joy out of watching my husband bask in the glow of one of his all-time favorite bands. Finally..."everything in its right place."
Earth Day was on April 22nd. And though I'm a little late, I thought I'd take this opportunity to recap the changes that I've been convicted to make this past year, followed by the changes that I would like to make over the next year.
Earth-friendly changes over the past year:
Finally went back to recycling (The poopy owners of our apt wouldn't budge on spending only a few extra dollars a month for curbside recycling...thus, my neighbor and I forged together and set up recycling bins in our shared basement. We alternate taking the recycling to a drop-off site in Kirkwood. We refused to let the man keep us down!)
Switched entirely to cloth napkins
Cut down considerably on the use of paper towels
Switched from disposable dusters to a micro-fiber, reusable duster
Almost entirely cut out disposable tableware (plates, etc.)
Started using reusable grocery bags, inspired almost entirely by Trader Joe's
Switch from plastic water bottles to stainless-steel bottles, like these
I thank the Lord that He laid on my heart the desire to be more responsible with the resources He's blessed us with. Apart from Him, I'm helpless to do any of this...to Him be the glory!
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1
I have many concerns about the current obstetrical practices in our country today. One of my concerns is the way in which pregnancy is "compartmentalized," often times treating mother and baby totally separate from each. Before I go into further explanation, I should clarify that I believe that mother and baby are two, unique individuals, and that a baby's life begins a conception, not birth. Even though mother and baby are two separate individuals, they share an amazing and unique intimacy during pregnancy. During that time, a baby knows nothing other than the serene environment provided by his/her mother's womb. They share the same space with one another 24 hours a day. They know one another's movements intimately and are comforted by the movements of the other. Many women speak of knowing their baby, even intimately, before they are even born. Such a gift could only come from our Creator, who has not only knit us together in our mothers' wombs, but knows and loves us intimately, too.
But far too often, obstetrics plays a role in disrupting this intimacy between mother and baby during pregnancy. For instance, many doctors and sonographers tell mothers that, in addition to its diagnostic use, an ultrasound can help them "get to know their babies." The mother's focus is then turned away from her growing tummy to the ultrasound monitor. While I believe that ultrasound does have some valid diagnostic uses during pregnancy, my concern is that modern mothers are becoming dependent on that ultrasound image to foster intimacy between them and their unborn babies. This is just one example among many.
What a blessing, then, it was for me to come across this delightful video clip from the Bellies and Babies blog. Here's Nicole's description of how this clip was created: "My First Home was created by three sisters, the Glasner girls. The college age daughter, Jessica, painted the pictures and came up with the story, the high school aged daughter, Emily, composed the music and the 5th grade daughter, Madeline, is the narrator." I must confess that after reading the description of it, I was expecting the video to verge on the side of cheesey. But instead, what I saw was a beautiful work of art that perfectly expressed the intimacy that exists between mother and baby during pregnancy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...and if you do, feel free to pass it on!
**Disclaimer: While my blog is first and foremost a food blog, involving anything and everything food-related, I’ve decided to branch out a bit. Now if you’re only here for the foodie goods, don’t go freaking out on me or anything! I’m just branching out a teensy-weensy bit, and as you’ll notice in my new blog tagline, it will still be 97% food stuff. But here’s the thing, sometimes I get a creative dialogue going on in head and what’s a girl to do if she can’t get out all those creative juices?! All that being said, here goes…
Every so often, I come across a singer or band that I just can’t get enough of. The kind of music that’s just intoxicating, the kind I can listen to over and over again and still not have even the slightest inkling of it ever growing old on me. The kind of music that I just want to shout about from the rooftops…the kind of music that is just. damn. good.
Well I came across just such a singer recently named James Morrison. I was first introduced to him on the “Today Show” about a year ago and though I wasn’t blown-away by him, my first impression was that this guy definitely possessed talent. A few months later, his CD caught my eye at the listening station in one of the Virgin Record Stores and I was able to get a better taste of his music. Then I officially took the plunge and bought his debut album, “Undiscovered,” with my birthday money last September. And while I was already a committed fan once I bought his album, I never really grasped the depth of James Morrison’s raw talent until I recently took a weekend trip with my 4 year old. Sometimes I just need a time of actually sitting down and listening an album from beginning to end, drinking in every word and note of it, before I can truly appreciate it for all that it is. And a desperate desire to break up the monotony of a drive to Iowa is the perfect motivation to listen to an album from beginning to end!
In all the reviews I’ve read on this 22 year old Brit, the language used to describe James Morrison’s style almost always included words like: raw, gritty, and soulful. His music is certainly raw, meaning that there’s no bells and whistles added to it. And though over half the songs on his blues-driven album have a lot of extra instrumentation on them (strings, great use of piano and Rhodes keyboards), they don’t sound “over-produced.” As far as gritty goes, one might think he’s forcing his singing voice to give it that gravelly-sounding edge, but that is not the case. His signature, raspy voice was the result of having whooping cough as a baby (sucks, but it certainly has worked to his advantage now!). And soulful? Oh yeah, baby, his style is most certainly soulful! My husband said this of James Morrison: "He's kind of reminds me of Joe Cocker. Except without all the drugs and alcohol and schizophrenic body jerking." Morrison sings with a raw emotion that's refreshing to my soul and rare to hear in most popular music today.
I’ve been pondering lately why I seem to be so drawn to soul and blues-influenced music. Some of my other favorite artists, like Patti Griffin and Lori McKenna, have obvious roots in these genres, too. And it’s no coincidence that both Patti Griffin and Lori McKenna, like James Morrison, have been described as raw and gritty. Here’s the thing: when I listen to music, I want the real deal. I don’t want to hear a bunch of poppy-crap with predictable, rhyming lyrics. There’s just something about the blues that begs its listeners to feel. I guess it makes sense since the blues originated in just that—a singer pouring out the very core of their emotions through music. And being the feeler that I am, a most-definite “F” on the Myer-Briggs personality test, perhaps I can best relate to music that wears its emotions on its sleeve. There’s no false pretenses, no fairy tales… just real life.
So please, won’t you take a listen to a live clip of James Morrison singing “Better Man?” And I dare you to tell me that you weren’t moved after listening to this song, in its entirety!!
And if you're still not convinced, here’s another one of my favorites from his album, entitled “Call the Police.” Whoa, some chick must’ve really messed with his head for him to be able to write this song!
Check out even more on James Morrison at his myspace page. So there you have it. Go out and buy his album right this minute. Hey! What are you still doing in front of your computer? Go. Right. Now!
Up until a few weeks ago, any Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) that assisted in a homebirth in Missouri faced the risk of being charged with committing a felony. But on June 24th, after nearly 25 years of waiting, the Missouri Supreme Court threw out a suit brought by a group of physicians, making it legal for Missouri midwives to practice openly and without fear of prosecution. I rejoice in this victory, which is not only a victory for midwives, but also a victory for families and the entire childbirth community as well! Read the entire press release of the Supreme's Court's ruling at the Friends of MO Midwives homepage.
