Quotes on Family

"I wear a T-shirt that says 'The family tree stops here."
~Suzanne Westenhoefer

"Motherhood and homemaking are honorable choices for any woman, provided it is the woman herself who makes those decisions."
~Molly Yard

"There's no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."
~Jill Chrurchill

'I don't need a baby growing inside me for nine months. If I'm going to feel nauseous and achy when I wake up, I want to achieve that state the old-fashioned way: getting good and drunk the night before."
~Ellen DeGeneres

"Families are nothing other than the idolatry of duty."
~Ann Oakley

"There's a lot to do when you have a baby. The first thing, which is taking me a really long time, I have to figure out who the father is."
~Heidi Joyce

"Providing for one's family as a good husband and father is a water-tight excuse for making money hand over fist. Greed may be a sin, exploitation of other people might, on the face of it, look rather nasty, but who can blame a man for 'doing the best' for his children?"
~Eva Figes

"Why are men reluctant to become fathers? They aren't through being children."
~Cindy Garner

"The reward of not having children [is] if I get blown up tomorrow, I'll have lived long enough and I won't have to worry about my children."
~Helen Gurley Brown

"I've thought about having a family. I just haven't seen any that really appeal to me."
~Laura Kightlinger

"I'm so sick of hearing about family values. Most of us are in therapy because of our families. I'm surprised you don't hear about more calls to 911: "Help me, I'm in a family. Get me out of here!"
~Judy Carter

"I think the husband should always be in the delivery room, along with the child's father."
~Maureen Murphy

"Sometimes when I'm feeling sad or lonely, I'll have a snack, like a brownie or a cupcake, and it makes me feel better. I don't think that's such a big deal, because I know a lot of women who, when they're feeling sad or lonely, will have a baby."
~Jessica Delfino

"The Vatican came down with a new ruling: no surrogate mothers. Good thing they didn't make this rule before Jesus was born."
~Elayne Boosier

"I still can't believe that people I know, my peers, are making babies. I'm too lazy to make a salad."
~Hellure Lyle

None of these quotes reflect how I feel. I do, however, find them amusing," I whisper.

Are you listening?

May's Woman of the Month

Malalai Joya is an Afghan woman of supreme courage and dedication to her country. As an elected representative to the Afghan Parliament she has continually spoken her mind about many of the other members of parliament who are warloards and druglords using their positions of power for their own advancement and to drive the Afghan women back into the life they had under the Taliban. The Afghan parliament on Monday voted for her removal. This attempt to stifle free speech and silence this brave woman should not be allowed. Canada, if it is really in Afghanistan to improve the life of the Afghan people should demand Malalai Joya be reinstated as a condition of support for the government." I whisper.

Are you listening?

Here are some links to information on Malalai Joya:
Defend Malalai Joya
Malalai Joya in Wikipedia
Seven Oaks

Pretty in Yellow

"My little grandaughter is now 15 days old. She has certainly brought a lot of joy to our lives already. It is amazing to watch her. I have an entirely different perspective than I did as a mother to my two when they were newborns. I find it thrilling how quickly she is learning things. She makes eye contact; cries to get changed (and doesn't cry while being changed!); recognises her grandma and grandpa's voices as well as her mother's and absolutely loves to go for a car ride. The dogs are very interested in her, the cats couldn't care less that she is here. Personally, I think that she is the cutest, smartest little baby girl in the whole world. No bias on my part!" I whisper.

Are you listening?

That Dastardly Dog!

"This is what we came home to yesterday after a nice afternoon of indtroducing Riley to friends and family. Sadie, Sarah's puppy had broken out of her kennel. The downstairs was relatively unscathed. The main floor, however, was a different matter. And I am not sure that all the blame can be laid on Sadie, there was one other dog, Honey, the one in the picture and 2 cats present. One can just imagine the scene. Now perhaps Honey chased Sadie through the house and thus the destruction that followed. I, however, think that maybe Honey saw an opportunity to be bad for the first time in her life and lay the blame at Sadie's door. Luckily we lost very little, the damage looked (and smelled) worse than it actually was. The main loss was our dinner, thawing on the counter and my 70% cacao fair trade chocolate bar!



I can't get mad at Sadie, she was just being the puppy she is," I whisper

Are you listening?

Mother's Day

"I would like to share the proclamition written by the founder of Mother's Day, Julia Ward Howe.

Mothers' Day Proclamation - 1870

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant
agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with
carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity,
mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes
up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and
commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to
the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress,
not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I
earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of
nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed
most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

We, the mothers of today need to answer this call. We need to say, in a united voice, no more war. Will you join me?" I whisper.

Are you listening?

A New Baby

"Life moves so quickly. It has been over a week since my daughter had her little girl and I can't believe time has gone by so fast. The two weeks prior to her birth seemed to take forever. Now she is here and has taken over our lives completely. Riley Savannah came into this world two weeks overdue on May 4, 8 lbs 15 ozs and is the sweetest little girl in the world. No bias on my part! I am loving her being here. My daughter is doing a wonderful job being a new mom and they both are settling in and getting to know each other. Little Riley's daddy is here on leave and is, I think, captivated by his little girl. Sarah's dad is now "Grandpa" and loving every minute of it. You have brightened up all of our lives little one. Welcome to the world!" I whisper.

Are you listening?