Why Can't the Vaccine Debate be a Civil One?

Why is it that a certain level of animosity surrounds the vaccination debate? There are many things that parents disagree on and many things that different families do differently, but I don't think there are many issues more hotly contested than vaccinations. I am a person that believes strongly in parents making their own, educated and informed decisions, and I also believe in parents supporting each other and being civil, even when people make different decisions. But for some reason, the vaccine controversy seems to be an area where people cannot let it go and respect each other's differences. Vaccines are high-stakes, so naturally people get worked up about it.

I've thought about vaccines a lot recently, with having a new baby, with measles outbreaks in the news, and with having friends and acquaintances on both sides of the debate. This post is not going to be about whether or not you should vaccinate your kids. I am certainly not qualified to talk about that! Instead it is just my own thoughts as to why people get so tightly wound about this issue, and how we can better understand people on either side of the debate.

Charm Bracelet Giveaway!

On Monday I posted this post about how important I feel it is for me to remember the past several years and the experience my husband and I had with infertility. While I know that we are incredibly blessed to have our little girl, I don't want to forget what it was like to wait and wonder and hope and pray day after day and month after month. Infertility has changed me. It is part of my story now, part of the way I view my family, and part of they way I view my future.

One of the blessings I have experienced over the past several years is the women I have met along the way. I have been fortunate to have a great support group of ladies, many of whom I met online. Today's giveaway is a result of those connections.

Remembering the Journey

I still have this picture framed on my nightstand next to my bed:

After our first ultrasound at the end of February last year I brought this home, our one picture reminding me of that little flickering heartbeat on the screen, and put it in this frame next to my bed. During those early days of pregnancy when it is so easy to worry and doubt and symptoms come and go I would look at this picture and remember that tiny heartbeat often. Then the next ultrasound came, and our little baby was bigger, jumping all around. I could have replaced this picture with a new one. I could have replaced it with a profile picture from our ultrasound in June. I could have a picture of my baby after she was born by now, but I still keep that first ultrasound picture in the frame by my bed.

3 Great Reasons for Bible Time with Daddy

It was always our hope to have a time every day from "day one" where Jonathan could read the Bible to our children. Once we actually had a baby, we realized the idea of having a routine from "day one" was a little far-fetched, but somewhere around the 3 or 4 month mark we were able to start the routine of reading The Beginner's Bible to our daughter in the evenings before bed time. Occasionally she falls asleep before we get to Bible time, and that's okay, we put her in her crib and let it be. But I love the sight of my husband sitting with my little girl, reading her Bible stories while she reaches for the pages and tries to get them in her mouth.

Here are just a few of the reasons why we decided to make this "Bible Time" a priority from the beginning: 

5 Reasons Why My Kids Can Watch "Frozen" Over and Over Again

As a little girl, I had a few movies that I watched over and over and over again for years.  I would act out the movies, sing the songs, and pretend to be the main characters for days on end. The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella, among a few others come to mind. I feared that there might be very few, if any, movies made in my kid's lifetime that would be positive enough to let them watch so regularly. So many movies today have such worldly messages, negative themes, or even just crude humor that it is hard to imagine letting my children watch them. But when I recently saw Frozen, it completely surprised me by its awesomeness and positive messages.

Before you read the rest of my post I should warn you, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS! If you haven't seen the movie, go out and see it, and then come back! I really do not want to ruin this for you, so please go see it before reading on.

Without further fuss, here are 5 reasons why I love this movie, and why I would let my little girl (and other future children) watch it as often as they like: