A Church of... Acceptance?

I've always envied the sense of community a person must feel when they are a member of a religious congregation. To become part of a community like that always felt like something I should do, but any group that says being gay is a sin is not okay with me. (There are other ideological conflicts I have, but that one popped into my head first.)

I thought that my envy would stay that way because there was no way I was going to be a part of that nor let my children. Couldn't anyone get down to the core values of love, acceptance, peace and openness without damning others to hell? I used to think it was impossible before hearing about UU.

When I first heard about the Unitarian Universalist church, I never thought that it would be up to par with my expectations. Turns out that maybe I was wrong. Anyone and everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender, sexuality, and even religious affiliation. I have yet to attend a service, but I have found a UU church in the area where my husband and I will be moving to soon. Reading their local website, I realized that this may be the community I have been looking for:

"Our mission is to encourage free expression of philosophical, spiritual and religious beliefs, work for social justice, provide religious education, deepen our acceptance of ourselves and others, and unite as a caring community." I'm skeptical because that is my nature, but have high hopes.

We shall see!

If you are even a little interested, here is the website for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Do NOT Use Sleep Positioners for Your Baby!

Ever since I learned that babies are only supposed to sleep on their backs (it reduces the chances of SIDS by a crazy amount) and started to register at stores, I learned of sleep positioners. They are like two tubular foam pillows that are attached to each other by a piece of fabric or wedge. They are made so that babies will stay on their backs while sleeping and they seemed like a perfectly logical solution. So I registered for one.

I am taking it OFF my registry immediately!

Since the emergence of said sleep positioners, they have caused babies to die of suffocation! Both the CPSC and the FDA have issued warnings against them recently. Read more here.

SPREAD THE WORD! Never ever use a sleep positioner! All you have to do is place your beautiful baby on its back in a crib free of anything but him or her. (no pillows, blanket, toys, etc...) That baby blanket your best friend worked on for weeks from the wool that they sheared and spun into yarn themselves? Either use it to swaddle, or don't use it at all until after they have reached their first birthday. Here's an awesome guide to keeping your baby safe and your mind sane.

If you know anyone with an infant or who is pregnant, let them know. It could save their child's life.

And the Winner Is

  

I am going to be a treasure troll doll for Halloween! However, I think I will be one of the treasure troll dolls that wears some sort of clothing. Maybe a bikini (don't worry.. I won't ONLY have a bikini on. I'm gonna need a bodysuit) or a ballerina outfit. We will see.

I plan on making it myself, so I will have to get my supplies soon to start all the work!

I will make sure to post my step by step process and the finished costume once I'm done. Wish me luck!

That Thing Called Loneliness

Have you ever been in a house full of people and still got the twang of loneliness in the center of your chest? Maybe not. Maybe that is only reserved for lunatics like myself. So what am I doing to ease it? I'm watching episodes of Project Runway online and thinking about going into the kitchen to get Caramel Praline ice cream that I bought on sale for $1.99 a quart (nice, I know)
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Yep, sale ice cream that tastes just as good as the full-priced stuff definitely fills one kind of void.

I just can't stop thinking about what kind of mother I am going to be. Everyone says that once they become a mother, their worst fear comes alive: they become their own. So who will I become? And while we are on the subject, who was I? What was my first word? When was my first step? Did I have any favorite foods and were there foods that I would throw across the room if anyone brought them near me? "Your mother knew all that stuff" my father would say. Am I really allergic to penicillin like I remember being told when I was little? "Your mother kept track of that stuff" my father would say (apparently there is no test to prove a penicillin allergy). What time of day was I born? "Definitely around 4 in the afternoon" my father would say. Nope. I found a birth announcement. I was born around 9 in the morning.

So who am I? It's scary living your life when you aren't even sure what some of the possibilities could be... when there are no guidelines to stray from or follow.

The hardest assignments I have ever gotten were the ones in which I was told: "Write about whatever you want." Sounds exhilarating... freeing even. Then you realize it isn't so simple.

Welcome to my life.