(223,2,'2011-10-15 18:57:23','2011-10-15 18:57:23','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\n\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\n\nOh. No.\n\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\n\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\n\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\n\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\n\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\n\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\n\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\n\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\n\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\n\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\n\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\n\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\n\nHow does anyone live without his family?\n\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\n\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\n\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\n\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\n\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision','','','2011-10-15 18:57:23','2011-10-15 18:57:23','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=223',0,'revision','',0),(224,2,'2011-10-23 18:36:59','2011-10-23 22:36:59','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\n\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\n\nOh. No.\n\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\n\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\n\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\n\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\n\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\n\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\n\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\n\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\n\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\n\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\n\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\n\nHow does anyone live without his family?\n\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\n\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\n\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\n\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\n\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-autosave','','','2011-10-23 18:36:59','2011-10-23 22:36:59','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=224',0,'revision','',0),(225,2,'2011-10-15 19:02:49','2011-10-15 19:02:49','','FamPicEllijay','Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That\'s my dog Hercules in front of us. We\'re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960','inherit','open','open','','fampicellijay','','','2011-10-15 19:02:49','2011-10-15 19:02:49','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(226,2,'2011-10-15 18:57:48','2011-10-15 18:57:48','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-2','','','2011-10-15 18:57:48','2011-10-15 18:57:48','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=226',0,'revision','',0),(227,2,'2011-10-15 19:04:37','2011-10-15 19:04:37','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-3','','','2011-10-15 19:04:37','2011-10-15 19:04:37','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=227',0,'revision','',0),(228,2,'2011-10-15 19:05:31','2011-10-15 19:05:31','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-4','','','2011-10-15 19:05:31','2011-10-15 19:05:31','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=228',0,'revision','',0),(229,2,'2011-10-18 00:03:20','2011-10-18 00:03:20','','Debi_Lewis','','inherit','open','open','','debi_lewis','','','2011-10-18 00:03:20','2011-10-18 00:03:20','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(230,2,'2011-10-18 00:07:28','2011-10-18 00:07:28','','Debi_Lewis','','inherit','open','open','','debi_lewis-2','','','2011-10-18 00:07:28','2011-10-18 00:07:28','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(231,2,'2011-10-05 13:03:30','2011-10-05 13:03:30','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\" Then he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>), then Lisette (now 28), then Benjamin (now 27), then Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).  They are ALL miracles.\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church</a> in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.','About Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-8','','','2011-10-05 13:03:30','2011-10-05 13:03:30','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=231',0,'revision','',0),(233,1,'2011-10-15 22:10:22','2011-10-15 22:10:22','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-5','','','2011-10-15 22:10:22','2011-10-15 22:10:22','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=233',0,'revision','',0),(234,1,'2011-10-14 03:23:18','2011-10-14 03:23:18','Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-5','','','2011-10-14 03:23:18','2011-10-14 03:23:18','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=234',0,'revision','',0),(235,1,'2011-10-18 23:25:18','2011-10-18 23:25:18','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-6','','','2011-10-18 23:25:18','2011-10-18 23:25:18','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=235',0,'revision','',0),(236,1,'2011-10-18 23:31:00','2011-10-18 23:31:00','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-7','','','2011-10-18 23:31:00','2011-10-18 23:31:00','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=236',0,'revision','',0),(237,1,'2011-10-18 23:27:39','2011-10-18 23:27:39','Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-6','','','2011-10-18 23:27:39','2011-10-18 23:27:39','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=237',0,'revision','',0),(238,1,'2011-10-18 23:32:59','2011-10-18 23:32:59','Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-7','','','2011-10-18 23:32:59','2011-10-18 23:32:59','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=238',0,'revision','',0),(637,2,'2011-11-18 22:11:08','2011-11-19 03:11:08','Rose and Daniel Wagner were out walking in the Pennsylvania town of Oakmont, near Pittsburg, when Daniel was hit by a . . . pumpkin.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_133\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Taylor passing a pumpkin to Jay - not throwing it!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tayler_Jay_pumpkins.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-133\" title=\"Tayler_Jay_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tayler_Jay_pumpkins-300x247.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"247\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI love pumpkins!\n\nI love the pumpkin patch at our church, <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist_Church\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist</a>, in Rome, Georgia.  Pumpkins should NOT be used as weapons!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEven in a prank.\n\nFour teens, two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, turned themselves into the police. They confessed to stealing pumpkins, then tossing the pumpkin from their vehicle.\n\nThe prank was caught on a surveillance camera at a school nearby and the vehicle, an SUV, was recognized.\n\nThe pranksters are  being lauded for coming forward, but will face fines and community service. They will also make restitution to the injured man.\n\nDaniel suffered a concussion. He continues to recover.','Attack of the Pumpkin','','inherit','open','open','','635-revision-2','','','2011-11-18 22:11:08','2011-11-19 03:11:08','',635,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/11/18/635-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(240,1,'2011-10-06 20:00:10','2011-10-06 20:00:10','A child born to a mid-income family in 2010 will cost $226,920 (or $286, 860 with inflation) for his family raise him, providing him with food, shelter and basic necessities for his first 17 years, according to the latest Expenditures on Children by Families report by United States Department of Agriculture.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/?attachment_id=10\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10\" title=\"Motherhood Stress\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/motherhood_stress_book_cover_3212-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"Motherhood Stress\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" /></a>A parent’s income changes their cost of raising a child. A family that earns less than $57,600 will spend $163,440. on a child over the next 17 years.  If the family income is $57,600 to $99,730, their cost will be $226,920.  And if their income is more than $99,730, their child-rearing costs will be $377.040.\r\n\r\nThe cost per year changes, increasing each year as the child gets older. For a middle-income, two-parent family the cost increases from $11,880 to $13,830 per year.\r\n\r\nHousing is the largest expense (31 percent), followed by child care and education (17 percent, then food (16 percent).  And these cost-of-raising-a-child estimates do not include pregnancy costs, or the cost of a college education.\r\n\r\nWhere you live influences your child-rearing costs. Families in the South or in rural areas have lower costs.  Those who live in the Northwest urban areas have the highest costs.\r\n\r\nAnd the more children per family, the less that family pays per child, with children sharing bedrooms and clothing and toy being passed down to younger children.','Cost of Raising a Child Increases','','inherit','open','open','','7-revision-16','','','2011-10-06 20:00:10','2011-10-06 20:00:10','',7,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=240',0,'revision','',0),(241,1,'2011-10-18 23:36:53','2011-10-18 23:36:53','A child born to a mid-income family in 2010 will cost $226,920 (or $286, 860 with inflation) for his family raise him, providing him with food, shelter and basic necessities for his first 17 years, according to the latest Expenditures on Children by Families report by United States Department of Agriculture.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/?attachment_id=10\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10\" title=\"Motherhood Stress\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/motherhood_stress_book_cover_3212-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"Motherhood Stress\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" /></a>A parent’s income changes their cost of raising a child. A family that earns less than $57,600 will spend $163,440. on a child over the next 17 years.  If the family income is $57,600 to $99,730, their cost will be $226,920.  And if their income is more than $99,730, their child-rearing costs will be $377.040.\r\n\r\nThe cost per year changes, increasing each year as the child gets older. For a middle-income, two-parent family the cost increases from $11,880 to $13,830 per year.\r\n\r\nHousing is the largest expense (31 percent), followed by child care and education (17 percent, then food (16 percent).  And these cost-of-raising-a-child estimates do not include pregnancy costs, or the cost of a college education.\r\n\r\nWhere you live influences your child-rearing costs. Families in the South or in rural areas have lower costs.  Those who live in the Northwest urban areas have the highest costs.\r\n\r\nAnd the more children per family, the less that family pays per child, with children sharing bedrooms and clothing and toy being passed down to younger children.','Cost of Raising a Child Increases','','inherit','open','open','','7-revision-17','','','2011-10-18 23:36:53','2011-10-18 23:36:53','',7,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=241',0,'revision','',0),(242,1,'2011-10-12 01:36:31','2011-10-12 01:36:31','New EU safety rules, just now being implemented, require that balloons may not be blown up by unsupervised children, for fear that the child may swallow the balloon and choke.  The same rules apply to party whistles and magnetic fishing games.\r\n\r\nIn addition the new EU rules dictate how noisy toys may be - including rattles and musical instruments. The rules even cover teddy bears, which must now be fully washable, lest those mangy stuffed animals harbor germs.\r\n\r\nThe outcry over the new rules centers on how they will inhibit a child’s freedom to play and to explore, restricting the types of play that encourage children to be independent.\r\n\r\nFrank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, warned: \"These bans diminish the experience, both of having fun and learning, by turning play into a danger zone with rules that stifle life and adventure for children.\"\r\n\r\nAnd, I would add, increase the stress levels of the mothers who will be expected to abide by the new rules.\r\n\r\nI cannot help but think that of the fears I felt for my children when they were small, balloons and party whistles were not high on the list.  My fears were over pollution, insecticides on apples, school shootings, serious diseases.\r\n\r\nAt the time<em> Motherhood Stress</em> was released, in a survery of its readers, Ladies Home Journal asked mothers, “What worries you most about raising your children?”\r\n43% said “protecting children from drug use”\r\n36% said “the media and peers undercutting parental authority”\r\n29% worried about working and not being at home full-time\r\n20% worried about economic instability\r\n17% were concerned about protecting their children from AIDS\r\n\r\nNothing in that list comes close to including the dangers posed by balloons and/or party whistles!\r\n\r\nFear is stressful.  It’s not as if mothers spend every waking hour in a state of perpetual anxiety over the safety and security of our children.  But we recognize many valid reasons to worry about the welfare of the babies we’ve brought into this dangerous and fallen world.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_196\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"204\" caption=\"Our adventuresome DIL Jessica on a motor bike\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jessmotorbike.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-196\" title=\"Jessmotorbike\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jessmotorbike-300x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"193\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd yet, as mothers, we know that our children need to face risks and access dangers, even as young children.  A growing body of evidence suggests that newer playgrounds, with “safer” - and therefore less challenging - equipment does not make our children’s lives safer.  Does not even produce fewer serious falls.  Apparently both parents and children overestimate the safety factors and are more prone to attempt risky moves.  And when children become bored wih “safe” playgrounds, they are more likely to play elsewhere, in truly dangerous locations.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_197\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"175\" caption=\"Gregg and Jonathan on a zipline over the Hersey River in Michigan\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gregg-jon-zipline.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-197\" title=\"gregg jon zipline\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gregg-jon-zipline-175x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI remember climbing one of the old, tall climbers on a playground in Griffin, Georgia, in 1956 or 1957, when I would have been either five or six years old. I paused at a point when I still felt safe, close enough to the ground.  Then I remember the thrill of taking that deep breathe and climbing higher, then higher.  Stopping at each level of the climber, to get my courage up to climb another rung.  And then the thrill of reaching the top and knowing that I had conquered that mountain.\r\n\r\nEven now, fifty years later, I clearly remember that sense of victory.  I believe that successes like that, as a child, taught me to be willing to step outside my comfort zone and take on challenges as an adult.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_198\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"221\" caption=\"Lisette braved the zipline over the river, by herself\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/lisette-zipline.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-198 \" title=\"lisette zipline\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/lisette-zipline-230x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"288\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIn the book,<a title=\"Take the Risk\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Take-Risk-Learning-Identify-Acceptable/dp/0310259738/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318381136&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"> Take the Risk</a>, Dr. Ben Carson says, “Since risk-taking is an almost universal trait of adolescence,the wisest strategy for parent is to offer teenagers controlled, acceptable risk-experiences. . . Teens are driven by human nature to establish, discover and prove who they will be and where they will fit into an adult world.  How will they do that? By exploring, experimenting, practicing and testing all manner of new experiences - and dealing with the incumbent risks.”\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_201\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"263\" caption=\"Matthew, with cousins, canoeing in Michigan\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/matt-canoe.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-201\" title=\"matt canoe\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/matt-canoe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMission trips, white-water rafting, mountain hiking, public performances, acting or speaking, competitive sports - all provide teens with opportunities to challenge themselves, face the possibility of failure, embarassment and disappointment, get themselves out of their comfort zone.  And find out that they can succeed.  And that if they fail, life will go on with other opportunities.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_199\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"DIL Jessica white water rafting as a teen\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessWhiteWaterRaft.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-199\" title=\"JessWhiteWaterRaft\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessWhiteWaterRaft-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"149\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAs parents, as mothers, we do not want to be so focused on keeping our children safe, that we stunt their emotional or creative growth or limit their potential for leadership and adventure in life.','No More Balloons, Party Whistles for Children, but More Stress for Moms','','inherit','open','open','','190-revision-7','','','2011-10-12 01:36:31','2011-10-12 01:36:31','',190,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=242',0,'revision','',0),(243,1,'2011-10-09 06:51:43','2011-10-09 06:51:43','With Halloween approaching, mothers across the country are beginning to<a title=\"Halloween_Costumes\" href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/44788550/?slide=1\" target=\"_blank\"> think of costumes</a>. Estimates are that American parents will spend <a href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/44788550/?slide=1\" target=\"_blank\">one billion dollars</a> on Halloween costumes this year.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_154\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"199\" caption=\"Three Year Old Spiderman\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/spiderman.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-154 \" title=\"spiderman\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/spiderman-249x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSome well-prepared parents have already bought costumes for their children. Unfortunately buying ahead does not guarantee that your child will still want to wear that costume on Halloween.\r\n\r\nSome creative seamstress-mothers are planning to sew up some costumes. And the well-prepared-seamstress-mamas have already finished sewing the costumes. We truly hope, for those mothers\' sakes, that their children will still be willing to wear those costumes on October 31.\r\n\r\nAnd some mothers out there are stressed-out about their children\'s Halloween costumes.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_167\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"235\" caption=\"Amanda, Matthew and Josh\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/halloween_costume1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-167\" title=\"halloween_costume\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/halloween_costume1-300x211.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"166\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI was never good at arranging my children\'s Halloween costumes ahead of time. In part because I am a spur-of-the-moment person. And in part because my children could never make up their minds.\r\n\r\nI remember the year that Andrew couldn’t decide between being a cowboy and being a clown. He facilated back and forth, for three or four days he\'d be sure he wanted to be a clown.  Then the next few days, he\'d have decided on the cowboy costume.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_151\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"219\" caption=\"Andrew as a Cowboy Clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew_cowboy_clown.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-151 \" title=\"Andrew_cowboy_clown\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew_cowboy_clown-274x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIn the end he decided on being a cowboy clown.\r\n\r\nWhatever the final decision, we never had a lot of money to spend on costumes for five children. I quickly discovered that my children never felt cheated, never ever seemed to even mind, that they didn’t get a pre-made commercial costume. We always had so much fun creating costumes from scratch. Or, at least, almost from scratch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_149\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin as a happy witch\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-149\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_2-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe year Benjamin dressed up as a witch, he wore one of his Dad’s black t-shirts, a one-dollar black witch hat and carried a broom we’d gotten for a quarter at a yard sale. The broom had originally been a Christmas decoration, with a bow and bells on it. We easily removed the red decor, and, voila, a perfect witch\'s broom.\r\n\r\nMy children were intrigued that I had been able to see a potential Halloween broom in a Christmas decoration. They began to see yard sale items in a different light after that.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_Halloween1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-150\" title=\"Benj_Halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_Halloween1-166x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"166\" height=\"300\" /></a>But Benjamin\'s favorite costume was the football outfit that was handed down to him from his cousin Josh. Benjamin idolized Josh and had enjoyed watching Josh play football in that outfit. He was in seventh heaven to be able to wear that for Halloween several years later. And, of course, it became a favorite dress-up item long after October was over.\r\n\r\nHalloween costumes became a fun and creative adventure with my children.  What could we find at yard sales that we could turn into parts of costumes or props to go with costumes? And what could we find around the house that would fit into the picture?\r\n\r\nSuperman pajamas worked as a superman outfit for my nephew Josh one year.  And then he wore them for months as his favorite pajamas.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_152\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"187\" caption=\"Josh in his Superman Pajamas, with the famous red cape\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Josh_Halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-152\" title=\"Josh_Halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Josh_Halloween-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother sat down one day and made red capes for the three grandsons: my Andrew and Matthew and my nephew Josh, who were within 18 months of each other.  My children got YEARS of play out of those capes.  Josh wore his red cape with the superman pajamas.\r\n\r\nI am now long past the days of choosing Halloween costumes for my children.  But each year, as the director of a mother\'s morning out program, I get to see what children are wearing for Halloween.  One of my favorite costumes of recent years was the little girl, the fourth child in her family, who came to the Halloween party dressed as \"Thing Four.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"249\" caption=\"Thing Four - What a cutie!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lucy_Thing_4.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-155\" title=\"Lucy_Thing_4\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lucy_Thing_4-300x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"215\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHer costume was a one-piece outfit, with a felt circle on which her mom had written THING 4.  The felt circle was loosely stitched onto the outfit so that the circle could easily be removed and the outfit return to regular use. Then a can of hair paint had turned her hair bright blue.  Cost of the Halloween costume? Fifty cents for the white felt and $2 for the can of spray hair color.','Halloween Costumes Through the Years','','inherit','open','open','','147-revision-9','','','2011-10-09 06:51:43','2011-10-09 06:51:43','',147,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=243',0,'revision','',0),(244,1,'2011-10-06 02:31:14','2011-10-06 02:31:14','Andrew, our first child, was 6 months old and he was crying, and crying and crying. Usually a happy baby, we knew something was wrong. At home, we would have taken him to his pediatrician.  But we weren\'t at home.  We were in a hotel, a nice hotel, in a resort area, on a beautiful lake.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_42\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"242\" caption=\"Andrew when he was a year old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-1-year-old.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-42\" title=\"Andrew _ one_year_old\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-1-year-old-242x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThis was supposed to be an fun, family outing for Andrew and me, a family outing mixed with business for my husband.  We hadn\'t planned on mixing misery in with our fun.\r\n\r\nBut Andrew was miserable, and consequently, so were we.  And probably too, all those poor folks who had also come to that lovely hotel for a pleasant weekend.  And were instead also listening to - not as closely as Gregg and I were, but hearing none the less - a baby scream.\r\n\r\nOne of the most unpleasant sounds in the world is the sound of a baby crying.  Normal adult instincts demand that you do something, anything to keep a baby from crying.\r\n\r\nGregg and I may have been closer to that unpleasant sound, but we were also able to do something.  We were rocking, patting, singing, nursing, rubbing his tummy.  The other poor people being subjected to the noise could not see our efforts, didn\'t know if we were even really trying to help.  Maybe someone thought we had abandoned our baby.  Maybe someone thought we were sleeping through the din.\r\n\r\nAt some point, after 11 p.m., we took Andrew for a drive, hoping the car ride would put him to sleep.  It didn\'t.\r\n\r\nSo, back to the hotel and our bed.  But with no more success in calming our precious baby than before.\r\n\r\nFinally, around 1 a.m., the phone rang. The hotel desk informed us that people were complaining about the crying baby.  Gregg and I looked at each other.  We were doing all we could think to do. We weren\'t even angry with the people who complained.  They didn\'t know how hard we were trying to quiet our baby.\r\n\r\nBy two o\'clock, Andrew had screamed himself to sleep.  And we were all able at last to sleep. By the next morning, Andrew was our happy, cheerful baby again.  We were never sure exactly what was wrong with him that night.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_45\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrewgrad1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-45\" title=\"Andrew and Jonathan graduate from Asbury University\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrewgrad1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo, if you were in that hotel, back in the Spring of 1980, at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, and remember being kept awake by a screaming baby, please accept our apology for your disturbed sleep. We really were doing all we could do to quiet our crying child.','Crying Baby at a Hotel: What do you do?','','inherit','open','open','','40-revision-6','','','2011-10-06 02:31:14','2011-10-06 02:31:14','',40,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=244',0,'revision','',0),(245,1,'2011-10-06 02:34:42','2011-10-06 02:34:42','A certain amount of novelty can be a plus on any job. Cuts down on boredom, stimulates creativity and productivity. But an excess of unpredictability creates tremendous stress.\r\n\r\nCould there be any job more unpredictable than motherhood?\r\n\r\nI remember the day I checked on 17 month old Matthew and found him playing happily on top of our old upright piano.  Just moments before, he\'d been happily marching around the kitchen and into the living room, down a short hall and back into the kitchen - round and round, in and out of the kitchen where I was fixing supper.\r\n\r\nNo mystery how he climbed onto the piano bench, or from the piano bench to the piano keys.  But how on earth did he scale the distance from the keys to the tops of that old piano?  And why?\r\n\r\nI could only thank God that I checked on him BEFORE he decided to take a head-first dive from that height!\r\n\r\nAnd then there was the evening I fixed everyone hot chocolate. I found three matching cups for our (then) four children.  The fourth cup was yellow, Benjamin\'s favorite color.  So I handed Benjamin his cocoa in his favorite color cup.  And he pitched a fit.  Went to bed without his treat, rather than drink hot cocoa from a yellow cup.\r\n\r\nSo much for a pleasant evening snack routine!\r\n\r\nMotherhood brought me much more joy than I ever thought possible - but more unpredictability, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n. . . from Motherhood Stress, Finding Encouragement in the Ultimate Helping Profession\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','You Never Know What Will Happen Next. . . ','','inherit','open','open','','38-revision-6','','','2011-10-06 02:34:42','2011-10-06 02:34:42','',38,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=245',0,'revision','',0),(246,1,'2011-10-06 09:40:42','2011-10-06 09:40:42','Stress is now being labeled as the \'<a title=\"Stress_Black_Death\" href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2045309/Stress-Top-cause-workplace-sickness-dubbed-Black-Death-21st-century.html\" target=\"_blank\">Black Death of the 21st century</a>,\' eclipsing stroke, heart attack, cancer and back problems as the most common reason for a worker taking long-term sick leave.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_61\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"236\" caption=\"The Lewis family in 1990\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Family_pic_1990.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-61\" title=\"Family_pic_1990\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Family_pic_1990.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"184\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, what happens when the stress is motherhood stress?\r\n\r\nMotherhood, that precious, joyful, but very stressful job from which a woman rarely gets to take “sick leave.”\r\n\r\nAnd what is currently being listed as one of life’s major stressors? A \"sense of heightened pressure as a result of the prolonged economic downturn.\" What an additional stress the current economy places on mothers, who are already struggling with motherhood stress!\r\n\r\n<em>Hidden Stressor: Financial Responsibility </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Whether or not the husband is the primary breadwinner in the family, most mothers serve the role of chief purchasing agent. Even when a husband writes the monthly checks, it’s almost always the mother who’s in charge of buying food, clothes and medical services. So even if it’s Dad who balances the checkbook, it’s Mom who has to make sure it does balance. </em>\r\n\r\n<em>A memorable example shared by a mother of two preschoolers and whose family strained from one paycheck to the next: “One day, a neighborhood kids came to the door to collect on a Jump-a-thon pledge. She said I owed her seven dollars. I thought I owed only half that, but I’d misread the pledge. She was right. And I didn’t have seven dollars to give her. I scrounged around the house and finally came up with it, but it took our milk money for the week. I gave her the money, closed the door and just bawled. I’d made a stupid little mistake and it cost us $3.50 we didn’t have.”  - From <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Motherhood Stress, Finding Encouragement in the Ultimate Helping Profession</span></em>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"motherhood_stress_book\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Stress-Encouragement-Ultimate-Profession/dp/0849906717/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317856568&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-63\" title=\"motherhoodstress\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/motherhoodstress-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" /></a><em></em>','Motherhood Stress: Bad as the Black Death?','','inherit','open','open','','54-revision-16','','','2011-10-06 09:40:42','2011-10-06 09:40:42','',54,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=246',0,'revision','',0),(247,1,'2011-10-19 00:11:23','2011-10-19 00:11:23','Stress is now being labeled as the \'<a title=\"Stress_Black_Death\" href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2045309/Stress-Top-cause-workplace-sickness-dubbed-Black-Death-21st-century.html\" target=\"_blank\">Black Death of the 21st century</a>,\' eclipsing stroke, heart attack, cancer and back problems as the most common reason for a worker taking long-term sick leave.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_61\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"236\" caption=\"The Lewis family in 1990\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Family_pic_1990.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-61\" title=\"Family_pic_1990\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Family_pic_1990.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"184\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, what happens when the stress is motherhood stress?\r\n\r\nMotherhood, that precious, joyful, but very stressful job from which a woman rarely gets to take “sick leave.”\r\n\r\nAnd what is currently being listed as one of life’s major stressors? A \"sense of heightened pressure as a result of the prolonged economic downturn.\" What an additional stress the current economy places on mothers, who are already struggling with motherhood stress!\r\n\r\n<em>Hidden Stressor: Financial Responsibility </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Whether or not the husband is the primary breadwinner in the family, most mothers serve the role of chief purchasing agent. Even when a husband writes the monthly checks, it’s almost always the mother who’s in charge of buying food, clothes and medical services. So even if it’s Dad who balances the checkbook, it’s Mom who has to make sure it does balance. </em>\r\n\r\n<em>A memorable example shared by a mother of two preschoolers and whose family strained from one paycheck to the next: “One day, a neighborhood kids came to the door to collect on a Jump-a-thon pledge. She said I owed her seven dollars. I thought I owed only half that, but I’d misread the pledge. She was right. And I didn’t have seven dollars to give her. I scrounged around the house and finally came up with it, but it took our milk money for the week. I gave her the money, closed the door and just bawled. I’d made a stupid little mistake and it cost us $3.50 we didn’t have.”  - From <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Motherhood Stress, Finding Encouragement in the Ultimate Helping Profession</span></em>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"motherhood_stress_book\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Stress-Encouragement-Ultimate-Profession/dp/0849906717/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317856568&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-63\" title=\"motherhoodstress\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/motherhoodstress-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" /></a><em></em>','Motherhood Stress: Bad as the Black Death?','','inherit','open','open','','54-revision-17','','','2011-10-19 00:11:23','2011-10-19 00:11:23','',54,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=247',0,'revision','',0),(248,1,'2011-10-08 20:11:27','2011-10-08 20:11:27','Pumpkin farmers, I hear, are competing to be the first to grow a <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/garden/the-race-to-grow-the-one-ton-pumpkin.html?_r=2&amp;partner=MYWAY&amp;ei=5065\" target=\"_blank\">one ton pumpkin</a>. What a feat that will be!  I would love to see that pumpkin.  Because I love pumpkins.\r\n\r\nIn part because I love Fall. The moderate weather, the beautiful Fall leaves.  My birthday is in the Fall.  But the main reason I have fallen so completely in love with pumpkins is <a href=\"http://www.pumpkinsusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\">the Pumpkin Patch</a>.\r\n\r\nSpecifically the Pumpkin Patch at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist_Church_Rome_GA\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">our church</a>.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"233\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a title=\"Trinity United Methodist Church, Rome, Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126 \" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"162\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFourteen years ago, Grant Magness, our youth minister walked into a youth council meeting and talked to us enthusiastically about the possibility of selling pumpkins, on the front lawn of our church, to raise money for the youth program.  At that point we had three children in the youth group - the reason I was a member of the youth council.\r\n\r\nA church selling pumpkins didn\'t seem like a good idea to me. But I loved that youth minister and was, therefore, willing to keep my mouth shut and to give his idea a try. That taught me to keep my mouth shut more often!\r\n\r\n2011 is our fourteenth year of selling pumpkins.  Each year we have around 1500 children come for field trips.  The field trips consist of 30 minutes of storytelling and music and another 30 minutes of children \"in the Patch\" - finding a tall pumpkin, then a short, fat pumpkin, then one with lumpy-bumps, then watching a pumpkin being carved.  If the children are very brave, they put their hands down inside the pumpkin and pull out a handful of slimy pulp and seeds.\r\n\r\nFor a couple of  years, our son Andrew carved 35-40 pumpkins a year!  You can see a video of him carving for a group of children <a title=\"Andrew_carving_pumpkin\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/carving-pumpkin\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_128\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"499\" caption=\"Susan telling a story, Andrew waiting to carve a pumpkin\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Patch_storytelling.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-128\" title=\"Patch_storytelling\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Patch_storytelling.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"304\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd my Octobers for the past 14 years have included storytelling for about half of those children. I love the storytelling and I love seeing all those children, with their smiling, excited faces, running through the pumpkins and having a happy time.\r\n\r\nPumpkins remind me that God can use anyone or anything, even pumpkins, to reach out to His people. Members of our church who attend different worship services and different Sunday School classes, people of different ages, get together and get to know each other pulling 2000 pumpkins off a truck, or working in the Patch.\r\n\r\nPeople who otherwise have little or nothing to do with a church, come and buy a pumpkin and experience joy on God\'s property.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_133\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"2000 pumpkins come off the truck and down long lines onto the pallets on the front lawn of Trinity UMC, Rome, GA\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tayler_Jay_pumpkins.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-133\" title=\"Tayler_Jay_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tayler_Jay_pumpkins.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe read the book, <a title=\"Pumpkin_Patch_Parable\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400308461/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&amp;pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&amp;pf_rd_t=201&amp;pf_rd_i=0785277226&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_r=10N0X05RE6VFTGXRFMDM\" target=\"_blank\">The Pumpkin Patch Parable</a>, to preschool groups.  That book describes how, like a carver cleans the yucky stuff, the pulp and the seeds, out of a pumpkin, God can clean us up inside.  And like the farmer puts a candle in the carved pumpkin to make a shining jack-o-lantern, God puts His light inside His children.\r\n\r\nWhat amazing Good News!','Big, Little, Huge:   I LOVE Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','124-revision-14','','','2011-10-08 20:11:27','2011-10-08 20:11:27','',124,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=248',0,'revision','',0),(249,1,'2011-10-06 12:51:12','2011-10-06 12:51:12','The phone call came in early 1998, from literary agent Wes Yoder, of <a title=\"Ambassador_Agency_Wes_Yoder\" href=\"http://www.ambassadorspeakers.com/ACP/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">the Ambassador Agency</a>. Would we be interested in writing a book, telling the story of Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey and the birth of their septuplets? Would we? Would we ever!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Seven_From_Heaven_cover2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-118\" title=\"Seven_From_Heaven_cover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Seven_From_Heaven_cover2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>Like the rest of the world, we had been following the story of the miracle of seven babies.\r\n\r\nSoon we found ourselves on a plane to Iowa. We walked into the McCaughey home, then a pretty 760 square foot ranch, in the company of Wes, their agent. We washed our hands and someone handed Brandon to me. Then the introductions began.\r\n\r\nWe made 5 trips to Iowa over the months that we worked on writing two books with Bobbi and Kenny. And during those months, the babies went from tiny little ones in arms, to crawling. On our last visit to Iowa, Kenny and Joel were pulling up and looked to be only days away from taking their first steps. And the McCaughey family had just moved into their new, much larger home.\r\n\r\nThose months of talking with the McCaughey\'s were a gift from God. We were blessed to witness their faith and their joy with their precious children. We saw first hand their wonderful approach to parenting, demonstrated in this excerpt from Celebrating the Wonder of Motherhood:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For You formed my inward parts;</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">You covered me in my mother\'s womb.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Marvelous are Your works. - Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV</p>\r\nReading this verse, there can be no doubt about whether or not God has a purpose for our lives. Right from the beginning He is fashioning a wonderful work. Each of my children is fearfully and wonderfully made. And our family -- the way He has put us all together -- is also a marvelous work of God. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-119\" title=\"Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>','Telling the Story of the McCaughey Septuplets','','inherit','open','open','','117-revision-3','','','2011-10-06 12:51:12','2011-10-06 12:51:12','',117,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=249',0,'revision','',0),(250,1,'2011-10-06 19:57:22','2011-10-06 19:57:22','Don\'t you love the advice you get when you are a mother?  From relatives, aunts, uncles, mothers, cousins . . .  from friends and neighbors . . .  from strangers in the grocery store. . .  from books, magazine and websites.  So many people feel free to give advice to mothers.\r\n\r\nOccasionally the advice is just what we need.  But so many times, the shoe just doesn\'t fit. Below is a selection of some of the worst advice given to mothers of babies.  I hope it gives you a chuckle.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_66\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"from Stressbusters for Moms, by Deborah Shaw Lewis\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-66\" title=\"Worst advice\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"604\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<blockquote><strong>Worst Advice I Ever Heard ... on Babies</strong>\r\n\r\n\'You\'re going to starve that baby.\'\r\nThis from my mother every time she saw me breastfeed my baby.\r\n<em>R.F., mother of three, ages 17-months, 3 and soon to be newborn</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Just let her cry!\'\r\nMy daughter had newborn colic for several months. I discovered that both she and I were happier if I held her.\r\n<em>J.T., mother of two grown children, two grandchildren.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Don\'t let your baby suck his thumb!\'\r\nRidiculous! Thumb-suckers are usually happy babies.\r\n<em>C.N., mother of two, ages 13, 15.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Make them walk early.\'\r\nThis friend has always had ways to force children to learn to walk. My children walked when they were ready. And it was <em>not</em> an indication of their intelligence!\r\n<em>K.V., mother of two, 2,5</em>\r\n\r\n\'You play with your baby too much.\'\r\nThis is <em>not</em> possible.\r\n<em>L.S., mother of four, 8, 10, 14, 16</em></blockquote>\r\n<a title=\"Stressbusters_for_Moms\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317851357&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-68\" title=\"stressbusters_cover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stressbusters_cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>','Worst Advice for Moms with Babies','','inherit','open','open','','34-revision-12','','','2011-10-06 19:57:22','2011-10-06 19:57:22','',34,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=250',0,'revision','',0),(252,2,'2011-10-18 23:32:28','2011-10-18 23:32:28','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-8','','','2011-10-18 23:32:28','2011-10-18 23:32:28','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=252',0,'revision','',0),(253,2,'2011-10-19 01:21:13','2011-10-19 01:21:13','','sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv','','inherit','open','open','','sibmamashawdadmama45thanniv-2','','','2011-10-19 01:21:13','2011-10-19 01:21:13','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(636,2,'2011-11-18 22:00:26','2011-11-19 03:00:26','Rose and Daniel Wagner were out walking in the Pennsylvania town of Oakmont, near Pittsburg, when Daniel was hit by a . . . pumpkin.\n\nI love pumpkins! I love the pumpkin patch at our church, Trinity United Methodist, in Rome, Georgia.  Pumpkins should NOT be used as weapons!  Even in a prank.\n\nFour teens, two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old,m turned themselves into the police. They confessed to stealing pumpkins, then tossing the pumpkin from their vehicle.\n\nThe prank was caught on a surveillance camera at a school nearby and the vehicle, an SUV, was recognized.\n\nThe pranksters are  being lauded for coming forward, but will face fines and OAKMONT (KDKA) — Four teenagers have turned themselves in after pelting a man with a pumpkin. The attack happened on Pennsylvania Avenue in Oakmont. Rose and Daniel Wagner were out for a stroll when Daniel, 64, was hit and suffered a concussion. A surveillance camera at a nearby school recorded a white SUV driving away from the scene. Someone at the school thought they recognized the car. Police tracked it down. That’s when two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old turned themselves in. “It started out as a prank. They were going to steal some pumpkins which they did and they got the pumpkins and they were in a vehicle and threw a pumpkin from the vehicle,” Oakmont Police Chief David DiSanti said. Police are praising the kids for coming forward – commending them and their parents for their honesty The four teens, from the Verona and Penn Hills area, will now likely face fines, restitution and community service for their careless prank. Daniel Wagner continues to recover.','Attack of the Pumpkin','','inherit','open','open','','635-revision','','','2011-11-18 22:00:26','2011-11-19 03:00:26','',635,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/11/18/635-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(257,2,'2011-10-19 01:24:19','2011-10-19 01:24:19','','When_You_Were_Little_Cover','','inherit','open','open','','when_you_were_little_cover-3','','','2011-10-19 01:24:19','2011-10-19 01:24:19','',87,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/When_You_Were_Little_Cover2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(258,1,'2011-10-19 01:24:55','2011-10-19 01:24:55','','LisetteDebiPorchswing_1','Lisette and Debi, still in our Sunday church clothes','inherit','open','open','','lisettedebiporchswing_1','','','2011-10-19 01:24:55','2011-10-19 01:24:55','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing_1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(259,1,'2011-10-18 23:34:32','2011-10-18 23:34:32','Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-8','','','2011-10-18 23:34:32','2011-10-18 23:34:32','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=259',0,'revision','',0),(260,2,'2011-10-19 02:35:08','2011-10-19 02:35:08','','JessJonWeddingheader','','inherit','open','open','','jessjonweddingheader','','','2011-10-19 02:35:08','2011-10-19 02:35:08','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessJonWeddingheader.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(262,2,'2011-10-19 00:21:55','2011-10-19 00:21:55','Don\'t you love the advice you get when you are a mother?  From relatives, aunts, uncles, mothers, cousins . . .  from friends and neighbors . . .  from strangers in the grocery store. . .  from books, magazine and websites.  So many people feel free to give advice to mothers.\r\n\r\nOccasionally the advice is just what we need.  But so many times, the shoe just doesn\'t fit. Below is a selection of some of the worst advice given to mothers of babies.  I hope it gives you a chuckle.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_66\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"from Stressbusters for Moms, by Deborah Shaw Lewis\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-66\" title=\"Worst advice\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"604\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<blockquote><strong>Worst Advice I Ever Heard ... on Babies</strong>\r\n\r\n\'You\'re going to starve that baby.\'\r\nThis from my mother every time she saw me breastfeed my baby.\r\n<em>R.F., mother of three, ages 17-months, 3 and soon to be newborn</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Just let her cry!\'\r\nMy daughter had newborn colic for several months. I discovered that both she and I were happier if I held her.\r\n<em>J.T., mother of two grown children, two grandchildren.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Don\'t let your baby suck his thumb!\'\r\nRidiculous! Thumb-suckers are usually happy babies.\r\n<em>C.N., mother of two, ages 13, 15.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Make them walk early.\'\r\nThis friend has always had ways to force children to learn to walk. My children walked when they were ready. And it was <em>not</em> an indication of their intelligence!\r\n<em>K.V., mother of two, 2,5</em>\r\n\r\n\'You play with your baby too much.\'\r\nThis is <em>not</em> possible.\r\n<em>L.S., mother of four, 8, 10, 14, 16</em></blockquote>\r\n<a title=\"Stressbusters_for_Moms\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317851357&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-68\" title=\"stressbusters_cover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stressbusters_cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>','Worst Advice for Moms with Babies','','inherit','open','open','','34-revision-13','','','2011-10-19 00:21:55','2011-10-19 00:21:55','',34,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=262',0,'revision','',0),(263,2,'2011-10-19 08:07:51','2011-10-19 08:07:51','Don\'t you love the advice you get when you are a mother?  From relatives, aunts, uncles, mothers, cousins . . .  from friends and neighbors . . .  from strangers in the grocery store. . .  from books, magazine and websites.  So many people feel free to give advice to mothers.\r\n\r\nOccasionally the advice is just what we need.  But so many times, the shoe just doesn\'t fit. Below is a selection of some of the worst advice given to mothers of babies.  I hope it gives you a chuckle.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_66\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\" caption=\"from Stressbusters for Moms, by Deborah Shaw Lewis\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-66\" title=\"Worst advice\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Worst-advice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"604\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<blockquote><strong>Worst Advice I Ever Heard ... on Babies</strong>\r\n\r\n\'You\'re going to starve that baby.\'\r\nThis from my mother every time she saw me breastfeed my baby.\r\n<em>R.F., mother of three, ages 17-months, 3 and soon to be newborn</em>.\r\n\r\n\'Just let her cry!\'\r\nMy daughter had newborn colic for several months. I discovered that both she and I were happier if I held her.\r\n<em>J.T., mother of two grown children, two grandchildren.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Don\'t let your baby suck his thumb!\'\r\nRidiculous! Thumb-suckers are usually happy babies.\r\n<em>C.N., mother of two, ages 13, 15.</em>\r\n\r\n\'Make them walk early.\'\r\nThis friend has always had ways to force children to learn to walk. My children walked when they were ready. And it was <em>not</em> an indication of their intelligence!\r\n<em>K.V., mother of two, 2,5</em>\r\n\r\n\'You play with your baby too much.\'\r\nThis is <em>not</em> possible.\r\n<em>L.S., mother of four, 8, 10, 14, 16</em></blockquote>\r\n<a title=\"Stressbusters_for_Moms\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317851357&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-68\" title=\"stressbusters_cover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stressbusters_cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>','Worst Advice for Moms with Babies','','inherit','open','open','','34-revision-14','','','2011-10-19 08:07:51','2011-10-19 08:07:51','',34,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=263',0,'revision','',0),(264,2,'2011-10-19 01:18:29','2011-10-19 01:18:29','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-9','','','2011-10-19 01:18:29','2011-10-19 01:18:29','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=264',0,'revision','',0),(265,2,'2011-10-18 23:47:38','2011-10-18 23:47:38','New EU safety rules, just now being implemented, require that balloons may not be blown up by unsupervised children, for fear that the child may swallow the balloon and choke.  The same rules apply to party whistles and magnetic fishing games.\r\n\r\nIn addition the new EU rules dictate how noisy toys may be - including rattles and musical instruments. The rules even cover teddy bears, which must now be fully washable, lest those mangy stuffed animals harbor germs.\r\n\r\nThe outcry over the new rules centers on how they will inhibit a child’s freedom to play and to explore, restricting the types of play that encourage children to be independent.\r\n\r\nFrank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, warned: \"These bans diminish the experience, both of having fun and learning, by turning play into a danger zone with rules that stifle life and adventure for children.\"\r\n\r\nAnd, I would add, increase the stress levels of the mothers who will be expected to abide by the new rules.\r\n\r\nI cannot help but think that of the fears I felt for my children when they were small, balloons and party whistles were not high on the list.  My fears were over pollution, insecticides on apples, school shootings, serious diseases.\r\n\r\nAt the time<em> Motherhood Stress</em> was released, in a survery of its readers, Ladies Home Journal asked mothers, “What worries you most about raising your children?”\r\n43% said “protecting children from drug use”\r\n36% said “the media and peers undercutting parental authority”\r\n29% worried about working and not being at home full-time\r\n20% worried about economic instability\r\n17% were concerned about protecting their children from AIDS\r\n\r\nNothing in that list comes close to including the dangers posed by balloons and/or party whistles!\r\n\r\nFear is stressful.  It’s not as if mothers spend every waking hour in a state of perpetual anxiety over the safety and security of our children.  But we recognize many valid reasons to worry about the welfare of the babies we’ve brought into this dangerous and fallen world.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_196\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"204\" caption=\"Our adventuresome DIL Jessica on a motor bike\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jessmotorbike.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-196\" title=\"Jessmotorbike\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jessmotorbike-300x285.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"193\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd yet, as mothers, we know that our children need to face risks and access dangers, even as young children.  A growing body of evidence suggests that newer playgrounds, with “safer” - and therefore less challenging - equipment does not make our children’s lives safer.  Does not even produce fewer serious falls.  Apparently both parents and children overestimate the safety factors and are more prone to attempt risky moves.  And when children become bored wih “safe” playgrounds, they are more likely to play elsewhere, in truly dangerous locations.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_197\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"175\" caption=\"Gregg and Jonathan on a zipline over the Hersey River in Michigan\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gregg-jon-zipline.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-197\" title=\"gregg jon zipline\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gregg-jon-zipline-175x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI remember climbing one of the old, tall climbers on a playground in Griffin, Georgia, in 1956 or 1957, when I would have been either five or six years old. I paused at a point when I still felt safe, close enough to the ground.  Then I remember the thrill of taking that deep breathe and climbing higher, then higher.  Stopping at each level of the climber, to get my courage up to climb another rung.  And then the thrill of reaching the top and knowing that I had conquered that mountain.\r\n\r\nEven now, fifty years later, I clearly remember that sense of victory.  I believe that successes like that, as a child, taught me to be willing to step outside my comfort zone and take on challenges as an adult.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_198\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"221\" caption=\"Lisette braved the zipline over the river, by herself\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/lisette-zipline.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-198 \" title=\"lisette zipline\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/lisette-zipline-230x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"288\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIn the book,<a title=\"Take the Risk\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Take-Risk-Learning-Identify-Acceptable/dp/0310259738/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318381136&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"> Take the Risk</a>, Dr. Ben Carson says, “Since risk-taking is an almost universal trait of adolescence,the wisest strategy for parent is to offer teenagers controlled, acceptable risk-experiences. . . Teens are driven by human nature to establish, discover and prove who they will be and where they will fit into an adult world.  How will they do that? By exploring, experimenting, practicing and testing all manner of new experiences - and dealing with the incumbent risks.”\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_201\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"263\" caption=\"Matthew, with cousins, canoeing in Michigan\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/matt-canoe.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-201\" title=\"matt canoe\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/matt-canoe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMission trips, white-water rafting, mountain hiking, public performances, acting or speaking, competitive sports - all provide teens with opportunities to challenge themselves, face the possibility of failure, embarassment and disappointment, get themselves out of their comfort zone.  And find out that they can succeed.  And that if they fail, life will go on with other opportunities.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_199\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"DIL Jessica white water rafting as a teen\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessWhiteWaterRaft.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-199\" title=\"JessWhiteWaterRaft\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessWhiteWaterRaft-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"149\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAs parents, as mothers, we do not want to be so focused on keeping our children safe, that we stunt their emotional or creative growth or limit their potential for leadership and adventure in life.','No More Balloons, Party Whistles for Children, but More Stress for Moms','','inherit','open','open','','190-revision-8','','','2011-10-18 23:47:38','2011-10-18 23:47:38','',190,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=265',0,'revision','',0),(266,2,'2011-10-19 08:19:13','2011-10-19 08:19:13','','JessJonWeddingheader2','','inherit','open','open','','jessjonweddingheader2','','','2011-10-19 08:19:13','2011-10-19 08:19:13','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessJonWeddingheader2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(267,2,'2011-10-19 08:28:18','2011-10-19 08:28:18','','JessJonweddingheader3','','inherit','open','open','','jessjonweddingheader3','','','2011-10-19 08:28:18','2011-10-19 08:28:18','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/JessJonweddingheader3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(268,2,'2011-10-19 08:47:33','2011-10-19 08:47:33','','funnyfaceheader2','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader2','','','2011-10-19 08:47:33','2011-10-19 08:47:33','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/funnyfaceheader2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(269,2,'2011-10-19 09:14:09','2011-10-19 09:14:09','','funnyfaceheader4','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader4','','','2011-10-19 09:14:09','2011-10-19 09:14:09','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/funnyfaceheader4.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(270,2,'2011-10-19 09:19:41','2011-10-19 09:19:41','','FunnyFaceheader3','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader3','','','2011-10-19 09:19:41','2011-10-19 09:19:41','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FunnyFaceheader3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(271,2,'2011-10-04 18:02:56','2011-10-04 18:02:56','<ul>\r\n	<li><a title=\"True_to_His_Word_Bible_Study_Fellowship\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/True-His-Word-Story-Fellowship/dp/1606570897/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317690448&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">True to His Word: the story of Bible Study Fellowship</a>, Authentic Publishing, 2010</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Gifted_Hands_Ben_Carson\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Gifted-Hands-Kids-ZonderKidz-Biography/dp/0310719038/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317688939&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Gifted Hands: the Ben Carson Story,</a> a children’s biography, Zonderkidz, 2009</li>\r\n	<li>Six books in the “Today’s Heroes” series, Zonderkidz, 2001 - 2002:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Joni_Eareckson_Tada\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Joni-Eareckson-Tada-Gregg-Lewis/dp/031070300X/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689865&amp;sr=1-14\" target=\"_blank\">Joni Eareckson Tada</a>;</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Ben_Carson\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Carson-Gregg-Lewis/dp/0310702984/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-3\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Carson</a>;</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"David_Robinson\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/David-Robinson-Gregg-Lewis/dp/0310702976/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">David Robinson</a>;</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Colin_Powell\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Colin-Powell-Gregg-Lewis/dp/0310702992/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-4\" target=\"_blank\">Colin Powell</a>;</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Brother_Andrew\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Andrew-Gregg-Lewis/dp/0310703131/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689865&amp;sr=1-18\" target=\"_blank\">Brother Andrew</a>; and</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Dave_Dravecky\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Dave-Dravecky-Gregg-Lewis/dp/031070314X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-6\" target=\"_blank\">Dave Dravecky </a></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-Wonder-Motherhood-Intimate-Septuplets/dp/0785270485/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-12\" target=\"_blank\">Celebrating the Wonder of Motherhood</a>, Thomas Nelson, 1999</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Seven_From_Heaven_McCaughey\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Heaven-Miracle-McCaughey-Septuplets/dp/0785270493/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317690279&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Seven from Heaven</a>, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998.</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Stressbusters_for_Moms\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-10\" target=\"_blank\">Stressbusters for Moms</a>, Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Mother_in_the_Middle_Charmaine_Yoest\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Middle-Searching-Peace-Mommy/dp/0310206928/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-7\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a>, Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.</li>\r\n	<li>Four books in the “Family Share Together” series by Zondervan Publishing House, 1994:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Family_Storytelling_When_You_Were_Little\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/About-Little-Family-Share-Together/dp/0310410711/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689865&amp;sr=1-15\" target=\"_blank\">Did I Ever Tell You About…When You Were Little? </a></li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Family_Storytelling_When_Parents_Were_Children\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/About-Parents-Children-Family-Together/dp/0310421012/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689865&amp;sr=1-16\" target=\"_blank\">Did I Ever Tell You About…When Your Parents Were Children?</a></li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Grandparents_Were_Young\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/About-Grandparents-Young-Family-Together/dp/0310421217/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-8\" target=\"_blank\">Did I Ever Tell You About…When Your Grandparents Were Young?</a></li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Family_Storytelling_How_Family_Got_Started\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/About-Family-Started-Share-Together/dp/031042111X/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689865&amp;sr=1-17\" target=\"_blank\">Did I Ever Tell You About…How Our Family Got Started?</a></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a title=\"When_You_Were_Baby\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/When-Were-Baby-Deborah-Lewis/dp/1561451029/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689061&amp;sr=1-5\" target=\"_blank\">When You Were A Baby</a>, Zondervan, 1991 &amp; Peachtree Publishers, 1995.</li>\r\n	<li><a title=\"Motherhood_Stress\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Stress-Encouragement-Ultimate-Profession/dp/0849906717/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317689768&amp;sr=1-13\" target=\"_blank\">Motherhood Stress</a>, Word Publishing, 1989 (HC) &amp; Zondervan Publishing, 1991 (PB)</li>\r\n</ul>','Debi\'s books','','inherit','open','open','','25-revision-4','','','2011-10-04 18:02:56','2011-10-04 18:02:56','',25,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=271',0,'revision','',0),(273,2,'2011-10-20 02:39:27','2011-10-20 02:39:27','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\r\n\r\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\r\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274 \" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\r\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\r\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\r\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\r\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\r\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\r\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\r\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\r\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\r\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\r\n\r\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','publish','open','open','','the-story-of-the-day-i-jumped-out-the-window','','','2011-10-25 16:10:55','2011-10-25 20:10:55','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=273',0,'post','',0),(274,2,'2011-10-20 01:50:28','2011-10-20 01:50:28','','EllijayFamily','My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window.  The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.','inherit','open','open','','ellijayfamily','','','2011-10-20 01:50:28','2011-10-20 01:50:28','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(275,2,'2011-10-20 01:54:19','2011-10-20 01:54:19','','EllijayPorch4kids','Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.','inherit','open','open','','ellijayporch4kids','','','2011-10-20 01:54:19','2011-10-20 01:54:19','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(276,2,'2011-10-20 01:53:45','2011-10-20 01:53:45','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\n\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from. \"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck and we chased my parents down.\nAnd my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.\n\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\nWe made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is someone his parents like and treat with respect.\n\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children and much like them.</p>','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision','','','2011-10-20 01:53:45','2011-10-20 01:53:45','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=276',0,'revision','',0),(277,2,'2011-10-20 01:59:40','2011-10-20 01:59:40','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\n\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\n\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\n\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-2','','','2011-10-20 01:59:40','2011-10-20 01:59:40','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=277',0,'revision','',0),(278,2,'2011-10-20 02:33:16','2011-10-20 02:33:16','','Shaws1952','My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama\'s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy\'s lap, Terry on Janice\'s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.','inherit','open','open','','shaws1952','','','2011-10-20 02:33:16','2011-10-20 02:33:16','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(279,2,'2011-10-20 02:37:16','2011-10-20 02:37:16','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\n\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\n\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\n\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-3','','','2011-10-20 02:37:16','2011-10-20 02:37:16','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=279',0,'revision','',0),(280,2,'2011-10-20 02:39:27','2011-10-20 02:39:27','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\r\n\r\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\r\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\r\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\r\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\r\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\r\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\r\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\r\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\r\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\r\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\r\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\r\n\r\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-4','','','2011-10-20 02:39:27','2011-10-20 02:39:27','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=280',0,'revision','',0),(282,2,'2011-10-10 12:23:39','2011-10-10 16:23:39','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','publish','open','open','','the-day-andrew-walked-home-from-kindergarten','','','2011-11-05 14:50:58','2011-11-05 18:50:58','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=282',0,'post','',0),(283,2,'2011-10-20 12:22:32','2011-10-20 12:22:32','Unpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\n\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\n\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house. Thank you, Lord, I was home. Alfie’s mom is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision','','','2011-10-20 12:22:32','2011-10-20 12:22:32','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=283',0,'revision','',0),(284,2,'2011-10-20 12:23:39','2011-10-20 12:23:39','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Alfie’s mom is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-2','','','2011-10-20 12:23:39','2011-10-20 12:23:39','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=284',0,'revision','',0),(285,2,'2011-10-20 12:26:31','2011-10-20 12:26:31','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Alfie’s mom is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-3','','','2011-10-20 12:26:31','2011-10-20 12:26:31','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=285',0,'revision','',0),(286,2,'2011-10-19 00:20:21','2011-10-19 00:20:21','The phone call came in early 1998, from literary agent Wes Yoder, of <a title=\"Ambassador_Agency_Wes_Yoder\" href=\"http://www.ambassadorspeakers.com/ACP/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">the Ambassador Agency</a>. Would we be interested in writing a book, telling the story of Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey and the birth of their septuplets? Would we? Would we ever!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Seven_From_Heaven_cover2.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-118\" title=\"Seven_From_Heaven_cover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Seven_From_Heaven_cover2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>Like the rest of the world, we had been following the story of the miracle of seven babies.\r\n\r\nSoon we found ourselves on a plane to Iowa. We walked into the McCaughey home, then a pretty 760 square foot ranch, in the company of Wes, their agent. We washed our hands and someone handed Brandon to me. Then the introductions began.\r\n\r\nWe made 5 trips to Iowa over the months that we worked on writing two books with Bobbi and Kenny. And during those months, the babies went from tiny little ones in arms, to crawling. On our last visit to Iowa, Kenny and Joel were pulling up and looked to be only days away from taking their first steps. And the McCaughey family had just moved into their new, much larger home.\r\n\r\nThose months of talking with the McCaughey\'s were a gift from God. We were blessed to witness their faith and their joy with their precious children. We saw first hand their wonderful approach to parenting, demonstrated in this excerpt from Celebrating the Wonder of Motherhood:\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For You formed my inward parts;</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">You covered me in my mother\'s womb.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Marvelous are Your works. - Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV</p>\r\nReading this verse, there can be no doubt about whether or not God has a purpose for our lives. Right from the beginning He is fashioning a wonderful work. Each of my children is fearfully and wonderfully made. And our family -- the way He has put us all together -- is also a marvelous work of God. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-119\" title=\"Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Celebrating_Wonder_Motherhood.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>','Telling the Story of the McCaughey Septuplets','','inherit','open','open','','117-revision-4','','','2011-10-19 00:20:21','2011-10-19 00:20:21','',117,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=286',0,'revision','',0),(287,2,'2011-10-25 15:41:44','2011-10-25 19:41:44','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\n\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274 \" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\n\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\n\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-autosave','','','2011-10-25 15:41:44','2011-10-25 19:41:44','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=287',0,'revision','',0),(288,2,'2011-10-21 22:20:37','2011-10-22 02:20:37','	True to His Word: the story of Bible Study Fellowship, Authentic Publishing, 2010\r\n	Gifted Hands: the Ben Carson Story, a children’s biography, Zonderkidz, 2009\r\n	Six books in the “Today’s Heroes” series, Zonderkidz, 2001 – 2002:\r\n\r\n\r\n	Joni Eareckson Tada;\r\n	Ben Carson;\r\n	David Robinson;\r\n	Colin Powell;\r\n	Brother Andrew; and\r\n	Dave Dravecky \r\n\r\n\r\n	Celebrating the Wonder of Motherhood, Thomas Nelson, 1999\r\n	Seven from Heaven, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998.\r\n	Stressbusters for Moms, Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.\r\n	Mother in the Middle, Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.\r\n	Four books in the “Family Share Together” series by Zondervan Publishing House, 1994:\r\n\r\n\r\n	Did I Ever Tell You About…When You Were Little? \r\n	Did I Ever Tell You About…When Your Parents Were Children?\r\n	Did I Ever Tell You About…When Your Grandparents Were Young?\r\n	Did I Ever Tell You About…How Our Family Got Started?\r\n\r\n\r\n	When You Were A Baby, Zondervan, 1991 & Peachtree Publishers, 1995.\r\n	Motherhood Stress, Word Publishing, 1989 (HC) & Zondervan Publishing, 1991 (PB)\r\n','Debi\'s books','','publish','open','open','','debis-books','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=288',5,'nav_menu_item','',0),(289,2,'2011-10-21 22:20:37','2011-10-22 02:20:37','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended Asbury College where she met her husband Gregg. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for David C. Cook Publishing, directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a “miracle.” Then he was followed by Matthew (now 30 and married to Emily), then Lisette (now 28), then Benjamin (now 27), then Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).  They are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master’s degree from the Erikson Institute in Chicago. She is currently the director of PALS, the mothers’ morning out program at Trinity United Methodist Church in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.','','','publish','open','open','','289','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=289',2,'nav_menu_item','',0),(290,2,'2011-10-21 22:25:02','2011-10-22 02:25:02','','Facebook for Motherhood Stress','','publish','open','open','','facebook-page','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=290',4,'nav_menu_item','',0),(291,2,'2011-10-21 22:30:41','2011-10-22 02:30:41','','Amazon Author Page','','publish','open','open','','amazon-page','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=291',6,'nav_menu_item','',0),(292,2,'2011-10-20 17:17:27','2011-10-20 17:17:27','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-4','','','2011-10-20 17:17:27','2011-10-20 17:17:27','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=292',0,'revision','',0),(293,2,'2011-10-26 08:03:23','2011-10-26 12:03:23','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\n\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\n\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.<!--more-->\n\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\n\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-autosave','','','2011-10-26 08:03:23','2011-10-26 12:03:23','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=293',0,'revision','',0),(294,2,'2011-10-23 16:36:35','2011-10-23 20:36:35','','funnyfaceheader5','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader5','','','2011-10-23 16:36:35','2011-10-23 20:36:35','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/funnyfaceheader5.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(295,2,'2011-10-23 16:38:54','2011-10-23 20:38:54','','funnyfaceheader6','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader6','','','2011-10-23 16:38:54','2011-10-23 20:38:54','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/funnyfaceheader6.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(297,2,'2011-10-23 16:44:43','2011-10-23 20:44:43','','FunnyFaceheader7','','inherit','open','open','','funnyfaceheader7','','','2011-10-23 16:44:43','2011-10-23 20:44:43','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FunnyFaceheader7.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(298,2,'2011-10-21 22:47:42','2011-10-22 02:47:42','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-5','','','2011-10-21 22:47:42','2011-10-22 02:47:42','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=298',0,'revision','',0),(299,2,'2011-10-23 16:59:10','2011-10-23 20:59:10','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->While chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-6','','','2011-10-23 16:59:10','2011-10-23 20:59:10','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=299',0,'revision','',0),(300,2,'2011-10-23 17:59:58','2011-10-23 21:59:58','','Andrew_beaters_featured','Andrew licking the beaters, while the cookies were in the oven.','inherit','open','open','','andrew_beaters_featured','','','2011-10-23 17:59:58','2011-10-23 21:59:58','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew_beaters_featured.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(301,2,'2011-10-23 16:59:37','2011-10-23 20:59:37','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-7','','','2011-10-23 16:59:37','2011-10-23 20:59:37','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=301',0,'revision','',0),(302,2,'2011-10-23 18:02:36','2011-10-23 22:02:36','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-8','','','2011-10-23 18:02:36','2011-10-23 22:02:36','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=302',0,'revision','',0),(303,2,'2011-10-23 18:03:28','2011-10-23 22:03:28','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-9','','','2011-10-23 18:03:28','2011-10-23 22:03:28','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=303',0,'revision','',0),(304,2,'2011-10-23 18:29:11','2011-10-23 22:29:11','','Lisette_Debi_featured','','inherit','open','open','','lisette_debi_featured','','','2011-10-23 18:29:11','2011-10-23 22:29:11','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette_Debi_featured.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(305,2,'2011-10-19 01:26:25','2011-10-19 01:26:25','[gallery]Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-9','','','2011-10-19 01:26:25','2011-10-19 01:26:25','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=305',0,'revision','',0),(306,2,'2011-10-23 18:40:38','2011-10-23 22:40:38','[gallery]\r\n\r\nSupermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-10','','','2011-10-23 18:40:38','2011-10-23 22:40:38','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=306',0,'revision','',0),(313,2,'2011-10-23 19:10:59','2011-10-23 23:10:59','','Funny_faces_children_header','','inherit','open','open','','funny_faces_children_header','','','2011-10-23 19:10:59','2011-10-23 23:10:59','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Funny_faces_children_header.gif',0,'attachment','image/gif',0),(312,2,'2011-10-23 19:05:22','2011-10-23 23:05:22','Supermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-12','','','2011-10-23 19:05:22','2011-10-23 23:05:22','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=312',0,'revision','',0),(307,2,'2011-10-20 02:40:04','2011-10-20 02:40:04','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\r\n\r\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\r\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\r\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\r\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\r\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\r\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\r\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\r\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\r\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\r\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\r\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\r\n\r\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-5','','','2011-10-20 02:40:04','2011-10-20 02:40:04','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=307',0,'revision','',0),(358,2,'2011-10-25 08:25:28','2011-10-25 12:25:28','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\r\n\r\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\r\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274 \" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\r\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\r\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\r\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\r\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\r\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\r\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\r\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\r\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\r\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\r\n\r\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-7','','','2011-10-25 08:25:28','2011-10-25 12:25:28','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=358',0,'revision','',0),(308,2,'2011-10-23 18:57:38','2011-10-23 22:57:38','','Ellijay4Kids_feature','','inherit','open','open','','ellijay4kids_feature','','','2011-10-23 18:57:38','2011-10-23 22:57:38','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Ellijay4Kids_feature.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(309,2,'2011-10-19 08:11:09','2011-10-19 08:11:09','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-10','','','2011-10-19 08:11:09','2011-10-19 08:11:09','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=309',0,'revision','',0),(310,2,'2011-10-23 18:42:55','2011-10-23 22:42:55','<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing_1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-258\" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing_1\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing_1-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" /></a>[gallery]\r\n\r\nSupermom: You know who I’m talking about.  She does it all. Her house is always clean. Her children are always dressed in matching clothes, with no stains.  She’s managed to keep her figure.  She never, ever loses her temper with her children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_214\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"240\" caption=\"Lisette with Debi, still in their church clothes\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-214 \" title=\"LisetteDebiPorchswing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LisetteDebiPorchswing-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"175\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd she’s on the fast track at work, blazing new paths for women in the workplace. Bringing in that extra income that helps her family’s finances stay healthy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"224\" caption=\"Andrew helping me bake cookies at age 4\"]<img class=\"size-large wp-image-209  \" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-666x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"344\" />[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All the while baking cookies with her children and sewing their halloween costumes.</p>\r\nWe may hate her, but she’s the myth most women feel pressured to emulate.\r\n\r\nIn a new study from the University of Washington, entitled <a title=\"Supermom_myth_depressed\" href=\"http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/23/working-women-who-subscribe-to-the-supermom-myth-are-more-likely-to-be-depressed/\" target=\"_blank\">“Even Supermoms Get the Blues,” </a>researcher Katrina Leupp reports that women who believe the myth---that they can juggle children, home, husband, career and volunteer work with perfection --- end up more depressed than other moms.\r\n\r\nAccording to Leupp, the University of Washington sociology graduate student who authored the study and presented her research in August at the American Sociological Association\'s annual meeting: “Ascribing to an ideal that women can do it all… increased the level of depressive symptoms compared to women who were more skeptical of whether or not work and family can be balanced.\"\r\n\r\n\"Women are sold a story that they can do it all, but most workplaces are still designed for employees without child-care responsibilities,\" Leupp reported.\r\n\r\nSome of her suggestions were:\r\n- Go into motherhood with more realistic expectations; realize that it won’t be easy.\r\n\r\n- Don’t buy into the \"supermom\" complex; don’t pressure yourself to be an overachiever in all aspects of life.\r\n\r\n- Delegate some of your responsibilities. Let someone else run the bake sale.  Ask your husband to do his share of folding the laundry.\r\n\r\n- Let a few things slide.\r\n\r\n- Limit your work-outside-the-home hours when you can.\r\n\r\nAnd here are some other suggestions, from my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Busters-Moms-Deborah-Shaw-Lewis/dp/0310205662\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Stressbusters for Moms</em></a>:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_212\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Jonathan after a soccer game\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-212  \" title=\"Jonmuddysoccer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jonmuddysoccer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Remind yourself that you are not perfect. Your  husband is not perfect.  Your children won’t be perfect. Let love be the undercurrent running through the times of frustration and turmoil.” <em>- P. B., mother of two, ages 3 &amp; 5</em>\r\n\r\n“Good mothers some in many styles. Know your style and build on your strengths. This can free you from the trap of comparing yourself to other moms.” <em>- Diane Eble, A Life You Can Love</em>\r\n\r\n“Anticipate your children’s needs. Before I’d take my baby into a store, I would sit and nurse him, so he wouldn’t be hungry in the middle of shopping.  Later I learned to start my grocery trip down the aisle that led toward the bathrooms. Then five to ten minutes into grocery shopping, I’d take my preschoolers into the restroom with me, and let the power of suggestion take care of that stress.”  <em>- Deborah Shaw Lewis</em>\r\n\r\n“Pick your fights carefully. There will be disagreements galore while your child is growing up. Look at each situation and ask, “Will this decision matter in ten years?” If it will, stand your ground.  If it won’t, let your child make his or her own decision.  If the kid end up with blue hair or a weird haircut, it will grow back.”  <em>- P. W., mother of one, age 17</em>\r\n\r\n“Don’t obsess! Nobody does this parenting thing perfectly. Give yourself a break and don’t dwell on mistakes or fears.”  <em>A. L., mother of one, age 1</em>\r\n\r\n“Get into a weekly Bible study that has decent child care. You will gain wisdom and encouragement, and you will build a network of Christian women to share and support you as a mother.”  <em>D. S., mother of four, ages 12, 16, 17, 19</em>\r\n\r\n<em>Some material above was adapted from <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=Mother+in+the+Middle+Yoest&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Mother in the Middle</a> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest.</em>','The Supermom Delusion','','inherit','open','open','','207-revision-11','','','2011-10-23 18:42:55','2011-10-23 22:42:55','',207,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=310',0,'revision','',0),(314,2,'2011-10-23 19:03:44','2011-10-23 23:03:44','I borrowed my brother Terrell’s car last week.  Our car was in the shop.  Terry drove his pick-up truck to work, so that I could drive his car for a couple of days.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_217\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"278\" caption=\"Terry, Debi and Carol, circa 1955\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-217\" title=\"TerryDebiCarol55\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/TerryDebiCarol55-291x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"287\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor those days, I pulled into our carport, got out of the driver’s side and walked into my house.  Then, each time I went to get into or out of the car, I approached the driver’s side and got out of it from the driver’s side.\r\n\r\nNever once did I get in or out of the passenger side.  Until it was time to pick our car up from the mechanic and return Terry’s car.  Then Gregg got into the driver’s side and I walked around to the passenger side of my brother’s car.  And saw the new, fresh-looking scrape on that side of the car.\r\n\r\nOh. No.\r\n\r\nHad it been there before we borrowed the car?  I am appallingly unobservant of such things.  It might have been there and I just didn’t see it.  If Gregg and I were talking while we got into the car, the day we borrowed it -- and we probably were talking -- I would have been focued on our conversation, not on what the car looked like.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_218\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Janice holding Beth, Carol in front of Joan, Terry, Debi and Mother, who was pregnant with David at the time\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-218\" title=\"EverybodyBeach57\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EverybodyBeach57-300x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nBut, since the scrape looked new, I thought, someone probably scraped my brother’s car, while it was parked somewhere, while it was in my care.  (If it had been scraped while I was in the car, I would have noticed. I may be unobservant, but not THAT clueless!)\r\n\r\nSo I called my brother.  I got an answering machine, so I left a message.  Had he looked at the passenger side of his car? (He is, after all, my brother and like me in many ways.)  Had he seen the scrape?  Had it been there before we borrowed his car?  Please give me a call. I want to make it right.\r\n\r\nFinally, last night, I was at my mother’s house, sitting in an easy chair across from her, my feet propped up on one side of a large ottoman.  My mother’s feet were propped up on the other side of the same ottoman.  That is how we often sit while she and I are visiting.\r\n\r\nWe discussed our recent trip to Ellijay, Georgia for apples.  And the book of Mother’s blogposts (<a href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">from Ruthlace</a>) that is almost completely finished.  And my recent funny stories from work.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"777\" caption=\"Daddy with David, Terry, Carol, Beth and Debi in front of Joan, Mother. That&#39;s my dog Hercules in front of us. We&#39;re in front of our home in Ellijay, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-225\" title=\"FamPicEllijay\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamPicEllijay.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"585\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother and I never run out of things to talk about together!\r\n\r\nAfter we’d exhausted all those topics of conversation, I remembered to tell her the story of the scrape on the side of Terry’s car.  And that I hadn’t heard from Terry since I’d left the message a couple of days ago.  Mother picked up her phone and called him.  She asked him how he was doing and how his week had been.  Then asked him about the car.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_220\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Carol, Daddy holding David, Beth, Debi and Terry, circa 1960\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-220\" title=\"Daddy5sibs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Daddy5sibs1-300x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"203\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n“Oh,” he told her, “I got Debi’s message, but I haven’t had time to go out and look at that car.  I don’t remember a scrape on that side of the car.  But it doesn’t matter one way or the other.”  And he and Mother chatted on the phone for another few minutes about other things.\r\n\r\nI love my brother!  I love all my siblings - there are seven of us.  My mother tells people, when they ask, Why seven children?, seven is the Biblical number for perfection.\r\n\r\nGregg and I lived in an apartment, early in our married life, where the owner of the apartment was not on speaking terms with her son.  They had quarrelled over the ownership of a boat, following her husband’s funeral.  And, after the quarrel this mother and her son went several years without a word between them.  In fact, if our landlord saw her grandchildren in a store, their mother, her daughter-in-law, would hustle the children out of the store and away from their grandmother. Without speaking.\r\n\r\nI. Cannot. Imagine. Such. Stupidity.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_221\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"584\" caption=\"Beth, Carol, Mama Shaw, Joan, Debi, Janice on the front row, Terry, Daddy, Mother and David in the back. Taken at Mama and Daddy&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration. The last such picture taken before my Father&#39;s death in 1986.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv.jpg\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-221\" title=\"sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sibMamaShawDadMama45thAnniv-1024x746.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"425\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast week, a young mother told me that she was raised by her grandparents, both of whom have recently died.  Her mother, she shared, lives here in our town, but has little or nothing to do with her, or her two precious children.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible for ANYONE to be as foolish as that woman?\r\n\r\nI cannot imagine living in the same town with my grandchildren and having nothing to do with them.\r\n\r\nYou should see those two adorable children!  A grandmother should be captivated by that one child’s dimples.  I am not that child’s grandmother and I am captivated by her dimples.  She smiles all the time and I want to get out my camera and take pictures of her grin and her dimples.  And I am not related to her.\r\n\r\nHow does anyone live without his family?\r\n\r\nI NEED my family.  All my brothers and sisters.  And my mother.\r\n\r\nWhen we get together and start telling stories, each one of the seven of us -eight when you add in my mother - adds their own remembered details, their own personal feelings about each shared memory.  Each of us bring a unique richness to the blend that is our family.\r\n\r\nI have trouble imagining the relationship poverty of people who have only one sibling.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_222\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"711\" caption=\"Joan, Terry and Carol on Daddy&#39;s lap, Mother holding me as a baby and Janice.  Joan is holding a doll. Circa 1952.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-222\" title=\"FamilyDebiBaby\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/FamilyDebiBaby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"711\" height=\"484\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI am so rich in family ties that I did not hesitate to call my brother and borrow his car.  I did not in any way stress out about it.  Even after I saw the scrape, I did not stress too much.  I felt bad that his car was damaged.  But I never, ever worried that such a small matter would interfere with our relationship.\r\n\r\nI love my brother Terry and I know that he loves me.\r\n\r\nI am WEALTHY in the love of my family.  And no money in the world can compare with that wealth.','Borrowing my Brother\'s Car','','inherit','open','open','','216-revision-11','','','2011-10-23 19:03:44','2011-10-23 23:03:44','',216,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=314',0,'revision','',0),(315,2,'2011-10-09 21:03:59','2011-10-09 21:03:59','Not long before he died, Steve Jobs went out to eat sushi with his friend Dean Omish.<a title=\"Steve_Jobs_Children_quote\" href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/steve-jobs-final-wish-to-get-to-know-his-children-before-it-was-too-late-2367355.html\" target=\"_blank\"> According to Omish</a>, “I asked him if he was glad that he had kids, and he said, \'It\'s 10,000 times better than anything I\'ve ever done\'.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Ten thousand times better than anything I’ve ever done.</em>What a great description of being a parent!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MotherInThe-MiddleCover.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-181\" title=\"MotherInThe MiddleCover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MotherInThe-MiddleCover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"222\" /></a>For our book, <a title=\"Mother_in_the_middle\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Middle-Searching-Peace-Mommy/dp/0310206928\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Mother in the Middle</em></a>, Dr. Charmaine Yoest and I interviewed dozens of mothers, discussing the value of motherhood.  From Madison Avenue Executives to small-town factory workers, from successful entrepreneurs to Kmart clerks. The mothers who were the happiest were women who had a vision for the significance of their roles in the lives of their children. They considered their work as mothers to be \"my greatest work\" and \"the most important thing I will ever do.\"\r\n\r\nThat book begins with my personal story of motherhood:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_173\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"207\" caption=\"Matthew and Andrew playing with Lisette - our first three miracles\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AML-L6months.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"AM&amp;L L6months\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AML-L6months-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDeborah: I always knew that I wanted to have children. . . .When I fell in love with my husband Gregg, I always told him I wanted twenty-five children. I was only half joking.\r\n\r\nFour and a half years after we married, we decided it was time to try to get pregnant. After a year, we saw the first in a long series of doctors. We became familiar with a wide variety of medical tests that intruded into our intimate lives.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"203\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd every month I wasn’t pregnant I grieved.\r\n\r\nMy longing for a baby was like an intense personal hunger than nothing else could fill. On more than one occasion, I left doctors’ offices and wept with an intensity I had never known before.\r\n\r\nTwo different fertility specialists informed us that we would probably never have children.\r\n\r\nMy emotional frame of mind made it very difficult to continue to work in day care. At my center, I saw children coming and going each day who were hungry for their mothers’ time and attention, in somewhat the same way I was hungry for a baby. I resigned to start graduate work in early childhood education.\r\n\r\nIn December that same year, I learned I was pregnant. Our doctor called it a “miracle.” We considered our baby a gift from God.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_174\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"202\" caption=\"Andrew at 6 months old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-6mo.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"Andrew 6mo\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-6mo-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNothing, not even the emotional turmoil of our infertility experience, prepared me for the intensity of childbirth. Holding our son, Andrew, looking into his eyes, was exhilarating, earth shattering, life changing, empowering. The way in which I viewed life was forever changed.\r\n\r\nEighteen months later we had a second miracle: Matthew. To my astonishment, his birth was just as exhilarating, life changing, incredible.\r\n\r\nAnd our lives filled up with miracles: two and a half years later Lisette joined our lives. Nineteen months after that, Benjamin surprised us by coming nine days early. Jonathan came along three years after Benjamin. And with each child came joy, tears, laughter, incredible strength and a life of rich texture and variety.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"205\" caption=\"Jonathan (1 year) and Benjamin (4)\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"259\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNo two of them are alike. Each brings individual style and personality into our family mix. Each has enriched my life beyond measure. I cannot imagine my life without any one of them.\r\n\r\nThey are, to quote Steve Jobs, 10,000 times better than anything else I’ve ever done.\r\n\r\nadapted from <em>Mother in the Middle</em> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest','Steve Jobs: Children 10,000 Times Better than Anything','','inherit','open','open','','170-revision-10','','','2011-10-09 21:03:59','2011-10-09 21:03:59','',170,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=315',0,'revision','',0),(316,2,'2011-10-23 19:59:29','2011-10-23 23:59:29','Not long before he died, Steve Jobs went out to eat sushi with his friend Dean Omish.<a title=\"Steve_Jobs_Children_quote\" href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/steve-jobs-final-wish-to-get-to-know-his-children-before-it-was-too-late-2367355.html\" target=\"_blank\"> According to Omish</a>, “I asked him if he was glad that he had kids, and he said, \'It\'s 10,000 times better than anything I\'ve ever done\'.\"\r\n\r\n<em>Ten thousand times better than anything I’ve ever done.</em>What a great description of being a parent!\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MotherInThe-MiddleCover.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-181\" title=\"MotherInThe MiddleCover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MotherInThe-MiddleCover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"222\" /></a>For our book, <a title=\"Mother_in_the_middle\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Middle-Searching-Peace-Mommy/dp/0310206928\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Mother in the Middle</em></a>, Dr. Charmaine Yoest and I interviewed dozens of mothers, discussing the value of motherhood.  From Madison Avenue Executives to small-town factory workers, from successful entrepreneurs to Kmart clerks. The mothers who were the happiest were women who had a vision for the significance of their roles in the lives of their children. They considered their work as mothers to be \"my greatest work\" and \"the most important thing I will ever do.\"\r\n\r\nThat book begins with my personal story of motherhood:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_173\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"207\" caption=\"Matthew and Andrew playing with Lisette - our first three miracles\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AML-L6months.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-173\" title=\"AM&amp;L L6months\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AML-L6months-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"273\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDeborah: I always knew that I wanted to have children. . . .When I fell in love with my husband Gregg, I always told him I wanted twenty-five children. I was only half joking.\r\n\r\nFour and a half years after we married, we decided it was time to try to get pregnant. After a year, we saw the first in a long series of doctors. We became familiar with a wide variety of medical tests that intruded into our intimate lives.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"203\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178\" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"269\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd every month I wasn’t pregnant I grieved.\r\n\r\nMy longing for a baby was like an intense personal hunger than nothing else could fill. On more than one occasion, I left doctors’ offices and wept with an intensity I had never known before.\r\n\r\nTwo different fertility specialists informed us that we would probably never have children.\r\n\r\nMy emotional frame of mind made it very difficult to continue to work in day care. At my center, I saw children coming and going each day who were hungry for their mothers’ time and attention, in somewhat the same way I was hungry for a baby. I resigned to start graduate work in early childhood education.\r\n\r\nIn December that same year, I learned I was pregnant. Our doctor called it a “miracle.” We considered our baby a gift from God.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_174\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"202\" caption=\"Andrew at 6 months old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-6mo.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-174\" title=\"Andrew 6mo\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-6mo-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNothing, not even the emotional turmoil of our infertility experience, prepared me for the intensity of childbirth. Holding our son, Andrew, looking into his eyes, was exhilarating, earth shattering, life changing, empowering. The way in which I viewed life was forever changed.\r\n\r\nEighteen months later we had a second miracle: Matthew. To my astonishment, his birth was just as exhilarating, life changing, incredible.\r\n\r\nAnd our lives filled up with miracles: two and a half years later Lisette joined our lives. Nineteen months after that, Benjamin surprised us by coming nine days early. Jonathan came along three years after Benjamin. And with each child came joy, tears, laughter, incredible strength and a life of rich texture and variety.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"205\" caption=\"Jonathan (1 year) and Benjamin (4)\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"259\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNo two of them are alike. Each brings individual style and personality into our family mix. Each has enriched my life beyond measure. I cannot imagine my life without any one of them.\r\n\r\nThey are, to quote Steve Jobs, 10,000 times better than anything else I’ve ever done.\r\n\r\nadapted from <em>Mother in the Middle</em> by Deborah Shaw Lewis and Charmaine Crouse Yoest','Steve Jobs: Children 10,000 Times Better than Anything','','inherit','open','open','','170-revision-11','','','2011-10-23 19:59:29','2011-10-23 23:59:29','',170,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=316',0,'revision','',0),(317,2,'2011-09-23 20:45:43','2011-09-24 00:45:43','<a title=\"Dentist_buys_back_Halloween_candy\" href=\"http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111023/NEWS01/110230301/-1/7daysarchives/Dentist-buy-back-Halloween-candy\" target=\"_blank\">A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area </a>is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_319\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My niece Amanda as a clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-319 \" title=\"Amanda_halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\r\n\r\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\r\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\r\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-161\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n* Go to a Trunk or Treat event, where your child will play games and socialize, in addition to trick-or-treat. More and more churches host these, providing games and food, in addition to a limited arena for getting candy.\r\n\r\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\r\n\r\n* Set a limit on how long you\'ll keep the left-over candy. Plan to give it away or throw it away after 2 or 3 days.  Perhaps you know a teacher who would love to have candy to give out as rewards to her students.\r\n\r\n* Relax and enjoy the holiday and do not stress out too much over your child\'s sugar intake.','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','private','open','open','','dentist-buys-candy-from-trick-or-treaters','','','2011-11-05 14:44:49','2011-11-05 18:44:49','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=317',0,'post','',1),(318,2,'2011-10-23 20:25:45','2011-10-24 00:25:45','A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\n\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\n\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\n* Relax ','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','inherit','open','open','','317-revision','','','2011-10-23 20:25:45','2011-10-24 00:25:45','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=318',0,'revision','',0),(319,2,'2011-10-23 20:29:22','2011-10-24 00:29:22','','Amanda_halloween','My niece Amanda as a clown','inherit','open','open','','amanda_halloween','','','2011-10-23 20:29:22','2011-10-24 00:29:22','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(320,2,'2011-10-23 20:44:33','2011-10-24 00:44:33','<a title=\"Dentist_buys_back_Halloween_candy\" href=\"http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111023/NEWS01/110230301/-1/7daysarchives/Dentist-buy-back-Halloween-candy\" target=\"_blank\">A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area</a>is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_319\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My niece Amanda as a clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-319 \" title=\"Amanda_halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\n\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_161\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-161\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n* Go to a Trunk or Treat event, where your child will play games and socialize, in addition to trick-or-treat. More and more churches host these, providing games and food, in addition to a limited arena for getting candy.\n\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\n\n* Set a limit on how long you\'ll keep the left-over candy. Plan to give it away or throw it away after 2 or 3 days.  Perhaps you know a teacher who would love to have candy to give out as rewards to her students.\n\n* Relax and enjoy the holiday and do not stress out too much over your child\'s sugar intake.','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','inherit','open','open','','317-revision-2','','','2011-10-23 20:44:33','2011-10-24 00:44:33','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=320',0,'revision','',0),(321,2,'2011-10-26 17:13:32','2011-10-26 21:13:32','<a title=\"Dentist_buys_back_Halloween_candy\" href=\"http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111023/NEWS01/110230301/-1/7daysarchives/Dentist-buy-back-Halloween-candy\" target=\"_blank\">A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area </a>is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_319\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My niece Amanda as a clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-319 \" title=\"Amanda_halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\n\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_161\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-161\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n* Go to a Trunk or Treat event, where your child will play games and socialize, in addition to trick-or-treat. More and more churches host these, providing games and food, in addition to a limited arena for getting candy.\n\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\n\n* Set a limit on how long you\'ll keep the left-over candy. Plan to give it away or throw it away after 2 or 3 days.  Perhaps you know a teacher who would love to have candy to give out as rewards to her students.\n\n* Relax and enjoy the holiday and do not stress out too much over your child\'s sugar intake.','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','inherit','open','open','','317-autosave','','','2011-10-26 17:13:32','2011-10-26 21:13:32','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=321',0,'revision','',0),(322,2,'2011-10-23 20:45:43','2011-10-24 00:45:43','<a title=\"Dentist_buys_back_Halloween_candy\" href=\"http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111023/NEWS01/110230301/-1/7daysarchives/Dentist-buy-back-Halloween-candy\" target=\"_blank\">A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area</a>is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_319\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My niece Amanda as a clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-319 \" title=\"Amanda_halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\r\n\r\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\r\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\r\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-161\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n* Go to a Trunk or Treat event, where your child will play games and socialize, in addition to trick-or-treat. More and more churches host these, providing games and food, in addition to a limited arena for getting candy.\r\n\r\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\r\n\r\n* Set a limit on how long you\'ll keep the left-over candy. Plan to give it away or throw it away after 2 or 3 days.  Perhaps you know a teacher who would love to have candy to give out as rewards to her students.\r\n\r\n* Relax and enjoy the holiday and do not stress out too much over your child\'s sugar intake.','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','inherit','open','open','','317-revision-3','','','2011-10-23 20:45:43','2011-10-24 00:45:43','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=322',0,'revision','',0),(323,2,'2011-11-05 14:52:02','0000-00-00 00:00:00','<p>For a Pumpkin Patch field trip last week, I told the story of the day I got left at the gas station.</p>\r\n<p>We were on vacation in Kentucky and were headed north, up into Ohio.Just before we crossed the bridge, into Ohio, we stopped at a gas station.</p>\r\n','I Really Did Get Left at the Gas Station','','draft','open','open','','','','','2011-11-05 14:52:02','2011-11-05 18:52:02','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=323',0,'post','',0),(324,2,'2011-10-23 21:49:16','2011-10-24 01:49:16','For a Pumpkin Patch field trip last week, I told the story of the day I got left at the gas station.\n\nWe were on vacation in Kentucky and were headed north, up into Ohio.Just before we crossed the bridge','I Really Did Get Left at the Gas Station','','inherit','open','open','','323-revision','','','2011-10-23 21:49:16','2011-10-24 01:49:16','',323,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=324',0,'revision','',0),(446,2,'2011-11-01 22:33:37','2011-11-02 02:33:37','I have two confessions to make. First, I sang my babies to sleep. I did not “teach” them to \"self-soothe\" themselves to sleep. Second confession: I am so very, very glad I sang my babies to sleep.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_448\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"194\" caption=\"Andrew as a newborn\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndrewNewborn.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-448\" title=\"AndrewNewborn\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndrewNewborn-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAndrew, our oldest son, our first “miracle” baby - now a handsome 32 year old man - was full of energy and enthusiasm for life from the moment he was born. He loved life and he hated sleep. He seemed to think that as soon as he went to sleep, he might miss out on something truly wonderful that life had to offer. So he fought going to sleep.\r\n\r\nI breastfeed my babies. So for the early months of his life, he simply nursed himself to sleep. When he woke in the middle of the night, I nursed him back to sleep. He was several weeks old before a night came when he woke in the night, nursed and did not fall back to sleep.\r\n\r\nSo, I put him in his crib. And he cried. And cried.\r\n\r\nFollowing the wisdom of parenting in 1979, I patted him and then proceeded to let him cry himself back to sleep.\r\n\r\nHe didn’t.\r\n\r\nHe cried and cried and cried and cried. And seemed to become more and more and more frantic. After more than an hour of letting him cry, I quit. Picked him up, rocked him and consoled him.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_449\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My father, Charles Shaw, rocking Benjamin to sleep. Daddy also sang to my children.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DaddyRockingBenj.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-449 \" title=\"DaddyRockingBenj\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DaddyRockingBenj-300x260.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"260\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe next night, we tried letting him cry again. And again, it went on for more than an hour, with Andrew becoming more and more frantic, as if he was saying, “I need company. Is there anyone, ANYONE out there listening? Maybe if I cry louder someone will come. Maybe I am ALONE in the universe.”\r\n\r\nThe next day I prayed and prayed over the situation. And that night, when he woke in the night, instead of letting him cry, I nursed him and then laid him down in his crib, patted his back and sang to him. And within 10 minutes or so, he had fallen back to sleep.\r\n\r\nHmmm, I thought. Ten minutes of singing to my baby, or an hour of listening to him cry frantically. The decision was easy.\r\n\r\nSo I sang to all five of my babies. Did not teach even one of them to “self soothe.” I sang mostly old hymns. I like old hymns, and they have lots and lots of verses, which I could sing several times through.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_457\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"559\" caption=\"The day Lisette was born. That&#39;s Andrew nose-to-nose with his new sister and Matthew peering over his shoulder.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LisetteBornAM1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-457 \" title=\"LisetteBornAM\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LisetteBornAM1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"559\" height=\"391\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nEven today, many years since I’ve had a baby to put to sleep, I can sing every word of every verse of an amazing number of hymns.\r\n\r\nMy grown children do not seem to have suffered any major emotional distress from having not learned to “self soothe” as babies. They are, all five, amazingly independent, remarkable, adventuresome people. Well-bonded to their parents and to each other.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_549\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"559\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JonAndrewGrad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-549 \" title=\"JonAndrewGrad\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JonAndrewGrad.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"559\" height=\"284\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd, in recent years, two young men, both cousins roughly the same age as my children, have come to me at family gatherings (at different family gatherings, since they come from different branches of our family) to tell me that they loved to hear me sing to my children, when they were children and we were visiting them. One went so far as to say that he wanted to marry a woman who would sing their children to sleep.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_166\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"700\" caption=\"Lisette, Jonathan, Benjamin, Matthew, Emily, Gregg, Debi and Andrew\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-EmilyMattWed.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-166 \" title=\"cropped-EmilyMattWed.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-EmilyMattWed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"202\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLast year a young mother told me that their family was at a loss to know how to get their three year old to go to sleep. They were following a recommended program for helping their high-energy son to “self soothe.” But the process was taking them two hours or so each evening and their son was waking up, screaming in the middle of the night. And this had gone on for several months, with little progress.\r\n\r\n“Our entire family is suffering extreme sleep deprivation. I don’t know how my husband and I are functioning at all,” she sighed.\r\n\r\nSo I told her how I sang my babies to sleep. And how precious my memories of those motherhood moments are.\r\n\r\nA week or so later, she came back to me. “Your advice has changed our lives!” she said. “I’ve been singing my son to sleep. It takes 15 minutes or so a night. And he started sleeping through the night the very first night I sang. We are all getting the sleep we need. I can’t believe the difference it makes for our entire family.”','Singing My Babies to Sleep','','publish','open','open','','singing-my-babies-to-sleep','','','2011-11-05 19:45:10','2011-11-05 23:45:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=446',0,'post','',0),(326,2,'2011-10-24 20:38:23','2011-10-25 00:38:23','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">While that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 aligncenter\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"387\" /></a></p>\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccoli_soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-376\" title=\"broccoli_soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccoli_soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"373\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','publish','open','open','','broccoli-cheddar-soup','','','2011-11-03 20:04:13','2011-11-04 00:04:13','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=326',0,'post','',1),(327,2,'2011-10-24 20:26:59','2011-10-25 00:26:59','','chicken_broth_simmer','The onion and garlic sauted and chicken broth added','inherit','open','open','','chicken_broth_simmer','','','2011-10-24 20:26:59','2011-10-25 00:26:59','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(328,2,'2011-10-24 20:28:29','2011-10-25 00:28:29','','chopped_broccoli','','inherit','open','open','','chopped_broccoli','','','2011-10-24 20:28:29','2011-10-25 00:28:29','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(329,2,'2011-10-24 20:30:01','2011-10-25 00:30:01','','stir_flour','The flour mix thickening the soup','inherit','open','open','','stir_flour','','','2011-10-24 20:30:01','2011-10-25 00:30:01','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(330,2,'2011-10-24 20:31:11','2011-10-25 00:31:11','','evaporated_milk','My favorite substitute for expensive cream','inherit','open','open','','evaporated_milk','','','2011-10-24 20:31:11','2011-10-25 00:31:11','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(331,2,'2011-10-24 20:32:30','2011-10-25 00:32:30','','velvetta','Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy','inherit','open','open','','velvetta','','','2011-10-24 20:32:30','2011-10-25 00:32:30','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(332,2,'2011-10-24 20:33:24','2011-10-25 00:33:24','','stir_cheddar','Good cheese is important for the best results','inherit','open','open','','stir_cheddar','','','2011-10-24 20:33:24','2011-10-25 00:33:24','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(333,2,'2011-10-24 20:34:21','2011-10-25 00:34:21','','soup_served','Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening','inherit','open','open','','soup_served','','','2011-10-24 20:34:21','2011-10-25 00:34:21','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(334,2,'2011-10-24 20:37:32','2011-10-25 00:37:32','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  Love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\n\nI diced one large sweet onion. Sauted that in my largest frying pan, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl id=\"attachment_327\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 510px;\"><dd class=\"wp-caption-dd\">The onion and garlic sauted and chicken broth added</dd></dl></div>\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-328\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"410\" /></a>\n\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\n\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329\" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\n\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\n\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\n\nServings: 8\n\nIngredients:\n\n1/4 cup butter\n\n1 onion, diced\n\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\n\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\n\n1 large head of broccoli\n\n1 quart chicken broth\n\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\n\n1 cup water\n\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\n\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\n\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\n\nDirections:\n\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\n\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\n\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\n\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\n\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision','','','2011-10-24 20:37:32','2011-10-25 00:37:32','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=334',0,'revision','',0),(337,2,'2011-10-24 20:52:31','2011-10-25 00:52:31','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n\r\nI diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 alignleft\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"354\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"373\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329 \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-3','','','2011-10-24 20:52:31','2011-10-25 00:52:31','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=337',0,'revision','',0),(335,2,'2011-10-25 08:03:19','2011-10-25 12:03:19','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\n\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\n\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\n\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333 \" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\n\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\n\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\n\nServings: 8\n\nIngredients:\n\n1/4 cup butter\n\n1 onion, diced\n\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\n\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\n\n1 large head of broccoli\n\n1 quart chicken broth\n\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\n\n1 cup water\n\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\n\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\n\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\n\nDirections:\n\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\n\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\n\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\n\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\n\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-autosave','','','2011-10-25 08:03:19','2011-10-25 12:03:19','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=335',0,'revision','',0),(336,2,'2011-10-24 20:38:23','2011-10-25 00:38:23','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n\r\nI diced one large sweet onion. Sauted that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><dl id=\"attachment_327\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 510px;\"><dd class=\"wp-caption-dd\">The onion and garlic sauted and chicken broth added</dd></dl></div>\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-328\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"410\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329\" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-2','','','2011-10-24 20:38:23','2011-10-25 00:38:23','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=336',0,'revision','',0),(338,2,'2011-10-24 20:56:41','2011-10-25 00:56:41','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n\r\nI diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 alignleft\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"378\" height=\"283\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\r\n\r\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329 \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-4','','','2011-10-24 20:56:41','2011-10-25 00:56:41','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=338',0,'revision','',0),(339,2,'2011-10-24 20:59:17','2011-10-25 00:59:17','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\r\n\r\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329 \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-5','','','2011-10-24 20:59:17','2011-10-25 00:59:17','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=339',0,'revision','',0),(342,2,'2011-10-24 21:21:44','2011-10-25 01:21:44','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\r\n\r\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333 \" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-8','','','2011-10-24 21:21:44','2011-10-25 01:21:44','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=342',0,'revision','',0),(340,2,'2011-10-24 21:06:20','2011-10-25 01:06:20','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\r\n\r\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329 \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330\" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332\" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333\" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-6','','','2011-10-24 21:06:20','2011-10-25 01:06:20','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=340',0,'revision','',0),(341,2,'2011-10-24 21:18:20','2011-10-25 01:18:20','One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\nWhile that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli. <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 alignright\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"363\" height=\"298\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up\r\n\r\nthe heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333 \" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-7','','','2011-10-24 21:18:20','2011-10-25 01:18:20','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=341',0,'revision','',0),(378,2,'2011-10-25 22:46:36','2011-10-26 02:46:36','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">While that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 aligncenter\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"387\" /></a></p>\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccoli_soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-376\" title=\"broccoli_soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccoli_soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"373\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-10','','','2011-10-25 22:46:36','2011-10-26 02:46:36','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=378',0,'revision','',0),(353,2,'2011-10-25 08:52:52','2011-10-25 12:52:52',' ','','','publish','open','open','','353','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=353',7,'nav_menu_item','',0),(344,2,'2011-10-23 18:55:47','2011-10-23 22:55:47','Tonight in the Pumpkin Patch,  I told stories.  My friend Holly read the book, The Pumpkin Patch Parable. Then I told my favorite folk tale, The Gunny Wolf.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_126\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"260\" caption=\"Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist, Rome, GA, 2009\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-126\" title=\"Trinity_pumpkins\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Trinity_pumpkins1-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"181\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen the children asked for real stories. . . stories most of them have heard me tell before.  But they always want to hear them again. The tale of The Day I Got Left at the Gas Station.  And the Day I Jumped Out the Window of My Bedroom.  Both stories of things that happened to me in my childhood.\r\n\r\nI enjoy reading books to children and I really enjoy October, when I tell the Gunny Wolf to several hundred children.  But the best stories to tell are the real ones.\r\nChildren don’t hear real stories often enough.  Stories about people they know - their moms or dads or aunts or uncles, or even someone they know from church, like me, Mrs. Debi to most of them.  Real people doing the real things that children sometimes do, misbehaving - jumping out a window, being told to never do that again, then heading right back in and jumping out the window again.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_274\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in front of the home, where I jumped out the window. The window on the far end of the house was the same height as the one I jumped from.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-274 \" title=\"EllijayFamily\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayFamily-300x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Or real scary things that can happen to children.  Like having your Mom and Dad, who love you so very much, but still, being fallible humans, leave you at the gas station for 10 minutes or so.  (I had dashed back into the restroom to retrieve my hair barrettes, without telling anyone.)</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I survived the ordeal.  And my parents lived through it.  Although the episode was traumatic enough that 50 years later, as I tell the story, I can still see the gas station owner, who put me in his truck as we chased my parents down.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_278\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My family in 1952: Joan, Debi sitting on Mama&#39;s lap, Carol sitting on Daddy&#39;s lap, Terry on Janice&#39;s lap. I was a much-loved child, even though 6 or 7 years after this was taken, I got left at a gas station for 10 very long minutes.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-278\" title=\"Shaws1952\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shaws1952-300x214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And my mother tells the story.  And my brother Terry tells that story, too.  Each of us has a slightly different version, told from our own perspective. But it was a scary event for all of us.</p>\r\nTonight, as I told the Jumping Out the Window story, I started with, “The story I’m going to tell you happened when I was 7 or 8 years old.  And while I am not sure how old I was, I am sure of one thing.  I was old enough to know better.”\r\n“Have you ever done that?” I asked. “Done something you knew, just KNEW, you shouldn’t do?”\r\nZach, an 8 year old boy who rarely sits still, nodded his head vigorously, making eye contact with me. “All the time!” he assured me. “ALL the time!”\r\nAnd from there to the end of my tale, Zach and I had a bond.  He knew what I was talking about.  And he sat as still, listening, as I’ve ever seen him sit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_275\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Debi, Carol, Beth and Terry. In this photo, I was 7 or 8 years old.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-275\" title=\"EllijayPorch4kids\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/EllijayPorch4kids-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI got to the point in the story, where I had jumped and my father had scolded me and told me to never do that again.  I turned to my listeners and asked them, “What do you think I did then?”\r\n“You jumped again!” Zach answered, shaking his head.\r\n“You’re right!” I told him. “You must be just like me!”\r\nAnd, when I got to the part of the story where I had jumped the second time, and saw my father walking toward me, I said, “And then, I made the worst decision I could possibly have made. What do you think I decided to do?”\r\n“You ran,” Zach sighed. “I bet you ran.”  Which is, of course, just what I did, back when I was 7 or 8 years old.\r\nZach and I made eye contact again. And I saw a child who, for all his high energy, is no more mischevious than I was at his age. And Zach saw a grown-up who, as a child, disobeyed her father, but lived to tell about it and is now someone his parents treat with respect.\r\n\r\nSuch is the value to telling real stories.  Fun for the teller, it even relieves stress.  Stories help people connect, across generations.  Reminding the grown-up what it is like to be a child.  Teaching the child that grown-ups were once children, sometimes naughty, sometimes frightened. Much like them.','The Story of the Day I Jumped Out the Window','','inherit','open','open','','273-revision-6','','','2011-10-23 18:55:47','2011-10-23 22:55:47','',273,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=344',0,'revision','',0),(345,2,'2011-10-23 18:05:39','2011-10-23 22:05:39','[caption id=\"attachment_209\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"195\" caption=\"Andrew when he was four years old. We did NOT bake cookies the afternoon he escaped from kindergarten!\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-209\" title=\"Andrew lickingbeaters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Andrew-lickingbeaters-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nUnpredictability. I saw the news today of the <a title=\"preschooler_escapes_goes_home\" href=\"http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/preschool-escapee-makes-solo-trek-home-150602032.html\" target=\"_blank\">three year old who escaped from preschool</a> and made the trek home alone. And, of course, thought of our oldest son Andrew, who specialized in unpredictability.\r\n\r\nOne day, just minutes after I dropped him off at kindergarten, he walked out the door of the school and hiked home, much like little Alfie Aldridge.\r\n\r\nAndrew attended afternoon kindergarten. So I’d driven home, gotten the younger children down for naps and picked up the phone to call my friends Judy.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWhile chatting with her, I looked up to see Andrew, hiding in the bushes in front of our house.\r\n\r\nThank you, Lord, I was home. Samantha Aldridge, Alfie’s mom, is quoted as saying, “A wave of emotion come over me.” Boy, do I remember that wave of emotion!','The Day Andrew Walked Home from Kindergarten','','inherit','open','open','','282-revision-10','','','2011-10-23 18:05:39','2011-10-23 22:05:39','',282,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=345',0,'revision','',0),(354,2,'2011-10-25 08:52:52','2011-10-25 12:52:52',' ','','','publish','open','open','','354','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=354',8,'nav_menu_item','',0),(355,2,'2011-10-25 08:52:52','2011-10-25 12:52:52',' ','','','publish','open','open','','355','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=355',9,'nav_menu_item','',0),(356,2,'2011-10-25 08:52:52','2011-10-25 12:52:52',' ','','','publish','open','open','','356','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=356',10,'nav_menu_item','',0),(357,2,'2011-10-25 08:52:52','2011-10-25 12:52:52',' ','','','publish','open','open','','357','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=357',11,'nav_menu_item','',0),(360,2,'2011-10-25 16:28:35','2011-10-25 20:28:35','','sherbert_cups','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_cups','','','2011-10-25 16:28:35','2011-10-25 20:28:35','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(361,2,'2011-10-25 16:29:48','2011-10-25 20:29:48','','sherbert_in_cups','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_in_cups','','','2011-10-25 16:29:48','2011-10-25 20:29:48','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(362,2,'2011-10-25 16:30:26','2011-10-25 20:30:26','','Tootsies_added','','inherit','open','open','','tootsies_added','','','2011-10-25 16:30:26','2011-10-25 20:30:26','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(363,2,'2011-10-25 16:31:21','2011-10-25 20:31:21','','Sherbert_with_treats','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_with_treats','','','2011-10-25 16:31:21','2011-10-25 20:31:21','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(364,2,'2011-10-25 16:32:09','2011-10-25 20:32:09','','Sherbert_finished_1','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_finished_1','','','2011-10-25 16:32:09','2011-10-25 20:32:09','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished_1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(365,2,'2011-10-25 16:31:05','2011-10-25 20:31:05','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutrious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbert.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-360\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"340\" /></a>\nAll it took was the sherbert, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-361\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"351\" /></a>The simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-362\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"498\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, or gummy candy can make the face.','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbert Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision','','','2011-10-25 16:31:05','2011-10-25 20:31:05','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=365',0,'revision','',0),(372,2,'2011-10-25 22:34:33','2011-10-26 02:34:33','','sherbert_finished2','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_finished2','','','2011-10-25 22:34:33','2011-10-26 02:34:33','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(366,2,'2011-10-25 22:23:14','2011-10-26 02:23:14','','sherbert_cups','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_cups-2','','','2011-10-25 22:23:14','2011-10-26 02:23:14','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(367,2,'2011-10-25 22:24:25','2011-10-26 02:24:25','','sherbert_in_cups','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_in_cups-2','','','2011-10-25 22:24:25','2011-10-26 02:24:25','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(371,2,'2011-10-25 22:33:52','2011-10-26 02:33:52','','Sherbert_finished','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_finished','','','2011-10-25 22:33:52','2011-10-26 02:33:52','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(368,2,'2011-10-25 22:28:24','2011-10-26 02:28:24','','Tootsies_added','','inherit','open','open','','tootsies_added-2','','','2011-10-25 22:28:24','2011-10-26 02:28:24','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(369,2,'2011-10-25 22:30:03','2011-10-26 02:30:03','','Sherbert_with_treats','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_with_treats-2','','','2011-10-25 22:30:03','2011-10-26 02:30:03','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(370,2,'2011-10-25 22:32:18','2011-10-26 02:32:18','','Sherbert_with_treats','','inherit','open','open','','sherbert_with_treats-3','','','2011-10-25 22:32:18','2011-10-26 02:32:18','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(373,2,'2011-10-25 22:33:23','2011-10-26 02:33:23','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\nAll it took was the sherbert, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\n\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\n\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\n\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-2','','','2011-10-25 22:33:23','2011-10-26 02:33:23','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=373',0,'revision','',0),(374,2,'2011-10-25 22:37:32','2011-10-26 02:37:32','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\nAll it took was the sherbert, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\n\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\n\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-3','','','2011-10-25 22:37:32','2011-10-26 02:37:32','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=374',0,'revision','',0),(375,2,'2011-10-25 22:38:53','2011-10-26 02:38:53','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\r\nAll it took was the sherbet, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\r\n\r\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-4','','','2011-10-25 22:38:53','2011-10-26 02:38:53','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=375',0,'revision','',0),(380,2,'2011-10-27 17:02:14','2011-10-27 21:02:14','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\nAll it took was the sherbet, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\n\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\n\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-autosave','','','2011-10-27 17:02:14','2011-10-27 21:02:14','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=380',0,'revision','',0),(376,2,'2011-10-25 22:45:09','2011-10-26 02:45:09','','broccoli_soup_served','','inherit','open','open','','broccoli_soup_served','','','2011-10-25 22:45:09','2011-10-26 02:45:09','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/broccoli_soup_served.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(377,2,'2011-10-25 08:04:13','2011-10-25 12:04:13','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">One of the best parts of cooler weather is hot soup.  We love soup!  All kinds of soup. Tonight the Lewis family dined on broccoli cheddar soup.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I diced one large sweet onion. sautéed that in my largest frying pan, in 1/4 cup butter, with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.  Used my pepper grinder to add 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-327 aligncenter\" title=\"chicken_broth_simmer\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chicken_broth_simmer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"340\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">While that simmered, I chopped two small heads of broccoli.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-328 aligncenter\" title=\"chopped_broccoli\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/chopped_broccoli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"387\" /></a></p>\r\nWhen the onions were transparent, I added one quart of chicken broth, turned up the heat and added the broccoli.  I let that simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the broccoli was tender.\r\n\r\nI added 1/3 cup of flour to 1 cup of cold water in a jar and shook it until the flour had dissolved.  Then poured that in and stirred until the mixture had thickened.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_329\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"The flour mix thickening the soup\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-329  \" title=\"stir_flour\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_flour.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nTurned down the heat and poured in one can of evaporated milk.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"499\" caption=\"My favorite substitute for expensive cream\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-330 \" title=\"evaporated_milk\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/evaporated_milk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"282\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThen sliced 8 or 9 slices of Velvetta cheese, stirred that in until it had melted.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_331\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Velvetta added to other cheese make the result VERY creamy\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-331 \" title=\"velvetta\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/velvetta.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"512\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSprinkled in 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_332\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Good cheese is important for the best results\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-332 \" title=\"stir_cheddar\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stir_cheddar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"395\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd served it with our favorite bakery rolls.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_333\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Final Result - a Delicious Supper for a Cool Evening\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-333 \" title=\"soup_served\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/soup_served.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"414\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBroccoli-Cheddar Soup\r\n\r\nPreparation time: 15 minutes\r\n\r\nCook Time: 30 Minutes\r\n\r\nServings: 8\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n1/4 cup butter\r\n\r\n1 onion, diced\r\n\r\n2 tablespoons chopped garlic\r\n\r\n1/2 teaspoon ground pepper\r\n\r\n1 large head of broccoli\r\n\r\n1 quart chicken broth\r\n\r\n1/3 cup all-purpose flour\r\n\r\n1 cup water\r\n\r\n1 12 ounce can evaporated milk\r\n\r\n7 or 8 slices of velvetta cheese\r\n\r\n8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese\r\n\r\nDirections:\r\n\r\n1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan. Saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add pepper.\r\n\r\n2. Pour in chicken broth. Chop broccoli and stir into chicken broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.\r\n\r\n3. Meanwhile whisk, or shake, flour into water until dissolved. Stir into soup stirring until thickened.\r\n\r\n4. Reduce heat, and pour in evaporated milk. Stir in slices of Velvetta cheese until melted. Sprinkle in shredded cheddar cheese and heat through.\r\n\r\n5. Serve with your favorite bread.','Broccoli-Cheddar Soup','','inherit','open','open','','326-revision-9','','','2011-10-25 08:04:13','2011-10-25 12:04:13','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=377',0,'revision','',0),(379,2,'2011-10-25 22:39:10','2011-10-26 02:39:10','<p>One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a><br />\r\nAll it took was the sherbet, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>The simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>But my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a></p>\r\n<p><a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a></p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-5','','','2011-10-25 22:39:10','2011-10-26 02:39:10','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=379',0,'revision','',0),(381,2,'2011-10-26 17:04:55','2011-10-26 21:04:55','','Soup_served2','','inherit','open','open','','soup_served2','','','2011-10-26 17:04:55','2011-10-26 21:04:55','',326,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Soup_served2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(382,2,'2011-10-26 17:09:44','2011-10-26 21:09:44','','sherbet_served','','inherit','open','open','','sherbet_served','','','2011-10-26 17:09:44','2011-10-26 21:09:44','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbet_served.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(383,2,'2011-10-25 22:52:41','2011-10-26 02:52:41','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\r\nAll it took was the sherbet, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\r\n\r\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-6','','','2011-10-25 22:52:41','2011-10-26 02:52:41','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=383',0,'revision','',0),(384,2,'2011-10-26 17:15:04','2011-10-26 21:15:04','','Amanda_800','','inherit','open','open','','amanda_800','','','2011-10-26 17:15:04','2011-10-26 21:15:04','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_800.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(385,2,'2011-10-23 20:47:12','2011-10-24 00:47:12','<a title=\"Dentist_buys_back_Halloween_candy\" href=\"http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111023/NEWS01/110230301/-1/7daysarchives/Dentist-buy-back-Halloween-candy\" target=\"_blank\">A dentist in the Nashville, Tennessee area</a>is offering money in exchange for Halloween candy. His purpose, of course, is to reduce the sugar children consume, and improve their dental health. And, probably, gain new patients.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_319\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"My niece Amanda as a clown\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-319 \" title=\"Amanda_halloween\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Amanda_halloween-300x235.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor parents who do not live near Nashville, what should you do to limit the candy your child eats at Halloween.\r\n\r\n* Have a favorite meal for an early supper, before trick-or-treating.\r\n* Give out non-candy items - spider rings, pencils, fake tattoos, stick on gems, crayons, erasers, etc.\r\n* Host a Halloween party, shifting the focus onto games and fun, rather than just acquiring candy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"243\" caption=\"Benjamin at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-161\" title=\"Benj_halloween_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Benj_halloween_21-243x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n* Go to a Trunk or Treat event, where your child will play games and socialize, in addition to trick-or-treat. More and more churches host these, providing games and food, in addition to a limited arena for getting candy.\r\n\r\n* Set your rules about the candy: when it can be eaten (after a meal) and how many pieces.\r\n\r\n* Set a limit on how long you\'ll keep the left-over candy. Plan to give it away or throw it away after 2 or 3 days.  Perhaps you know a teacher who would love to have candy to give out as rewards to her students.\r\n\r\n* Relax and enjoy the holiday and do not stress out too much over your child\'s sugar intake.','Dentist Buys Candy from Trick-or-Treaters','','inherit','open','open','','317-revision-4','','','2011-10-23 20:47:12','2011-10-24 00:47:12','',317,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=385',0,'revision','',0),(386,2,'2011-10-26 17:22:52','2011-10-26 21:22:52','','sherbet_served2','','inherit','open','open','','sherbet_served2','','','2011-10-26 17:22:52','2011-10-26 21:22:52','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbet_served2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(387,2,'2011-10-26 17:10:29','2011-10-26 21:10:29','One of my children’s favorite Halloween treats was also one of the easiest and, relatively nutritious, projects.  We made pumpkins with orange sherbet.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-366\" title=\"sherbert_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"466\" /></a>\r\nAll it took was the sherbet, a round ice cream scoop, some ice cream cones (the ones with flat bottoms, that can stand up, work best), small tootsie rolls, and whatever you want to make the faces on the pumpkins.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-367\" title=\"sherbert_in_cups\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_in_cups1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"589\" /></a>In scooping out the sherbet, to get nice round pumpkins, rinse off the scoop with hot water, between each pumpkin.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-368\" title=\"Tootsies_added\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tootsies_added1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"453\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThe simplest version is to just have pumpkins - without faces.  A round scoop of orange sherbert, topped with a tootsie roll for a stem - even without extra details, they still look like pumpkins.  And taste delicious.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-370\" title=\"Sherbert_with_treats\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_with_treats2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"338\" /></a>\r\n\r\nBut my children liked to go crazy with the details.  Green fruit slices can be sliced again, for fancy leaves near the stem.  And M &amp; Ms, or chocolate chips, licorice or gummy candy can make the face.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-371\" title=\"Sherbert_finished\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sherbert_finished.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"496\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-372\" title=\"sherbert_finished2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sherbert_finished2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"803\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Orange Sherbet Pumpkins','','inherit','open','open','','359-revision-7','','','2011-10-26 17:10:29','2011-10-26 21:10:29','',359,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=387',0,'revision','',0),(388,2,'2011-10-26 23:09:48','2011-10-27 03:09:48','','Home','','publish','open','open','','home','','','2011-11-05 12:15:10','2011-11-05 16:15:10','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=388',1,'nav_menu_item','',0),(392,2,'2011-10-27 21:03:06','2011-10-28 01:03:06','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\n\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour. And you just mix those six things together, add enough flour to get a stiff dough, then roll it out and cut it with cookie cutters.  Then bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision','','','2011-10-27 21:03:06','2011-10-28 01:03:06','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=392',0,'revision','',0),(393,2,'2011-10-27 21:05:14','2011-10-28 01:05:14','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\n\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour. And you just mix those six things together, add enough flour to get a stiff dough, then roll it out and cut it with cookie cutters. Brush them with colored evaporated milk.  Then bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-2','','','2011-10-27 21:05:14','2011-10-28 01:05:14','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=393',0,'revision','',0),(394,2,'2011-10-27 21:38:58','2011-10-28 01:38:58','','tea_cake_ingredients','','inherit','open','open','','tea_cake_ingredients','','','2011-10-27 21:38:58','2011-10-28 01:38:58','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(395,2,'2011-10-27 21:41:02','2011-10-28 01:41:02','','tea_cake_ingredients','','inherit','open','open','','tea_cake_ingredients-2','','','2011-10-27 21:41:02','2011-10-28 01:41:02','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(396,2,'2011-10-27 21:40:09','2011-10-28 01:40:09','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-394 alignright\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients-264x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\n\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour. And you just mix those six things together, add enough flour to get a stiff dough, then roll it out and cut it with cookie cutters. Brush them with colored evaporated milk.  Then bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\n\n1 cup shortening\n\n2 cups sugar\n\n2 eggs\n\n1/2 cup milk\n\n1 teaspoon vanilla\n\n3 cups self-rising flour\n\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\n\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\n\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-3','','','2011-10-27 21:40:09','2011-10-28 01:40:09','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=396',0,'revision','',0),(397,2,'2011-10-27 21:44:21','2011-10-28 01:44:21','','stiff_batter','','inherit','open','open','','stiff_batter','','','2011-10-27 21:44:21','2011-10-28 01:44:21','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(398,2,'2011-10-27 21:45:37','2011-10-28 01:45:37','','rolling_pin','','inherit','open','open','','rolling_pin','','','2011-10-27 21:45:37','2011-10-28 01:45:37','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(399,2,'2011-10-27 21:47:49','2011-10-28 01:47:49','','cookie_cutters','','inherit','open','open','','cookie_cutters','','','2011-10-27 21:47:49','2011-10-28 01:47:49','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(400,2,'2011-10-27 21:49:32','2011-10-28 01:49:32','','unpainted_cookies','','inherit','open','open','','unpainted_cookies','','','2011-10-27 21:49:32','2011-10-28 01:49:32','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(401,2,'2011-10-27 21:49:56','2011-10-28 01:49:56','','unpainted_cookies','','inherit','open','open','','unpainted_cookies-2','','','2011-10-27 21:49:56','2011-10-28 01:49:56','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(402,2,'2011-10-27 21:52:26','2011-10-28 01:52:26','','food_coloring','','inherit','open','open','','food_coloring','','','2011-10-27 21:52:26','2011-10-28 01:52:26','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/food_coloring.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(403,2,'2011-10-27 21:53:37','2011-10-28 01:53:37','','finished_cookies','','inherit','open','open','','finished_cookies','','','2011-10-27 21:53:37','2011-10-28 01:53:37','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(404,2,'2011-10-27 21:56:39','2011-10-28 01:56:39','','painted_cookie','','inherit','open','open','','painted_cookie','','','2011-10-27 21:56:39','2011-10-28 01:56:39','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(405,2,'2011-10-27 21:58:35','2011-10-28 01:58:35','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-395\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"799\" height=\"905\" /></a>\n\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-397\" title=\"stiff_batter\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter-277x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nAnd you just mix those six things together and add enough flour to get a stiff dough. I find the dough usually needs an additional 1 - 1.5 cups of flour to get the right stiffness.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-398\" title=\"rolling_pin\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin-266x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThen roll it out.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-399\" title=\"cookie_cutters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters-300x277.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"277\" /></a>And cut it with cookie cutters.  As you can see, I collect cookies cutters - particularly pumpkin ones. Nine pumpkins cookies cutters, and two apple cookies cutters.  I have WAY too many cookie cutters!<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-400\" title=\"unpainted_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /></a>\n\nBrush them with colored evaporated milk.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-404\" title=\"painted_cookie\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"366\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlease notice that I am NOT neat about painting the cookies.  The colored milk dribbled on the cookie sheet is easy to clean up, when I wash the pan later. No big deal if you drip the paint!\n\nThen bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-403\" title=\"finished_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"799\" height=\"686\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\n\n1 cup shortening\n\n2 cups sugar\n\n2 eggs\n\n1/2 cup milk\n\n1 teaspoon vanilla\n\n3 cups self-rising flour\n\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\n\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\n\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-4','','','2011-10-27 21:58:35','2011-10-28 01:58:35','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=405',0,'revision','',0),(407,2,'2011-10-27 22:02:27','2011-10-28 02:02:27','','tea_cake_ingredients','','inherit','open','open','','tea_cake_ingredients-4','','','2011-10-27 22:02:27','2011-10-28 02:02:27','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(406,2,'2011-10-27 22:00:55','2011-10-28 02:00:55','','tea_cake_ingredients','','inherit','open','open','','tea_cake_ingredients-3','','','2011-10-27 22:00:55','2011-10-28 02:00:55','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(408,2,'2011-10-27 22:05:29','2011-10-28 02:05:29','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-407\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3-264x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd you just mix those six things together and add enough flour to get a stiff dough. I find the dough usually needs an additional 1 - 1.5 cups of flour to get the right stiffness.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-397\" title=\"stiff_batter\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter-277x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Then roll it out.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-398\" title=\"rolling_pin\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin-266x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"300\" /></a></p>\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-399\" title=\"cookie_cutters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters-300x277.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"277\" /></a>And cut it with cookie cutters.  As you can see, I collect cookies cutters - particularly pumpkin ones. Nine pumpkins cookies cutters, and two apple cookies cutters.  I have WAY too many cookie cutters!<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-400\" title=\"unpainted_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /></a>\n\nBrush them with colored evaporated milk.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-404\" title=\"painted_cookie\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"366\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPlease notice that I am NOT neat about painting the cookies.  The colored milk dribbled on the cookie sheet is easy to clean up, when I wash the pan later. No big deal if you drip the paint!\n\nThen bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-403\" title=\"finished_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"799\" height=\"686\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\n\n1 cup shortening\n\n2 cups sugar\n\n2 eggs\n\n1/2 cup milk\n\n1 teaspoon vanilla\n\n3 cups self-rising flour\n\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\n\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\n\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-5','','','2011-10-27 22:05:29','2011-10-28 02:05:29','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=408',0,'revision','',0),(411,2,'2011-10-27 22:25:07','2011-10-28 02:25:07','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\n\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-407\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3-264x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"300\" /></a>Only six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd you just mix those six things together, add enough flour to get a stiff dough.  I find it usually takes another 1 - 1.5 cups of flour to make it the right stiffness.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-397\" title=\"stiff_batter\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter-277x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThen roll it out and cut it with cookie cutters.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-398\" title=\"rolling_pin\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin-266x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nI collect cookie cutters. I found nine pumpkin and 2 apple cookie cutters.  I have WAY too many cookie cutters!<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-399\" title=\"cookie_cutters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters-300x277.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"277\" /></a>\n\nBrush them with colored evaporated milk. Notice that I am NOT neat when I paint these cookies. I dribble colored milk everywhere.  B<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-404\" title=\"painted_cookie\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThen bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\n\n1 cup shortening\n\n2 cups sugar\n\n2 eggs\n\n1/2 cup milk\n\n1 teaspoon vanilla\n\n3 cups self-rising flour\n\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\n\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\n\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-autosave','','','2011-10-27 22:25:07','2011-10-28 02:25:07','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=411',0,'revision','',0),(409,2,'2011-10-27 22:10:19','2011-10-28 02:10:19','','cookies_featured','','inherit','open','open','','cookies_featured','','','2011-10-27 22:10:19','2011-10-28 02:10:19','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookies_featured.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(410,2,'2011-10-27 22:06:56','2011-10-28 02:06:56','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\r\n\r\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-407\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients3-264x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAnd you just mix those six things together and add enough flour to get a stiff dough. I find the dough usually needs an additional 1 - 1.5 cups of flour to get the right stiffness.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-397\" title=\"stiff_batter\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stiff_batter-277x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Then roll it out.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-398\" title=\"rolling_pin\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rolling_pin-266x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"300\" /></a></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-399\" title=\"cookie_cutters\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cookie_cutters-300x277.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"277\" /></a>And cut it with cookie cutters.  As you can see, I collect cookies cutters - particularly pumpkin ones. Nine pumpkins cookies cutters, and two apple cookies cutters.  I have WAY too many cookie cutters!<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-400\" title=\"unpainted_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/unpainted_cookies-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /></a>\r\n\r\nBrush them with colored evaporated milk.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-404\" title=\"painted_cookie\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/painted_cookie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"366\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPlease notice that I am NOT neat about painting the cookies.  The colored milk dribbled on the cookie sheet is easy to clean up, when I wash the pan later. No big deal if you drip the paint!\r\n\r\nThen bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-403\" title=\"finished_cookies\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/finished_cookies-300x257.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"257\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\r\n\r\n1 cup shortening\r\n\r\n2 cups sugar\r\n\r\n2 eggs\r\n\r\n1/2 cup milk\r\n\r\n1 teaspoon vanilla\r\n\r\n3 cups self-rising flour\r\n\r\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\r\n\r\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\r\n\r\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-6','','','2011-10-27 22:06:56','2011-10-28 02:06:56','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=410',0,'revision','',0),(412,2,'2011-10-27 22:12:30','2011-10-28 02:12:30','Some of my favorite childhood memories center around my mother\'s Old Fashioned Tea Cakes.  A southern dish, they are simple, easy-to-make and relatively low-sugar, for such a sweet treat.\r\n\r\nIf you decorate them with icing, the sugar content jumps.  But if you paint them with colored evaporated milk, they are pretty, shiny and delicious, without being laden with sugar.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-395\" title=\"tea_cake_ingredients\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tea_cake_ingredients1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"799\" height=\"905\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOnly six ingredients: shortening; sugar; eggs; milk; vanilla and self-rising flour.\r\n\r\nAnd you just mix those six things together, add enough flour to get a stiff dough, then roll it out and cut it with cookie cutters. Brush them with colored evaporated milk.  Then bake for 6 minutes or so. Gotta love these simple recipes.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOld Fashioned Tea Cakes\r\n\r\n1 cup shortening\r\n\r\n2 cups sugar\r\n\r\n2 eggs\r\n\r\n1/2 cup milk\r\n\r\n1 teaspoon vanilla\r\n\r\n3 cups self-rising flour\r\n\r\nMix all ingredients together. Add enough self-rising flour to make a stiff dough. (It usually takes another 1 cup to 1.5 cup.)  Roll out on a floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and put on a cookie sheet.\r\n\r\nMix food coloring into a small quantity of evaporated milk, to desired color.  Bush onto the uncooked cookies.\r\n\r\nBake at 400 degrees until brown, 5 or 6 minutes.','More Low-Stress Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Tea Cakes','','inherit','open','open','','390-revision-7','','','2011-10-27 22:12:30','2011-10-28 02:12:30','',390,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=412',0,'revision','',0),(506,2,'2011-11-05 12:12:56','2011-11-05 16:12:56','<blockquote><strong>Joshua 1:9</strong> Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”</blockquote>\r\nGod gave this promise to Joshua, just after Moses died and Joshua found himself leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. What a wonderful promise to claim each time you start out on a new stage of motherhood!\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong> Deuteronomy 30:19 &amp;20, 11-16</strong>\r\nThis day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I love this promise that what God asks me to do is not too difficult, or mysterious. That it is \"very near\" me, in my mouth and in my heart.</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Psalm 130: 7 &amp; 8</strong> (paraphrased)\r\nOh, Debi, put your hope in the LORD,\r\nfor with the LORD is unfailing love\r\nand with him is full and complete redemption.\r\nThe Lord himself will redeem Debi\r\nfrom all her sins.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I often put my name into Bible verses as I read them, to remind myself that they apply to ME.</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Psalm 103: 8, 10 - 19</strong>\r\nThe Lord is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger, abounding in love.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are made, he remembers that we are only dust.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But the mercies of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember his commandments to do them.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his sovereignty rules over all.</p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I am grateful that</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">(1) God\'s love for me is as high as the heavens are above the earth and,</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">(2) that He had removed my sins as far as the east is from the west and</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">(3) that He knows that I am only dust and</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">(4) He is sovereign over me and my family</p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong> Phillipians 4:4 - 7</strong>\r\nRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be evident to all. The Lord is near.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Be anxious for nothing but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>\r\n</blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Do you have a favorite Bible verse you would like to share?  Send that along in the comments below.</p>','Debi\'s Favorite Bible Verses','','publish','open','open','','debis-favorite-bible-verses','','','2011-11-05 18:03:36','2011-11-05 22:03:36','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?page_id=506',0,'page','',0),(414,2,'2011-10-29 13:49:05','2011-10-29 17:49:05','','A & M  2 yrs','Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old','inherit','open','open','','a-m-2-yrs','','','2011-10-29 13:49:05','2011-10-29 17:49:05','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(415,2,'2011-10-18 00:08:32','2011-10-18 00:08:32','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\" Then he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>), then Lisette (now 28), then Benjamin (now 27), then Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).  They are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church</a> in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-9','','','2011-10-18 00:08:32','2011-10-18 00:08:32','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/18/2-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(416,2,'2011-10-29 14:07:05','2011-10-29 18:07:05','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-21\" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church</a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-49\" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-10','','','2011-10-29 14:07:05','2011-10-29 18:07:05','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(417,2,'2011-10-29 14:10:47','2011-10-29 18:10:47','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-21\" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-49\" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-11','','','2011-10-29 14:10:47','2011-10-29 18:10:47','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(418,2,'2011-10-29 14:11:24','2011-10-29 18:11:24','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-21\" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-49\" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-12','','','2011-10-29 14:11:24','2011-10-29 18:11:24','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(419,2,'2011-10-29 14:15:27','2011-10-29 18:15:27','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1000\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-21\" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"288\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-49\" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-13','','','2011-10-29 14:15:27','2011-10-29 18:15:27','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(420,2,'2011-10-29 14:17:18','2011-10-29 18:17:18','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"504\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-21   \" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"145\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-49\" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2-300x86.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-14','','','2011-10-29 14:17:18','2011-10-29 18:17:18','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(421,2,'2011-10-29 14:20:06','2011-10-29 18:20:06','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"504\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-21   \" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"145\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"700\" caption=\"Lisette, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Emily, Matthew at Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-49 \" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"202\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-15','','','2011-10-29 14:20:06','2011-10-29 18:20:06','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(422,2,'2011-10-29 16:19:24','2011-10-29 20:19:24','[caption id=\"attachment_426\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"167\" caption=\"Charles and Ruth, before he left for WWII\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-426 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth1940s\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"167\" height=\"267\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy mother is an amazing woman.  She:\r\n\r\n- was the youngest of 11 children.\r\n\r\n- lost her father at age 9.\r\n\r\n- married at age 15 1/2 (We have a family story about the 1/2.)\r\n\r\n- sent her husband off to World War II at the age of 20.\r\n\r\n- finished high school after having her first 2 children.\r\n\r\n- gave birth to seven children.\r\n\r\n- was a pastor’s wife for many years.\r\n\r\n- began taking college classes in 1963, when I was in junior high.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_432\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"112\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in 1950s\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-432 \" title=\"YallComeCover_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"87\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n-graduated from college 22 years later in 1985.\r\n\r\n- lost her husband, my father, at age 62.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_427\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"210\" caption=\"Andrew, Charles and Ruth in 1980\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-427 \" title=\"AndrewDaddyMama\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"158\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n- was asked by his last congregation, a small retirement pastorate, if she would finish out that year as their pastor.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_428\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"142\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in the 1970s\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-428 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth70\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"142\" height=\"192\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n- pursued a seminary degree, finishing in 3 years, while continuing to serve as pastor of that church.\r\n\r\n- served as a pastor, full-time for 3 years, before mandatory retirement.\r\n\r\n- then served as a pastor, part-time, for another 10 years.\r\n\r\n- in 2005, at age 82, began recounting her memories in a <a title=\"Ruthlace_blog\" href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">weblog, Ruthlace</a>, which has won numerous awards, including being ranked in the ton ten \"Best Diarist\" in the annual <em>Weblog Awards</em> each year since 2006\r\n\r\n- by 2011, at age 88, has written over 300 blog entries, which have been read by thousands of people around the world.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_429\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Beth, Debi, Mother, Carol, Joan and Terrell, at a Rome Area Writers booksigning for Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-429\" title=\"RAWMother\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_430\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections from Georgia&#39;s Rome, published in 2008, can be ordered through Mother&#39;s blog.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-430\" title=\"RRRcover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nShe has recently finished <a title=\"Chronicles_of_Ruth\" href=\"http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-chronicles-of-ruth/18173382?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1\" target=\"_blank\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Chronicles of Ruth, Blogging Through My 80s</span></em>,</a> a compilation of some of her blog posts.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_431\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"This book, just published in 2011, is available through lulu.com or from her website, Ruthlace.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-431\" title=\"ChroniclesRuth\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe photo on the cover was taken of Mother, and her daughters, my sisters, Janice and Joan, to send to her husband Charles, a marine, during World War II.\r\n\r\nM<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-433 alignleft\" title=\"LifeWing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>other has also published <a title=\"Life_with_Wings\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Life-Wings-Ruth-Baird-Shaw/dp/0557467594/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1319915281&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Life With Wings</span>, </a>available on Amazon.com, another book of poetry, sermons, and recipes.\r\n\r\nAnd she is working to complete another book,<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em> 52 Sundays</em></span>, a collection of some of her best sermons, from her years as a preacher/pastor.','My Mother is AMAZING!','','publish','open','open','','my-mother-is-amazing','','','2011-10-30 07:47:42','2011-10-30 11:47:42','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=422',0,'post','',0),(576,2,'2011-11-13 18:35:57','2011-11-13 23:35:57','<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/GlobalCafeLisette.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-577\" title=\"GlobalCafeLisette\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/GlobalCafeLisette.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"320\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOur daughter Lisette spent two years in Africa, teaching the children of American missionaries, mostly doctors and nurses at Tenwek Hospital, in Bomet, Kenya. She has been back in the States for 3 years, working as an art teacher as Lexington Christian Academy in Lexington, Kentucky.  She plans to return to Kenya next Fall.\r\n\r\nShe is speaking tonight, in Wilmore, Kentucky, about her years in Kenya and her plans to return.  How I wish I could be there and hear her tonight!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_524\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, with 3 of her brothers, when she was 3 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndrewMattLisetteBenj.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-524\" title=\"AndrewMattLisetteBenj\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndrewMattLisetteBenj-300x132.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"132\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_549\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JonAndrewGrad.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-549\" title=\"JonAndrewGrad\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JonAndrewGrad-300x152.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"152\" /></a>[/caption]','My Precious Daughter, Teacher, Missionary, Fearless Adventurer','','publish','open','open','','my-precious-daughter-teacher-missionary-fearless-adventurer','','','2011-11-13 18:42:23','2011-11-13 23:42:23','',0,'http://motherhoodstress.com/?p=576',0,'post','',0),(424,2,'2011-10-29 14:54:08','2011-10-29 18:54:08','My mother is an amazing woman.  She:\n\n- was the youngest of 11 children.\n\n- lost her father at age 9.\n\n- married at age 15.\n\n- sent her husband off to World War II at the age of 20.\n\n- gave birth to seven children.\n\n- finished high school after having her first 2 children.\n\n- was a pastor’s wife for many years.\n\n- began picking up college classes in 1963, when I was in junior high.\n\n- finished college 22 years later in 1985.\n\n- lost her husband, my father, at age 62.\n\n- was asked by his last congregation, a small retirement pastorate, if she would finish out that year as their pastor.\n\n- pursued a seminary degree, finishing in 3 years, while continuing to serve as pastor of that church.\n\n- served as a pastor, full-time for 3 years, before mandatory retirement.\n\n- then served as a pastor, part-time, for another 10 years.\n\n- in 2005, at age 82, began recounting her memories in a weblog.\n\n- by 2011, at age 88, has written over 300 blog entries, which are read by hundreds of people around the world.\n\nShe has recently finished <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Chronicles of Ruth, Blogging Through My 80s</span></em>, a compilation of some of her blog posts.  The photo on the cover was taken of Mother, and her daughters, my sisters, Janice and Joan, to send to her husband Charles, a marine, during World War II.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAnd she is working to complete another book, 52 Sundays, a collection of some of her best sermons, from her year','My Mother is AMAZING!','','inherit','open','open','','422-revision','','','2011-10-29 14:54:08','2011-10-29 18:54:08','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/422-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(425,2,'2011-10-29 14:23:43','2011-10-29 18:23:43','Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the fifth of seven children of Ruth and Charles Shaw, <a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-230\" title=\"Debi_Lewis\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Debi_Lewis1-254x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"240\" /></a>Deborah Shaw Lewis grew up in Georgia. She attended <a title=\"Asbury_University\" href=\"http://asbury.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Asbury College</a> where she met her husband <a title=\"Gregg_Lewis_books\" href=\"http://gregglewisbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\">Gregg</a>. She taught preschool, wrote preschool curriculum for <a title=\"David_C_Cook\" href=\"http://www.davidccook.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David C. Cook Publishing,</a> directed a daycare center, Winkie Bear Child Development Center, and taught child care courses at <a title=\"Triton_College_River_Grove_Illinois\" href=\"http://www.triton.edu/cgi-bin/r.cgi/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Triton College</a> in River Grove, Illinois.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTwo fertility specialists told Debi and Gregg that they would not be able to have children. Their first child Andrew (now 32) was declared a \"miracle.\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_414\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"236\" caption=\"Andrew at 3 years, Matthew at 2 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-414 \" title=\"A &amp; M  2 yrs\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-M-2-yrs-236x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen he was followed by <a title=\"Matthew_blog\" href=\"http://alethinologia.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew</a> (now 30 and married to <a title=\"Emily_Brown_Lewis_blog\" href=\"http://greensandjeans.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily</a>).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_178\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"227\" caption=\"Our Precious Lisette, at age 3\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-178 \" title=\"Lisette at 3\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lisette-at-3-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nLisette (now 28) came along 2 1/2 years later.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_175\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"238\" caption=\"Jonathan at 1 year and Benjamin at 4 years old\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-175\" title=\"Jon and Ben portrait 1989\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Jon-and-Ben-portrait-1989-238x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen Benjamin (now 27) 19 months after Lisette. And 3 1/2 years later,  Jonathan (now 23 and married to Jessica).\r\n\r\nThey are ALL miracles.  All unique gifts from God.\r\n\r\nWith Matthew only  18 months younger than Andrew (to the day) and Benjamin only 19 months younger than Lisette, the Lewis family wore out two double strollers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_21\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"504\" caption=\"Lisette, Andrew, Jonathan, Jessica and Benjamin, in May 2011, when Andrew and Jonathan graduated from Asbury University\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-21   \" title=\"cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-family_graduation_2011.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"145\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nDebi earned her master\'s degree from the <a href=\"http://www.erikson.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Erikson Institute</a> in Chicago. She is currently the director of <a title=\"PALS_at_Trinity\" href=\"http://www.trinityumcrome.org/content/what-makes-pals-unique\" target=\"_blank\">PALS</a>, the mothers\' morning out program at <a title=\"Trinity_United_Methodist__Church_Rome_Georgia\" href=\"http://trinityumcrome.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Trinity United Methodist Church </a>in Rome, Georgia. She loves to speak to groups of mothers and to tell stories to young children.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_49\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"700\" caption=\"Matthew, Emily, Jonathan, Benjamin, Debi, Gregg, Lisette and Andrew, Christmas 2010\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-49 \" title=\"cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cropped-best-family_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"202\" /></a>[/caption]','Meet Debi','','inherit','open','open','','2-revision-16','','','2011-10-29 14:23:43','2011-10-29 18:23:43','',2,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/2-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(426,2,'2011-10-29 15:18:27','2011-10-29 19:18:27','','Charles&Ruth1940s','Charles and Ruth, before he left for WWII','inherit','open','open','','charlesruth1940s','','','2011-10-29 15:18:27','2011-10-29 19:18:27','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(427,2,'2011-10-29 15:20:47','2011-10-29 19:20:47','','AndrewDaddyMama','Andrew, Charles and Ruth in 1980','inherit','open','open','','andrewdaddymama','','','2011-10-29 15:20:47','2011-10-29 19:20:47','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(428,2,'2011-10-29 15:22:15','2011-10-29 19:22:15','','Charles&Ruth70','Ruth and Charles in the 1970s','inherit','open','open','','charlesruth70','','','2011-10-29 15:22:15','2011-10-29 19:22:15','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(429,2,'2011-10-29 15:24:01','2011-10-29 19:24:01','','RAWMother','Beth, Debi, Mother, Carol, Joan and Terrell, at a Rome Area Writers booksigning for Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections','inherit','open','open','','rawmother','','','2011-10-29 15:24:01','2011-10-29 19:24:01','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(430,2,'2011-10-29 15:25:44','2011-10-29 19:25:44','','RRRcover','Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections from Georgia\'s Rome, published in 2008.','inherit','open','open','','rrrcover','','','2011-10-29 15:25:44','2011-10-29 19:25:44','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(431,2,'2011-10-29 15:27:24','2011-10-29 19:27:24','','ChroniclesRuth','This book, just published in 2011, is available through Amazon.com','inherit','open','open','','chroniclesruth','','','2011-10-29 15:27:24','2011-10-29 19:27:24','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(432,2,'2011-10-29 15:33:13','2011-10-29 19:33:13','','YallComeCover_2','','inherit','open','open','','yallcomecover_2','','','2011-10-29 15:33:13','2011-10-29 19:33:13','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(433,2,'2011-10-29 15:36:35','2011-10-29 19:36:35','','LifeWing','','inherit','open','open','','lifewing','','','2011-10-29 15:36:35','2011-10-29 19:36:35','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(434,2,'2011-10-29 16:09:54','2011-10-29 20:09:54','My mother is an amazing woman.  She:\n\n- was the youngest of 11 children.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_426\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"209\" caption=\"Charles and Ruth, before he left for WWII\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-426 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth1940s\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"334\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- lost her father at age 9.\n\n- married at age 15.\n\n- sent her husband off to World War II at the age of 20.\n\n- gave birth to seven children.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_432\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"112\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in 1950s -finished high school after having her first 2 children.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-432 \" title=\"YallComeCover_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"87\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n- was a pastor’s wife for many years.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_427\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Andrew, Charles and Ruth in 1980\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-427\" title=\"AndrewDaddyMama\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- began picking up college classes in 1963, when I was in junior high.\n\n- finished college 22 years later in 1985.\n\n- lost her husband, my father, at age 62.\n\n- was asked by his last congregation, a small retirement pastorate, if she would finish out that year as their pastor.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_428\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"178\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in the 1970s\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-428 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth70\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"178\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- pursued a seminary degree, finishing in 3 years, while continuing to serve as pastor of that church.\n\n- served as a pastor, full-time for 3 years, before mandatory retirement.\n\n- then served as a pastor, part-time, for another 10 years.\n\n- in 2005, at age 82, began recounting her memories in a weblog.\n\n- by 2011, at age 88, has written over 300 blog entries, which are read by hundreds of people around the world.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_429\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Beth, Debi, Mother, Carol, Joan and Terrell, at a Rome Area Writers booksigning for Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-429\" title=\"RAWMother\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_430\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections from Georgia&#39;s Rome, published in 2008.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-430\" title=\"RRRcover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nShe has recently finished <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Chronicles of Ruth, Blogging Through My 80s</span></em>, a compilation of some of her blog posts.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_431\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"This book, just published in 2011, is available through Amazon.com\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-431\" title=\"ChroniclesRuth\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe photo on the cover was taken of Mother, and her daughters, my sisters, Janice and Joan, to send to her husband Charles, a marine, during World War II.\n\nM<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-433 alignleft\" title=\"LifeWing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>other has also published Life With Wings, also available on Amazon.com, another book of poetry, sermons, and recipes.\n\nAnd she is working to complete another book,<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em> 52 Sundays</em></span>, a collection of some of her best sermons, from her years as a preacher/pastor.','My Mother is AMAZING!','','inherit','open','open','','422-revision-2','','','2011-10-29 16:09:54','2011-10-29 20:09:54','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/422-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(435,2,'2011-10-29 16:19:18','2011-10-29 20:19:18','My mother is an amazing woman.  She:\n\n- was the youngest of 11 children.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_426\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"209\" caption=\"Charles and Ruth, before he left for WWII\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-426 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth1940s\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth1940s.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"334\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- lost her father at age 9.\n\n- married at age 15.\n\n- sent her husband off to World War II at the age of 20.\n\n- gave birth to seven children.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_432\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"112\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in 1950s -finished high school after having her first 2 children.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-432 \" title=\"YallComeCover_2\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/YallComeCover_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"87\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n- was a pastor’s wife for many years.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_427\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Andrew, Charles and Ruth in 1980\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-427\" title=\"AndrewDaddyMama\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AndrewDaddyMama-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- began picking up college classes in 1963, when I was in junior high.\n\n- finished college 22 years later in 1985.\n\n- lost her husband, my father, at age 62.\n\n- was asked by his last congregation, a small retirement pastorate, if she would finish out that year as their pastor.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_428\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"178\" caption=\"Ruth and Charles in the 1970s\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-428 \" title=\"Charles&amp;Ruth70\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CharlesRuth70-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"178\" height=\"240\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n- pursued a seminary degree, finishing in 3 years, while continuing to serve as pastor of that church.\n\n- served as a pastor, full-time for 3 years, before mandatory retirement.\n\n- then served as a pastor, part-time, for another 10 years.\n\n- in 2005, at age 82, began recounting her memories in a <a title=\"Ruthlace_blog\" href=\"http://www.ruthlace.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">weblog, Ruthlace.</a>\n\n- by 2011, at age 88, has written over 300 blog entries, which are read by hundreds of people around the world.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_429\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Beth, Debi, Mother, Carol, Joan and Terrell, at a Rome Area Writers booksigning for Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-429\" title=\"RAWMother\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RAWMother-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_430\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections from Georgia&#39;s Rome, published in 2008, can be ordered through Mother&#39;s blog.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-430\" title=\"RRRcover\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RRRcover-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nShe has recently finished <a title=\"Chronicles_of_Ruth\" href=\"http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-chronicles-of-ruth/18173382?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1\" target=\"_blank\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Chronicles of Ruth, Blogging Through My 80s</span></em>,</a> a compilation of some of her blog posts.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_431\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"215\" caption=\"This book, just published in 2011, is available through lulu.com or from her website, Ruthlace.\"]<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-431\" title=\"ChroniclesRuth\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChroniclesRuth-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe photo on the cover was taken of Mother, and her daughters, my sisters, Janice and Joan, to send to her husband Charles, a marine, during World War II.\n\nM<a href=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-433 alignleft\" title=\"LifeWing\" src=\"http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeWing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" /></a>other has also published <a title=\"Life_with_Wings\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Life-Wings-Ruth-Baird-Shaw/dp/0557467594/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1319915281&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Life With Wings</span>, </a>available on Amazon.com, another book of poetry, sermons, and recipes.\n\nAnd she is working to complete another book,<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em> 52 Sundays</em></span>, a collection of some of her best sermons, from her years as a preacher/pastor.','My Mother is AMAZING!','','inherit','open','open','','422-revision-3','','','2011-10-29 16:19:18','2011-10-29 20:19:18','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/2011/10/29/422-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(436,2,'2011-10-29 16:24:13','2011-10-29 20:24:13','','MotherJaniceJoan1942_2','','inherit','open','open','','motherjanicejoan1942_2','','','2011-10-29 16:24:13','2011-10-29 20:24:13','',422,'http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MotherJaniceJoan1942_2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0);
