Hey!

It's been a long time... I was just checking in because I've got a friend in Baltimore, MD who is looking to have a homebirth but is having a really hard time finding a midwife to do that. Does anyone know of anybody?

Thanks so much and I hope you're all doing well!

I thought this article was pretty interesting:

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/dec/sleeping-like-a-hunter-gatherer

for those of us who commonly suffer from issues around sleep.

How To Sleep Like a Hunter-Gatherer
Not all people sleep in "giant sleep machines," like we do.
published online January 2, 2008
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I hate that I labeled this post as for hippy-ish parents - but I didn't want to title to be incredibly long -

I found this great parenting resource for people who are interested in meditating and kind of getting in touch with more of an inner power... It's Scott Noelle's site, The Daily Groove.

Thank you so much for all that you have done for us. Thank you for doing the hardest work to find the kindness and love in yourself that showed us how to change. Thank you for being my hero.

Today, on your birthday, I want to re-establish my commitment to using love, compassion and kindness as a vehicle for change.

For anyone in Portland - there is an event to celebrate him tonight:

May the 'Powers that Be' remove all negativity and unwanted energy from this space and restore peace and balance.

So, I have been talking with family members for the last month or so about Obama's call to service - and everyone in my family is really making an effort to start doing more work for this country - most of it in the form of volunteer work in areas that they feel they can really help. How about the Hip Mama's? Have any of you started investing time in other areas to try and answer this call?

For myself, these are the places that I feel I can help:

I just wanted to post this great project here (because some of the blogs prompted me to think about it again).

It's The Adipositivity Project and there are some pretty amazing photos there that have the goal of promoting size acceptance through these photos (making larger women SEEN, which is not done very often in our society).

Since my IUD didn't work out and I have problems with taking hormones, my midwife suggested that I use the "timing method." She's used this for 9 years and found it to be highly successful. When I started asking around school, it seems that most of the female students have been using this method with success, and when I was at Planned Parenthood and told them that I didn't want another IUD and that hormones don't work for me, the nurse practitioner said that this method works wonderfully when it's done correctly.

Damn - I know it's only 10am (on the West coast over here), but can't we get a clue???? I am so on edge to find out who is going to win this.
Does anybody know anything?

So, I haven't had time to be around very much. The second year of my program (Chinese medicine) is supposedly the worse, and I guess I can agree with that (though I haven't experienced the 3rd and 4th years yet). I've been having sort of a rough go of it, and I don't know exactly what's going on, but I know a little.

By Josh Richman
Oakland Tribune

SAN FRANCISCO — The financial-markets bailout bill that the House rejected Monday should be "scrapped forever" and replaced with mortgage aid for struggling homeowners and prosecution of Wall Street robber barons, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader said Tuesday.

My pa forwarded this to me today. It's pretty unbelievable what 85 billion dollars could do. It sure has a lot more meaning to me when it gets put like this:

"Not my idea - someone forwarded this to me. But - certainly sounds like a good idea to me!

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout ofAIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

What the fuck? Have you all seen this video yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888dVNWCVEk

Goddammit. I am starting to hate America and I am so sick of this spiteful, racist, hateful bullshit. What the hell is wrong with us? As people - where have our hearts gone that we can't see past this clearly racist - so racist that it is cliche - crap?

I wish I had more time to rant about this, but I have to go to school.

From http://www.feministing.com/archives/008226.html

Who needs credit cards when you have a junior vagina?

"Reader Scarlett saw these oh-so-charming panties in the junior department of her local Wal-Mart on Kildare Farms Road in Cary, NC. There's nothing quite like telling adolescent girls that they don't need to worry about finances since they have their very own moneypot between their legs."

And of course, the newest:
http://www.feministing.com/archives/011011.html

So, we are taking ds to see his grandma in Minneapolis this weekend. We're taking the train because:
1) We don't want to add to the whole global warming problem by flying on a plane,
2) I am scared to fly on planes,
3) We thought it would be beautiful to see the country, without all the pain of driving and this way ds can wander around,
and so we're pretty excited.

Blah.
So, I've been working on this coat, by Michele Rose Orne:

The skirt of the coat, where most of the lace work is, is split into two sections. I spent the last 2 and 1/2 weeks on one of those sections and am almost finished.

And, here is the big lesson learned. You know when they say to order all the yarn you need for your project? Yeah, good idea to do it.

From: http://www.feministing.com/archives/010220.html

""This one is a doozy. Via RH Reality Check, we find that the American Pregnancy Association is not only linked to crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), but was originally one itself. Heather Corinna of Scarleteen did the research:

Have you checked out the "Strumming the Banjo" post on feministing?

This is just the video, but just click on the link above for their text.

I was reading this article by Sandra Kobrin today, and I thought I would share:

"Run Date: 07/30/08
By Sandra Kobrin
WeNews commentator

After spending too much time worrying about Christie Brinkley's divorce and the fight at a WNBA basketball game, Sandra Kobrin confesses she needs help getting back to what's really going on. She needs an escape from escapism.

Editor's Note: The following is a commentary. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Women's eNews.

Sandra Kobrin

Overpopulation was mentioned in another blog here - and this is something that I'm always interested in discussing, so I wanted to see what other mamas opinions here were.

For anybody who is a member of
ravelry.com

There is a hip mama group there now!

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/hipmama-knitters

Other than fraking around like that, I am just chilling, reading House of Leaves, but about to go watch an episode of Buffy and work on the jacket I'm trying to make for myself in forest green (I'm about 2 inches in):

Last night, I watched a beautiful and strong woman push out a beautiful and strong little baby girl.
For this wonderful privilege, I gladly cleaned up blood and shit, did lots of laundry and mopped floors. I went over to the house today to volunteer for more cleaning and cooking, for somehow, inside, I feel like I would do anything to say thank you.

Hey --
I want to get some movie soundtracks. What do you like? I love the soundtrack to Juno and Almost Famous and I'm trying to think of more, but I'm bogged down right now. Anyway, they are easy to put on hold at the library, so I'd like to get some more...

Suggestions?

I know that we don't get accurate world news, but I've noticed that most people don't know what's going on locally, in their own communities either. It's so hard to figure out what my city is doing, where all the farmers markets are, what changes are being implemented in my neighborhood and my city, where to find local shops, etc... and we only have so much time.

I also know there are a shitload of crappy corporations out there, and too much non-food on our shelves, and all other sorts of things for us to worry about, as women, mamas and people.