Tuesday, October 7, 2008
New Book List
After I wrote the last post, I thought it would be fun to make a list of liberty promoting books and works. I will put more as I think of them. I hope this will help me and anyone else interested in learning about the principles of liberty. Most of these I have not read, but are on my to read list. If anyone else has any suggested works you may post them in the comments and I will include them.
Opinions of Maria
As I was studying the famous speech by Patrick Henry, entitled "Give me Liberty or Give me death," I was struck by these words in the text: "...Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings. ...it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to provide for it."
This passage has inspired in me a renewal of my commitment to study the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, The Federalist Papers and all things that will help me to understand my role in this great country which has a Divine heritage.
I can not afford to be ignorant in this regard any longer. While watching conference this past weekend, I was struck by the words which President Packer spoke. He told of the first 24th of July Celebration in the Salt Lake Valley. He told of 3 important things which happenned in that celebration.
1. The young men carried the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
2. The young women carried the Bible and The Book of Mormon.
3. The older and wiser generation were honored.
It is time for me to embrace our countries great heritage, the heritage of Truth, and to study the works that our Forefathers studied, which led to the establishment of this God-given land of liberty. If I have learned one thing in the small amount of studying which I have done, it is that liberty is not free. We are going to have to fight for it as much as any generation past or it will be taken from us, just as history tells over and over again.
These are a few of the sentiments I have had as I have pondered the recent bill passed in Congress to the tune of 700 billion dollars. I feel ignorant in this matter, but everything I have read, leads me to believe that this is fundamentally wrong. Some of my reasons for believing so are as follows:
1. A problem with overextended credit can not be fixed with more overextended credit. There will be a point when we will be overextended beyond the point of no return.
2. It has never been the government's role to meddle in the free market. It is no longer a true free market when this occurs. If it were a true free market economy, the low and high times would balance each other out, and recover in a much shorter time.
3. Ezra Taft Benson in his "The Proper Role of Government" said, and I paraphrase, That the government should have no power that we as individuals do not have. (Do I have the power to take money from all American citizens, and give it to whomever I choose?) Frederick Bastiat calls this legalized plunder.
4. I believe that the majority of people in this nation are against this bill and it was still voted through. There were many other options submitted to our congress and representatives and no other solution was even considered. It was passed through way too quickly without enough deliberation.
I feel so underqualified to share my opinions on this matter. Mostly because I lack the ability to explain what I have learned. However, I would refer you to other great works and sites that have helped to lead me to these conclusions.
-"The Proper Role of Government" by Ezra Taft Benson
- The Law by Frederick Bastiat
-Whatever Happenned to Penny Candy (can't recall the name of the author, but it's a great book that teaches simple economics.)
-The Declaration of Independence
-www.gwc.edu
-www.causeofliberty.com
There are so many more, but these are the ones I can think of off hand. This is not meant to be preachy by any means but as an attempt for me to share some of the things I have learned, so they will be more deeply embedded within myself. I love this country and desire to do my tiny part in preserving it.
Oh, and by the way, Yes, I am past my due date and still no sign of baby. It is the hardest thing in the world for me to be patient, but I can't be pregnant forever and I'm definately not the first to go past the due date, but it is still hard for me, especially considering the fact that my last baby was almost 9 lbs. and she was a week early, and I am measuring pretty largish. Oh well, it will all work out. I am sending out positive affirmations for myself, so if you have any to share it will be much appreciated.
This passage has inspired in me a renewal of my commitment to study the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, The Federalist Papers and all things that will help me to understand my role in this great country which has a Divine heritage.
I can not afford to be ignorant in this regard any longer. While watching conference this past weekend, I was struck by the words which President Packer spoke. He told of the first 24th of July Celebration in the Salt Lake Valley. He told of 3 important things which happenned in that celebration.
1. The young men carried the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
2. The young women carried the Bible and The Book of Mormon.
3. The older and wiser generation were honored.
It is time for me to embrace our countries great heritage, the heritage of Truth, and to study the works that our Forefathers studied, which led to the establishment of this God-given land of liberty. If I have learned one thing in the small amount of studying which I have done, it is that liberty is not free. We are going to have to fight for it as much as any generation past or it will be taken from us, just as history tells over and over again.
These are a few of the sentiments I have had as I have pondered the recent bill passed in Congress to the tune of 700 billion dollars. I feel ignorant in this matter, but everything I have read, leads me to believe that this is fundamentally wrong. Some of my reasons for believing so are as follows:
1. A problem with overextended credit can not be fixed with more overextended credit. There will be a point when we will be overextended beyond the point of no return.
2. It has never been the government's role to meddle in the free market. It is no longer a true free market when this occurs. If it were a true free market economy, the low and high times would balance each other out, and recover in a much shorter time.
3. Ezra Taft Benson in his "The Proper Role of Government" said, and I paraphrase, That the government should have no power that we as individuals do not have. (Do I have the power to take money from all American citizens, and give it to whomever I choose?) Frederick Bastiat calls this legalized plunder.
4. I believe that the majority of people in this nation are against this bill and it was still voted through. There were many other options submitted to our congress and representatives and no other solution was even considered. It was passed through way too quickly without enough deliberation.
I feel so underqualified to share my opinions on this matter. Mostly because I lack the ability to explain what I have learned. However, I would refer you to other great works and sites that have helped to lead me to these conclusions.
-"The Proper Role of Government" by Ezra Taft Benson
- The Law by Frederick Bastiat
-Whatever Happenned to Penny Candy (can't recall the name of the author, but it's a great book that teaches simple economics.)
-The Declaration of Independence
-www.gwc.edu
-www.causeofliberty.com
There are so many more, but these are the ones I can think of off hand. This is not meant to be preachy by any means but as an attempt for me to share some of the things I have learned, so they will be more deeply embedded within myself. I love this country and desire to do my tiny part in preserving it.
Oh, and by the way, Yes, I am past my due date and still no sign of baby. It is the hardest thing in the world for me to be patient, but I can't be pregnant forever and I'm definately not the first to go past the due date, but it is still hard for me, especially considering the fact that my last baby was almost 9 lbs. and she was a week early, and I am measuring pretty largish. Oh well, it will all work out. I am sending out positive affirmations for myself, so if you have any to share it will be much appreciated.
Monday, September 29, 2008
False Alarm
Friday morning, I started feeling a little nauseous but didn't think anything of it as we had a very busy day ahead of us. I packed up all the kids and headed off to Liberty Academy. Then about an hour or so before it was time to head home in the afternoon I started feeling really nauseous and felt like I wanted to vomit. I waited for the kids to finish their last classes for the day then headed home. As soon as we got home, Elena ran to the bathroom and started throwing up. Then not 5 minutes later, McKay runs to the bathroom upstairs and throws up. Thankfully, they both made it to the toilet, so I just went and laid down because I felt terrible and to top it off I was having pretty strong contractions every 5 minutes or so. Clarence brought dinner home and I ate a little bit then went to the bathroom myself and released the contents of my stomach. I then went to take a bath to see if that would calm the contractions. As I was bathing, Alexia proceeded to throw up all over her bed, herself, and her bedroom floor. I got her into the bathtub, and Clarence and I cleaned up the mess, then we put the kids to bed. Luckily no one except myself threw up after being put to bed, and my contractions just kept getting more intense. Finally at 2 AM, I woke Clarence, asked him to take me to the hospital and called my mom and informed her that I would be bringing 3 sick children to her house. It took us an hour and a half to get everyone into the van and out of the house. After dropping the kids off at my mom's house, we went to the hospital and they checked me. Only 2 and 1/2 cm dilated, and I was so sure this was it. An hour later they checked me again and of course I was the same so they sent me home and told me I was probably just dehydrated from being sick and that could be the cause for my contractions. By this time, it was 5 AM and Clarence had to be at work at 6AM so he dropped me off at my mom's house. My poor mother took care of me and my children all day. Every time Alexia even drank a little water, She would throw up a few minutes later. This went on until about 4PM when she was finally able to keep some food down, and my contractions finally slowed down and started tapering off. I just have to say that my mother is a saint to put up with all that. Thank goodness for her. And poor Clarence looked like death when he came to pick us up that evening. We all survived however and we are still here. What a crazy weekend that I hope we never repeat.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
finally!
Wow! It has been nearly a month since I last posted anything. We have been so busy, I just have not taken the time to update anything. I will give a quick run down of what everyone has been doing.
Clarence has been working so hard, we hardly see him lately. The man never quits. He's like the energizer bunny. He has been doing many side jobs and never has a day off. He just got a promotion at work and will be working 5 days a week again. (He was working 3 - 12 hour days) so I don't think he will have as much time for side jobs anymore. He has also been finding time to play racquetball with a buddy from work atleast once a week, and go running when he can. He has lost like 20 lbs. I guess no sympathy weight gain for his pregnant wife. He has taken the family skeet shooting and out for periodic fun and treats. We are very proud of him and grateful for all he does for us.
I have been trying to keep up with everything in all of our lives. As much as I try to keep our life simple and manageable, it has not turned out to be that way lately. Between culture studies and emotional clearing on Wednesdays, Liberty Academy on Fridays, cleaning my mother-in-law's house on Thursdays, and OB checks on Tuesdays I feel that I am never home and my house cleaning has been suffering severely. We also do homeschool every morning, so my time is severely impeded. It is time to simplify. Culture Studies went great this month. It was our family's turn and we studied about Sweden. It was so much fun and we learned so many great things about Sweden. What a joy to learn about other cultures. I am glad my turn is over and now hopefully I can focus on baby boy. I have had several moments that I have thought I am in labor, and then the contractions go away. I am trying very hard to be patient. Hopefully any day now. We have finally, I think, agreed on a name, but I am not going to post it until he comes and we are sure.
The kids are doing great. They are enjoying school very much. McKay just bought a ripstick with his own money, and I am amazed at how quickly he has picked up how to ride it. A ripstick is kind of like a skateboard, but with only 2 wheels. Its kind of like going from roller skates to roller blades. You have to balance while riding. He has also been doing alot of painting and playing Empire Earth on the computer, which also explains my lack of being on the computer. Elena loves her theater class and is excited to put on a play about Snow White. She loves to play with friends in her spare time. Alexia also is loving school and playing with friends. She is pretty much Elena's shadow and loves to do whatever she does.
I have not taken any pictures in weeks because of lack of time, and because the camera is sitting in my hospital bag, because I am so afraid I will forget to bring it to the hospital. Anyhow that's our month in a nutshell. I will try to be better about posting.
Clarence has been working so hard, we hardly see him lately. The man never quits. He's like the energizer bunny. He has been doing many side jobs and never has a day off. He just got a promotion at work and will be working 5 days a week again. (He was working 3 - 12 hour days) so I don't think he will have as much time for side jobs anymore. He has also been finding time to play racquetball with a buddy from work atleast once a week, and go running when he can. He has lost like 20 lbs. I guess no sympathy weight gain for his pregnant wife. He has taken the family skeet shooting and out for periodic fun and treats. We are very proud of him and grateful for all he does for us.
I have been trying to keep up with everything in all of our lives. As much as I try to keep our life simple and manageable, it has not turned out to be that way lately. Between culture studies and emotional clearing on Wednesdays, Liberty Academy on Fridays, cleaning my mother-in-law's house on Thursdays, and OB checks on Tuesdays I feel that I am never home and my house cleaning has been suffering severely. We also do homeschool every morning, so my time is severely impeded. It is time to simplify. Culture Studies went great this month. It was our family's turn and we studied about Sweden. It was so much fun and we learned so many great things about Sweden. What a joy to learn about other cultures. I am glad my turn is over and now hopefully I can focus on baby boy. I have had several moments that I have thought I am in labor, and then the contractions go away. I am trying very hard to be patient. Hopefully any day now. We have finally, I think, agreed on a name, but I am not going to post it until he comes and we are sure.
The kids are doing great. They are enjoying school very much. McKay just bought a ripstick with his own money, and I am amazed at how quickly he has picked up how to ride it. A ripstick is kind of like a skateboard, but with only 2 wheels. Its kind of like going from roller skates to roller blades. You have to balance while riding. He has also been doing alot of painting and playing Empire Earth on the computer, which also explains my lack of being on the computer. Elena loves her theater class and is excited to put on a play about Snow White. She loves to play with friends in her spare time. Alexia also is loving school and playing with friends. She is pretty much Elena's shadow and loves to do whatever she does.
I have not taken any pictures in weeks because of lack of time, and because the camera is sitting in my hospital bag, because I am so afraid I will forget to bring it to the hospital. Anyhow that's our month in a nutshell. I will try to be better about posting.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
School time
Last Friday was the first day of Public School that my children have ever had. (Excepting McKay who did go to kindergarten and half of first grade.) A Charter school in our area created a Friday school day for homeschoolers and we decided to take part. So, every Friday my children will be going to school. They had a blast. That morning my girls woke up at 5 AM because they were so excited. They don't even do that on Christmas morning. My children are very heavy sleepers. The school day consists of various one hour classes that they sign up for and is actually totally seperate from the full time students who attend. McKay is in 5 classes. They are Math Motivation, Art, Language Arts, Basketball/Volleyball, and Technology. The math motivation class goes along with ALEKS math, which is an online virtual math program which he will be doing at home, and every Friday they will do fun math activities. He says it is a lot of fun but he loves the basketball/volleyball class the best, and he's so excited about the Technology class. Elena is taking 3 classes which consist of Art, Science Lab, and Children's Theater. She is most excited about children's theater as we have been to a few plays and she has been begging me to let her be in a play. She is extremely shy though, so we will see how it goes. Alexia is taking 2 classes this year. They are storytelling and Arts/Crafts/Math fun. The storytelling teacher is the same as the children's theater teacher and she is fabulous.
I think this will be a great experience as they will get to try many subjects, spend some time apart ( a big plus), and get someone besides mom teaching them for a change. These classes are free, because of going through the public school system, and that is great. I know I choose to homeschool, but homeschoolers still have to pay all the same taxes that public schoolers pay, yet we have to pay for everything ourselves, so it is so nice to get a few tax benefits also now and then.
We are still doing culture studies with some other families (see my first post) once a week. We are starting again Sep 3 and our first country of study will be Sweden, which my family is in charge of for the whole month of September, so hopefully baby boy will stay baking in the oven until October. My guess date is the 6th of October, and I have always delivered really close to the due date so we will see what happens. Still that's cutting it pretty close. I'm very excited about this school year and hope to be able to handle it all.
I think this will be a great experience as they will get to try many subjects, spend some time apart ( a big plus), and get someone besides mom teaching them for a change. These classes are free, because of going through the public school system, and that is great. I know I choose to homeschool, but homeschoolers still have to pay all the same taxes that public schoolers pay, yet we have to pay for everything ourselves, so it is so nice to get a few tax benefits also now and then.
We are still doing culture studies with some other families (see my first post) once a week. We are starting again Sep 3 and our first country of study will be Sweden, which my family is in charge of for the whole month of September, so hopefully baby boy will stay baking in the oven until October. My guess date is the 6th of October, and I have always delivered really close to the due date so we will see what happens. Still that's cutting it pretty close. I'm very excited about this school year and hope to be able to handle it all.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
My baby is growing up.
My baby girl, Alexia has turned 6 years old! I can not believe it. Has that much time really passed? We had a small family party for her. She had a few friends come over for cake and ice cream. I used to do a friend party every year for each of my kids but it had become a time and financial burden that I really did not want, so I decided to give them a friend party at the ages of 4, 8, 12, and 16. This is much more manageable to me. A friend gave me the idea and birthdays are much less stressful to me now, and I think as a result, more enjoyable for the kids, and more special when they do get a friend party. I did not get any pictures. The camera unfortunately was misplaced that day. My sister took some on her camera. But I don't have them yet. I don't know what it is but Alexia seems so much younger to me than Elena and McKay did at that age. Maybe that will change when baby boy comes along, which by the way, is only 8 short weeks away.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Best Friends
Today has been one of those glorious days when everyone is getting along and peaceful. Elena and Alexia have been best friends since they woke up this morning. They have played peacefully and they are being very sweet together. They just finished their chores which they helped each other with, and Elena is going to take Alexia outside for a roller blading lesson. McKay got home this morning from a Father/Sons campout and has been much too tired to do any teasing or worry about the girls. He has just been minding his own business playing computer, reading, and napping. What a glorious day! I am ready for more of these kind of days.
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