Posts by Sara Annie

67

Breastfeeding

by Country Girl in

when my son was first born, my husband did not want me to breastfeed.

he said he would be embarassed, although i was all hip on doing it.

unfortunately, i just caved in and fed my son a bottle.

Sara Annie

On another note, I was on a beach in Panama and saw a woman breast feeding her four year old...enough's enough...give the kid a glass of milk already.

*laughing* Yes, I agree totally--there comes a time when breast feeding stops being about the needs of the child and becomes almost solely about the wishes of the mother. When there is no longer a clear nutritional benefit that can't be met with regular foods, and a child is old enough to ask to breast feed in a comlpete sentence, it's time to let go.

(edited because I can't spell worth a damn lately...)

67

Breastfeeding

by Country Girl in

when my son was first born, my husband did not want me to breastfeed.

he said he would be embarassed, although i was all hip on doing it.

unfortunately, i just caved in and fed my son a bottle.

Sara Annie

Maybe a breastfeeding mother considers that she's entitled to act like a normal human being and feed her child in a comfortable fashion in public, especially since she's paying the same as everyone else.

I absolutely agree with this statement. I do not, however, agree that her comfort--or the comfort of her child--is affected in the least by showing a modicum of discretion. A light blanket or a nursing blouse that allows everyone in the room to remain comfortable with the situation is not a hardship or an inconvenience to anyone. Those in the restaurant who are uncomfortable seeing a bare breast hanging out with a baby attached to it, for whatever reason, have just as much right to a comfortable environment in which to enjoy their surroundings since they have paid the same amount as everyone else as well.

The problem with fanatics, in any situation, is that they declare that what they wish and desire is the only proper course of action and everyone else is just going to have to 'deal with it'. That's a vulgar, ridiculous attitude in any situation. Again, I state the obvious: When you can alter your behavior so as not to make people uncomfortable, and it costs you nothing to do so, then do it.

And let's not forget we need to ban changing babies in public, as if a bare breast does that to people, lord only knows what a baby's bits being flashed in public would lead to.

This is a totally separate issue having nothing to do with a baby's 'bits' being flashed, but with the fact that I don't need the woman in the next booth exposing a pile of feces or a urined soaked diaper into the environment where I am having dinner. (this actually happened to my husband and I one day when we were out for our anniversary, the couple in the next booth brought their baby--nothing like a good strong whiff of formula poop mixed with baby wipes to make enjoying my expensive meal even more memorable) I would never have dreamed of changing my children in an inappropriate place. I agree that children shouldn't have to eat in a restroom, but I absolutely think they should be changed there.

67

Breastfeeding

by Country Girl in

when my son was first born, my husband did not want me to breastfeed.

he said he would be embarassed, although i was all hip on doing it.

unfortunately, i just caved in and fed my son a bottle.

Sara Annie

I think the point is that, like in all things, you need to know your audience. If you are aware that someone may be uncomfortable with your behavior, and it costs you nothing to alter it, do so. There's nothing to be gained by making someone upset over something that is as unimportant is whether you cover a breast during a feeding.

As a mother who breast-fed both of my children, I fed them when they were hungry. If the situation allowed me to let it all hang out and get on with it, I did so. If it seemed more prudent to lend a little cover to the situation, I did so. To purposely do something that makes someone uncomfortable (again, when altering your behavior is not problematic to anything but your sensibilities) strikes me as rudeness for the sake of rudeness.

67

Breastfeeding

by Country Girl in

when my son was first born, my husband did not want me to breastfeed.

he said he would be embarassed, although i was all hip on doing it.

unfortunately, i just caved in and fed my son a bottle.

Sara Annie

There was a great Annie's Mailbox letter on this very subject the other day, and I agreed 100%with the advice given to the reader:

Dear Annie: I read the letter in The Charlotte, N.C., Observer from "Denver Aunt," who attended a baby shower and was offended that the mother and some of the other guests displayed their breasts while feeding their babies.

The hungry baby is a guest at the party, too. Its physical comfort is more important than the psychological hangups of some old biddy. Would you cover your head with a blanket while you ate? Why should I hide when I breastfeed my baby? It is not shameful. It is natural and healthy. That's the reason we have breasts. If it makes anybody uncomfortable, they can put a blanket on their own head. -- R.B.

Dear R.B.: We expected to hear from the Militant Mommy Brigade, and we weren't disappointed. Let's get a few things straight. No one is debating the importance of breastfeeding or the occasional need to do it in a public place. We are all in favor of that. The problem is displaying one's breasts while doing so. Like it or not, in our culture, female breasts serve more than one function, and exposing them is considered exhibitionism.

There are other natural, even beautiful, functions that we do not do in public. Hungry babies don't have a preference for dining al fresco. With all the wonderful tops available for nursing mothers, it is easy to be discreet.

Demonstrating consideration for the sensitivities of others is something every mother should want to teach her child. Our advice stands.

90

What Is The Stupidest Rule You've Encountered As a Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

one rule that i never could understand is that if you were studying with an unbelieving husband, you could associate with him, even as couples, but if a person was considered a "weak" witness, it was best to avoid any association until that person changed......what dumb rule or belief comes to your mind??

?

Sara Annie

(can anyone spell E M B A R R A S S I N G???

As to the topic at hand, my gut instinct is to weigh in with the total lack of recognition of the hypocrisy inherent in many JW teachings, but there are too many to list---I suppose they could all be summed up in the school of thought that says it's OK (and necessary) to question your non-JW religious views and hold them to scrutiny to determine their truth, but then discourages any similar scrutiny to witness doctrine as heresy.

26

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

by dh in

jw
friends

the topic here is made up words, can you think of any good ones... .

keep the faith, .

dh'

Sara Annie

My favorite $10 word is:

Penumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - A lung disease, common to coal miners, that develops as a result of excessive inhalation of underground fumes and particulate matter.

My Dad gave me this word as 1st grader to use in our "longest word" challenge, and I've always remembered it.

19

Should cannibalism be allowed? What do you think?

by Kenneson in

jw
friends

the following article appeared in the jan. 25, 2004 sunday visitor.

please read and add your comments.. "sins of the flesh: consenting adults".

"the libertarian argument that 'what goes on behind closed doors between consenting adults is no one else's business'--a line used to justify everything from sodomy to pornography to artificial contraception--is being put to the test in a courtroom in the german capital of berlin.. "it seems that armin meiwes, 42, a computer geek from rotenburg, had a fantasy for cannibalism.

Sara Annie

What about the case of the Dahmer party in the 1800s, who were cut off from the pass into California by a winter storm? Some survived by eating those who died.

It was the Donner party that you're referring to, I believe. Though I suppose you could say that JeffreyDahmer had a party of his own for a while that may have included bit of cannibalism if I remember correctly...

There was a previous thread about this subject, I believe, it's an interesting situation to be sure. Personally, I believe that just because the man wanted to die and be eaten is no reason to absolve the person doing the killing and eating of a crime. Wow. That's a sentence that I could nevver have foreseen myself writing one day!

40

Girl Scout Cookies are the Work of the Devil

by Xena in

jw
friends

.

seriously, they masquerade as angels of light, with their dark chocolate minty taste (my personal satan being the thin mint ones) but in reality they are little fiendish wafers of fat and carbohydrates waiting to attack the weak defences of your tastebuds so they can defile the temple of your flesh.

i think i need an exorcism....or another box of cookies *sigh*

Sara Annie

How in the world can you keep them in the house ALL YEAR? The fruitages of the spirit, namely self-control, are strong in your household!!!

Xena-they freeze remarkably well--and since the majority that we buy are thin mints, it's my husband's stellar self control that keeps him on a strict rationing schedule so that he doesn't run out. He uses them to make other thin-mint concoctions--my favorite is when he mixes them into vanilla custard in the ice cream machine in the summer and makes brownie hot fudge sundaes with the resulting heavenly mixture for the annual fourth of July post-parade, pre-fireworks extravaganza. He used them one time as the main ingredient in the crust of a chocolate cheesecake--it was darn good too. I guess when you're an addict, you have to come up with new ways to get your fix!

40

Girl Scout Cookies are the Work of the Devil

by Xena in

jw
friends

.

seriously, they masquerade as angels of light, with their dark chocolate minty taste (my personal satan being the thin mint ones) but in reality they are little fiendish wafers of fat and carbohydrates waiting to attack the weak defences of your tastebuds so they can defile the temple of your flesh.

i think i need an exorcism....or another box of cookies *sigh*

Sara Annie

My father always taught me to buy anything from a child where the money benefits a good cause. Consequently, I purchase at least 1 box from any girl scout that approaches me this time of year. My husband does the same when he's approached, so we end up with cookies to last all year round!

My husband is a big thin-mint fan, my son loves the peanut butter patties, my daughter is old enough this year to try them, and I'm partial to the shortbread. I will forever mourn the loss of the all time tastiest of the GS cookies, the Scot-Tea (or however it was spelled, they've been gone for years and I sill miss them!).

118

What do you collect?

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

besides dust?

what do you collect?

heather

Sara Annie

I love snow globes though I don't have any myself. I even enjoy looking at the animated snowglobe gifs you can find on line at this time of year. How many do you have and how do you display them?

I have 300 and change in total, but as for the ones I have permanently on display, those number about 150. I display them in a lighted curio hutch that we had built into the back wall of the basement when we built our house. People who don't know about my collection react with surprise and laughter when they see it for the first time, and are always curious about the history of the pieces and the stories that accompany them (well, I think they're interested, they might just be smiling and not making any sudden moves for fear that the crazy snowdome lady might hurt them if they mock her). I have some that fit all my criteria dating back to the late 1920's that are fabulous, I have a wonderful pair of 60's snowglobe salt and pepper shakers from DC that remain one of my favorite acquisitions, and a new (to me) Niagara Falls early 80's dome with a pencil sharpener glued into the base (with the original price tag on it-$1.85!). Every so often I go downstairs and pull them out and shake them just for the fun of it. I'm sure my children, when they are older, will either arm wrestle eachother to see who gets the collection, or they'll arm-wrestle to see who has to take it when I'm gone.

As to my husband's Jesus collection, the figurines he has of children playing sports with Jesus are from the collection you mentioned in your post. We saw Conan's parodies of them one night--they were very funny!