Thankful Thursday-Happy Thanksgiving!

What am I thankful for today? There are so many things, but what comes to mind is:

-Turkey
-Dressing
-Cranberry Sauce
-Macaroni and cheese
-Green Beans
-Sweet Potatoes
-Sweet Potatoe Pie

Also, I'm thankful my husband did most of the cooking, while I've done most of the tasting this year. Let's just say we have not "officially" sat down to eat yet, but I'm already full. Oh well...gobble, gobble;)

Enjoy your turkey-day!

"The Modern Challenge to Motherhood..."

"The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge—that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other type of women: beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women. But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman--or of a godly man either, for that matter. I believe women come nearer to fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife, than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old fashioned, than to be ultra-modern. The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct."

~ Rev. Peter Marshall

I found this quote at this lovely site dedicated to encouraging women who agree that virtuous living rocks!

Help for Growing Families

Have you noticed my great new sidebar button called "Help For Growing Families"? Click on the button and you will be taken directly to Mother Hen's blog. You'll see she has started a new Mr. Linky called "Help for Growing Families".

Here's how she describes it:

"A place for more experienced moms of several children to share practical advice and helpful hints with new moms just starting out and with each other.

Almost all young (ok, all of us) moms are looking for helpful ideas to make their jobs a little easier or possible. When God sends us many gifts it can be lonely territory. And it can feel like you’re sailing in uncharted seas.
God has a plan for us though. He tells us in Titus chapter 2:3-5,

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
So, every week I’ll be hosting Help for Growing Families here at Ship full O’ Pirates.

I’ll be putting the Mr. Linky post up every Monday evening at about 9pm cst.

What kind of advice and practical help am I talking about? Anything that makes life with lots of children in one family easier or more do-able. Sometimes you just need to know how to get all that laundry done and kept in orderly fashion. (Ah, laundry, my arch nemesis!) Or how about how to feed ‘em all without goin’ broke and having to give up gasoline! Or maybe you have a good way to grocery shop with all of your children with you. Any helpful, mothers-of-several type advice. Every week, girls, just write a helpful bit of advice and link up here."

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When I read that description, I thought to myself, "Okay, now you're talkin'!" I am a mother of two with one on the way and I hope to have more. Nevertheless, as a young mom, I will be to the first admit I'm not quite sure how I'm going to pull this off. So, I will be checking out Mother Hen's advice as well as all the other seasoned moms who share link their ideas to her Mr. Linky.

Perhaps you're a young mother who hopes to have many one day or you already have many and are interested in sharing your ideas and getting more tips on how to manage your home. Take advantage of this free "real life" mama advice and let me know what you find most helpful! Enjoy!

Pregnancy Makes Your Brain Shrink?

So, after talking to a friend of mine who recently gave birth to her 6th child, I have become more interested in the effects of pregnancy on the brain. She told me that her and another friend of ours, who is a mother of 7, are both experiencing something really weird. She explained that their memory, vocabulary, and concentration have all seemed to diminish considerably after having their last babies.

Now I know for sure I don't feel as "sharp" as I usually do when I'm pregnant (this is also why I haven't written as many blog posts since I've been pregnant;) I've always attributed that "out of whack" feeling to hormones. However, now I'm wondering if its actually related to the changes that the pregnant brain undergoes.

In my research on this subject, I ran across an article entitled, "Pregnancy Makes Your Brain Shrink". The first paragraph reads,

"The brains of pregnant women appear to shrink during late pregnancy, according to research which offers an explanation for cognitive problems some women complain of before and after giving birth. The doctors at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London found that it can take up to six months for the women's brains to regain their full size."

Another article, "Placenta Brains"suggests that if you are pregnant or post-partum and have recently:

Lost your keys.
Forgotten an appointment.
Forgotten your name.
Stopped talking, you'd forgotten what you were saying.
Felt just plain fuzzy mentally.
Gotten lost driving on your own street.
Forgotten names, particularly that of your husband, children, or pets.

you may be experiencing the symptoms of this brain shrinkage!

This is quite the explanation for alot of undone work, missed appointments, and "spacing out" that I've done over the past few years, is it not? Boy, if I had gotten ahold of this information when I was working outside the home, I might have sucked this one dry! Can you imagine me apologizing to my boss, "I'm sorry for missing our meeting. I just forgot. Its the pregnancy. Yeah, in fact, my brain is shrinking right now as we speak."

Noelle's Recipe

Noelle: "Mommy, I'm using 3 cups of dirt and 3 cups of water." (as she stirs with her plastic spoon).

Me: "Really? What are you making?"

Noelle: "Ummm...pie."