Urban Homesteader Mama

I did it :) Today I helped my friend slaughter her backyard flock. 5 chickens, 4 hours, 2 fussy babies & 2 rockin' mamas! It was not as bad as I thought it might be. The first bird suffered for our complete city slicker ignorance as we didn't get the throat cut in the most effective way, but after that it went pretty smoothly. It was a lot of labor, that's for sure! And I am glad we did it on a cold day so we didn't need to worry too much about bacteria growth. Anyway, earlier I posted on how domestic I felt. Now I feel like some sort of macho urban pioneer or something (although any real pioneer would have laughed their heads off at how stupid we were bungling that first kill. Or plucking. Or how we never could quite figure out how to eviscerate the bird without splitting the breast.)

Maybe I can do this whole urban homesteading thing ;)

Tomorrow...

is a National Day of prayer for the Creation. Join me :)

Mothering...

The more I mother; the more I meet children raised by vastly different styles of parenting, the more I firmly believe that there's a short list of things we can do that will truly harm our children. And crying your baby out, bottle feeding, crib sleeping, or conversely cosleeping, child-led weaning, and carrying your baby attached to your body are not on that list. I'm sick of the strange, catty judgment that we inflict upon each other as mothers. It's sickening. And it's stupid. We all make mistakes and we will all hurt our children. But what we can do is to look at our children and connect with them and love them.

that's my rant for the night ;)

I couln't say it better...

I know a lot of posts have been related to birth activism recently, but I feel pretty strongly about this stuff! Here is a great article from the LA times questioning the motives behind the absolute refusal to look evidence in the face by the AMA and ACOG. So, since she says it better than I can, I'll just leave you all the link!

Christian Anarchism

It sounds like an oxymoron. How can one be subject to God as ruler but be without a ruler? Maybe the more correct term is Christarchy? At any rate, I find myself strangely drawn to this end of the spectrum. More and more I find myself being pulled towards a radical way of life. Everyone said having kids would change (everything about) you but I didn't quite expect much of the changes that have happened in the past 2 1/2 years. But in some ways it makes sense, too. I've found my faith to grow and be challenged in dramatically new ways since my son’s birth. Christ’s love is about as radical as you can get so as I try to be more faithful and accurate in my walk, it makes sense that I would get pulled towards a more radical way of life. If I say I believe these things (you know, that Christ loves all sinners, especially the ones society has pushed to the side as “ugly”) then how can I not act on that?

I’m pretty sick of the whole Christian=Republican (or non-thinking, sheep who has his head buried in the sand where the entire rest of the world is concerned). And I’m pretty sickened by a lot of the American church’s approach to, well, just about everything. Christ was a pretty subversive radical himself (with that whole, “Christ is Lord” thing that was in fact treasonous). So as I navigate my way through this year’s politics, I find myself leaning more and more towards doing things that my grandparents (and parents?) might abhor. Like, not voting at all but declaring it a day of prayer and fasting? I’m not sure exactly where this will land me. I guess it’s a journey and journeys always take a little time.

The funny thing is, I don’t think I look very radical at all. I don’t think anyone would pick me out of a crowd and say, “That one, there. She’s a little too non-conformist. She’s a little too radical! (or radical at all?) Take her out!” (That was supposed to be read in your best DeNiro from the Scorcese days!)

I guess it all comes down to I’m trying to live out my understanding of Christianity in the most consistent and loving way possible. And to me, that seems like a pretty radical thing. Maybe one day I’ll have the dreadlocks and street clothes to go along with it?

I’m rambling because I believe my brain is I being sucked out along with my milk (feeding an increasingly fat 3 mos old!). So, for a more coherent read on Christian anarchy, please follow some of the links below.

Jesus Radicals
prophetic heretic

A good read

This is an open letter to ACOG (American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology) by one of it's members. I love that he is calling them to account for the radical and drastic statements they've been making with regards to maternal care during birth in the past few years. This letter specificly speaks about the ramifications of their statement on vaginal births after ceasareans (VBAC's) and their statement regarding out-of-hospital births. I've always been baffled about ACOG's statements because the evidence out there seems to blatantly contradict their positions. It's nice to know that it's not just my un-medically trained mind that is baffled but in fact even one of their own! Now, if only ACOG had the ears to hear.

Wahoooooo!!!!!!!!

Midwifery is legal in Missouri!

I'm still kind of reeling from shock and disbelief but it seems like it's finally happened! Check it out :)