Chiseling Away Their Innocence

My mom asked if she could take our two daughters, ages 9 and 7, to the annual MCCL (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life) Banquet in town on Sunday. My husband and I readily agreed, thinking it would be a good opportunity for both of them to support a wonderful organization.

On the way to the banquet hall, I realized our 7 year old didn't know what an abortion was. The subject had come up two years ago with our older daughter, which I wrote about here. Knowing our 7 year old was about to enter a building where the topic would be discussed, my husband and I felt it was best if she heard it from us first...

I abhor, with all the passion inside of me, the look on my sweet children's faces when I tell them the horrible truth for the first time. It's this terrible, tragic, devastated look of unbelief, followed by an avalanche of questions--many of which I have no answer.



Memorial for Unborn Children, by Martin Hudáček

Our second daughter's reaction was a bit different than our first. Our first daughter was devastated, and her eyes filled with tears. Our second daughter was devastated, but she instantly began to debate the issue and tell us all the reasons why it was wrong.

As our beautiful little girl walked inside the banquet hall to learn about the millions of lives taken tragically at the choice of their mothers, I couldn't help but think we had been forced to chisel one more notch out of her innocence. And that makes me sadder than almost anything else I've experienced as a mother.

Minnesota Monday Trivia Answers (On Wednesday!)



It's another cold night in Minnesota. Right now it's 0 degrees--and that's the high for today! The temperatures are falling and later tonight it will reach -3 (with a wind chill of -24). A fluffy snow has been falling all day and it's beautiful.



Remember, it could always be worse...
Photo courtesy of Weatherman Paul Douglas Blog

I've never been much of a complainer about weather--after all, I live in Minnesota. I try* not to complain for three reasons.

1. This is Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes and 10,000 Extreme Weather Patterns. I should never have a reason to complain. Instead, I should fully expect it to be either really cold, really hot, really dry, or really humid. If it's something other than those four extremes, then I count myself blessed and I take advantage of the beautiful weather. Thankfully, in Minnesota, we have many wonderful weather days (or, we don't, and we just appreciate the few good days because of all the bad!). :)

2. I can't change the weather by complaining! I think this one is self-explanatory.

3. Whenever I hear people complaining, I think of the Israelites in the dessert for 40 years. Those people complained. A lot. And where did it get them? No where--literally. What must God think when He's blessed me with a warm house, a full belly, and a healthy family? If all I can do with my time is complain, then I've missed something. Instead of focusing on the weather, I try to focus on my blessings. I also try to see each weather pattern as a blessing. God knows what He's doing.

I giggle when I pass people in Wal Mart and hear a conversation that goes something like this:

"Hey, Phil."
"Hey, Marge."
"Boy, it's cold outside!"
"You ain't kidding."
"Nice seeing you."
"Stay warm."

I heard this conversation just the other day. I love that we tell people something they already know.

Anyway, I digress. I was going to share the answers to my Minnesota Trivia Questions from the other day. I hope you learn something new!

Minnesota is a large state, but how large is it compared to the other states?
a. Fifth largest state
b. Tenth largest state
c. Twelfth largest state
d. Twentieth largest state

The name "Minnesota" is a Dakota name, but what does it mean?
a. "Land of Sky Blue Waters"
b. "Big Water Country"
c. "Many Waters"
d. "Clear Water"

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area is called the Twin Cities and is densely populated. What percentage of the population of Minnesotans lives in the Twin Cities?
a. 30%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 60%

Minnesota is known for its extreme weather (the wind chill was -60 here last week and today it was 38 degrees!). What is the record high and low span of temperature across the state?
a. 106 °F
b. 133 °F
c. 156 °F
d. 174 °F

Minnesota ranks high in the nation for many things. Which one of these things does Minnesota NOT rank high?
a. We have some of the best roads nationwide
b. We have the highest percentage of citizens who participate in regular physical exercise
c. We're one of the highest voter turn out states
d. We have the second highest percentage of high school graduates nationwide

We're also ranked the lowest in all but one of these areas:
a. Lowest percentage of overweight and obese children in the nation
b. We're one of the lowest taxed states in the nation
c. One of the ten states with the lowest percentage of unemployment nationwide
d. Our teen pregnancy rate is the 8th lowest in the nation

Your Turn: What do people complain about the most where you live? I have a feeling it's probably weather! :)

*I try not to complain, but inevitably I slip up. When I do, I remind myself it could be much worse...and I think about Spring and Summer. That usually helps me put things back into perspective.

A Conversation to Remember

It all started when my second daughter (age 7) came running into the kitchen in tears.

"She told me I'm fat!" My daughter wailed, her face red from tears and pain.

"Who told you you're fat?"

"My sister!" She cried even harder.

My oldest daughter (age 9) ran into the kitchen a second later. "She told me I'm fat first--"

"Stop!" I said, holding up my hand. I took both their hands in mine and I led them to the dining room. I pulled three chairs out and put them in a triangle--the whole time praying for wisdom from God.

"I want both of you to sit down and I want to tell you something very true and very, very sad."

The tears instantly stopped as I gained their attention.

The entire time I was praying, not quite sure where this conversation was going, but I knew God had a message for my little girls...and for me.

"When God created life, do you know what He made last?"

They shook their heads.

"Eve. As his very last act of Creation, before He rested, He created a woman."

Both of my girls stared at me.

"And when Satan came to the Garden to put into motion the fall of mankind, who did he go to?"

"Eve," they said in unison.

"Yes, Eve. God created Eve last, and I've always believed He saved the best for last. God loves women. He calls the whole body of believers His bride. He chose a woman to bring Jesus into the world. Women are very, very special to God. And that's exactly why Satan went to Eve in the Garden, he knew she was especially important to God. And from that day, when sin entered the world, until this day when you two called each other fat, Satan has been working at destroying women. One of the craftiest ways he does this is by making women believe they are ugly, fat, stupid, worthless, and on and on."

"We can fight him back by calling him those names too!" My oldest said very seriously as she punched the air with her fist.

I shook my head. "No, we can fight him back by never making a woman believe any of those things are true. We can fight him back by building up our sister and telling her she's beautiful and perfect exactly how she is. It's our job to tell other women how wonderful they are, but more importantly, to tell yourself how beautiful you are."

My girls looked at me and I stared straight into each of their faces, one at a time. "You are beautiful and perfect exactly how God made you." I said to both of them. "I don't want you to ever forget this conversation for the rest of your life. I want you to remember where we were sitting and what I've said, because it's one of the most important things you'll ever learn. You are very special to God."

I hugged each of my girls and then asked them to apologize to each other. My oldest jumped up and went back to her room, but my second daughter, the one who had been in tears just moments before, looked at me with her beautiful green eyes and said: "Just today, when I was taking a spelling test at school, I told myself I'm tall and beautiful."

I pulled her to my side and nodded. "Keep reminding yourself of that every single day, and don't let anyone else ever tell you different."

After the girls were both gone, I thanked God for this special conversation and I pray, with all my heart, that my girls will never forget what I said.

Your Turn: Do you remember an important conversation you had with your mom? If you could tell all the little girls in the world one thing, what would it be?

Minnesota Monday Trivia

One of my favorite Minnesota posts was a set of trivia questions I posted here. This state of mine is a wonderful place to live--but with all the cold and snow, I know a lot of people sometimes wonder why we do. To be honest, in the coldest times of the winter, I often ask myself the same question. :) But then Spring, Summer, and Fall come around and I have no question in my mind. Minnesota has some of the prettiest landscape, the most diverse seasons, and the nicest people.

On this (warmer) Minnesota Monday, I thought it would be fun to have another trivia contest! Share your answers below (no googling!) and I'll give the correct answers next Monday.

Minnesota is a large state, but how large is it compared to the other states?
a. Fifth largest state
b. Tenth largest state
c. Twelfth largest state
d. Twentieth largest state

The name "Minnesota" is a Dakota name, but what does it mean?
a. "Land of Sky Blue Waters"
b. "Big Water Country"
c. "Many Waters"
d. "Clear Water"

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area is called the Twin Cities and is densely populated. What percentage of the population of Minnesotans lives in the Twin Cities?
a. 30%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 60%

Minnesota is known for its extreme weather (the wind chill was -60 here last week and today it was 38 degrees!). What is the record high and low span of temperature across the state?
a. 106 °F
b. 133 °F
c. 156 °F
d. 174 °F

Minnesota ranks high in the nation for many things. Which one of these things does Minnesota NOT rank high?
a. We have some of the best roads nationwide
b. We have the highest percentage of citizens who participate in regular physical exercise
c. We're one of the highest voter turn out states
d. We have the second highest percentage of high school graduates nationwide

We're also ranked the lowest in all but one of these areas:
a. Lowest percentage of overweight and obese children in the nation
b. We're one of the lowest taxed states in the nation
c. One of the ten states with the lowest percentage of unemployment nationwide
d. Our teen pregnancy rate is the 8th lowest in the nation

So, what do you think? I'll share the correct answers next Monday.

Healthy Changes

Over the past few months I've transformed our family's diet. For years I've wanted to make a change, but it takes a lot of willpower and determination to make it happen--and sadly, I didn't have either. I also had a ton of excuses. It's too expensive, it's too time consuming, it's too confusing...and on and on.

I recently read a devotional on the Proverbs 31 Ministries website about the God moment that changes everything--the moment when you're woken up and you immediately jump out of the bed you've made and change it. For me, the bed I made, and that my entire family was sleeping in, was poor eating habits.

We weren't terrible eaters--we just weren't good eaters. I was being lazy. I made meals that were "quick & easy" like frozen pizzas, lots of canned and boxed foods, and processed, processed, processed. We went out to eat far too often, and we snacked on ready-made foods. A lot.

But the alarm clock went off and I jumped out of that bed as fast as I could.

What was the alarm? My health.

I've been dealing with some health issues for the past nine years. I've seen at least half a dozen doctors and I've had a plethora of tests, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I eventually stopped looking for the answer and just dealt with the symptoms by ignoring them. Every time the alarm went off, I just hit the snooze button and kept sleeping.

But the alarm clack went off again in September--and this time I couldn't ignore it. The symptoms didn't go away when I hit snooze this time.

I went back to my doctor and she referred me to a specialist...who referred me to another specialist. At this point, I still don't have any answers, but I do have a new direction.

It's called a lifestyle change.

I spoke with a nutritional doctor and have learned a lot about the consequences of the Standard American Diet, better known for its acronym SAD. Over the past three months I've recognized the hazards of poor eating habits, and I've made a dramatic change in the way we eat.

I've taken sugar out of our diets 100%*. Seriously. It was really hard in the first couple of weeks (especially over the holidays!), but we've all adapted and I've discovered some great recipes for healthy alternatives (like a smoothie made from avocados that my children call "ice cream"!). My children actually call fruit a "treat" now! You have no idea what kind of an improvement this is.

I now make meals from scratch--scratch I tell you! When you don't eat sugar, you'd be surprised at what you can, and cannot, pull off the shelves at the grocery store. I've learned how to use Stevia and Xylitol as our sweetners of choice.

We now eat two vegetables with supper (and very little starches like potatoes and pastas). I've actually cooked veggies I couldn't even pronounce before--and we like them! It's amazing how many great recipes you can find to heighten the natural flavors of God's creation.

I buy organic as often as possible. There's a helpful list called The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen that tells you which fruits and veggies you should buy organic (based on their pesticide levels) and which ones are "safer" to buy non-organic.

I also try to buy non-GMO products whenever I can. Visit this website to learn more. I always look for this seal when buying my food:

We've also started buying healthier meats. Last month we purchased half of a grass-fed cow (for about $4 less a pound than we would have paid for the same amount of meat in a grocery store) and I now buy organic, free range chickens and eggs.

I could go on and on about the changes we've made (like the fact that we now use coconut oil, flaxseeds, and almond milk), but that's not the point of this post. My greatest desire is for my children to learn how to eat healthy and take care of their bodies. I don't want a rude wake-up call for them someday. I know I can't prevent everything, but science has proven over and over that we can prevent many diseases with our diets. I've read some statistics that suggest we can prevent 87-95% of modern diseases with healthy lifestyle choices.

This change is hard--but when you don't feel good, you find the willpower and determination to say no to unhealthy choices. When you look at your children and know that you're making a positive change in their lives, you can do almost anything.

I no longer have any excuses. The money we spent to go out to eat before (we used to eat out several times a week, now we eat out about once a month) is now used to buy organic foods. It is a bit more time consuming to eat this way, but I've learned how to reduce time and stress by being prepared in advance. And I've taken things a step at a time, so it's not as confusing as I thought it would be. Next Friday I'll share some tips I've learned to make the transition smoother.

I have been feeling better, little by little. Each time I eat, I know I'm taking a healthy step in the right direction. If I could have my wish, I'd wish that everyone would wake up before their personal alarm goes off.

Your Turn: Are you a healthy eater? What prevents you from changing? If you are a healthy eater, what made you change? Do you have any advice?

*I should clarify that we do allow for special occasions. The kids have enjoyed birthday cake at friends' parties, a sweet or two over the holidays, and a little soda pop to ring in the new year. It's now legitimately a "treat" for our family.

Way Back When-sday: 1927

I'm deep in research for my next novel. It's set in the summer of 1927 and I'm having a blast learning more about this dynamic decade.

The word that best describe the 1920's to me is change. After World War I, society changed overnight. The confines of culture fell away and freedom reigned. Women cut off their hair, shortened their dresses, and took off their corsets. Electrical appliance transformed the domestic life and lightened the load on the house wife. Hollywood began to transform the nation through motion pictures. Technology made it possible to spread news across the globe in a matter of minutes. Continents were connected through aviation. And women finally had the right to vote.

Ironically, in this time of freedom and relief from the confines of societal pressures, prohibition held fast. But the very law that made alcohol illegal, also made crime and corruption rampant.

As I research our local daily newspaper in the summer of 1927, many interesting tidbits of life jump out at me.

1. Aviation Ruled. On May 21st, 1927, a small airplane, carrying a young, unknown man from Minnesota, landed in Le Bourget, France, just 33 1/2 hours after it left New York. Charles A. Lindbergh instantly became the most famous man in the world. Six men died attempting the same flight in the weeks before Lindbergh successfully flew the Atlantic. The world held its breath until he landed safely, and then he became the first Super Star in history. The cameras loved this handsome Midwesterner. He captivated the world with his good looks and his daring accomplishment.

But one town on the planet was especially proud:. Little Falls, Minnesota, Lindy's hometown.

Photo courtesy of the Morrison County Historical Society

The reason I'm doing this research is because Little Falls is also my hometown, and my next story is set here in the summer of '27. Our little, inconspicuous town was now talked about in the New York Times and known around the world. Can you imagine?

He came home in August of 1927 on his Goodwill Tour. Between July 1927 and October 1927 he flew to all 48 states in the Union, and it's estimated that 1 in every 4 Americans went out to see him on the tour. Our town put on quite a celebration in honor of Lindbergh! And that's where I'm placing my hero and heroine--right in the midst of it all.

Every day, without fail, our local newspaper covered an aviation story. After Lindbergh made his trans-Atlantic flight, others followed in his footsteps. Flights were made from California to Hawaii, New York to Paris, across the United States, and on and on. One editor put it quite well:

Photo courtesy of the Morrison County Historical Society

2. Beauty Pageants Enthralled. One of the other interesting items I'm noticing in the newspaper is the sheer volume of beauty pageants and contests held in the 1920s. The daily paper has pictures of women from all across the US winning different pageants and contests. It's an interesting cultural element that I'll be studying more.

3. Hollywood Influenced. I'm amazed at how much the daily newspaper mentioned Hollywood--and not all of it was good. One of the main themes I've noticed, especially in the editorial pieces, is the influence Hollywood had on divorce. It seems that one divorce or another is mentioned almost every day. The editor makes many comments on how flippant actors and actresses were about marriage. It seems some things never change...

Photo courtesy of the Morrison
County Historical Society

Many other fun things were going on in the summer of 1927. President Coolidge was visiting the Black Hill of South Dakota, a young maid in a wealthy mansion in Canada fell in love with the heir and was having a grand wedding in the "wilderness," women were beginning to challenge the protocol for courting (by pursuing men!), and motoring on the weekends was becoming a popular past time.

1927 is a fun year to research and I can't wait to weave this information into the fabric of my story.

Your Turn: What word would you use to describe the 1920s? What intrigues you about this decade?

Minnesota Monday: Baby It's Cold Outside!

Today is my first day back on the blog in quite a while! And the occasion is being marked by historically low temperatures across the state of Minnesota. The National Weather Service is predicting the wind chill to reach -60 degrees! The coldest it's been in Minnesota since 1996. It's so cold, Governor Dayton has cancelled all public schools for Monday. He's the second governor of Minnesota to cancel schools across the state. One of our previous governors, Arne Carlson, cancelled school three times during his terms in office (Jan. 18, 1994, Feb. 2, 1996, and Jan. 16, 1997).

As I write this on Sunday night, the temperature has already begun to fall and we have all our heating devises roaring. The furnace has been running almost non-stop, the gas fireplace is blazing next to me, our wood fireplace is burning in the basement, and our electric space heater is blowing in the living room. Thankfully our house holds heat very well--but it's still a bit chilly in here.

Our family won't be leaving the house tomorrow. We've already stocked up on groceries and planned a day of playing games, watching movies, and folding laundry. Our oldest daughter is homeschooled, so a cancelled school day doesn't mean much to her. Although, since we follow the school calendar, and our second daughter will be home from school, we've decided to cancel our schoolwork tomorrow, as well.

In other news, I've started plotting my next story!! This will be my third story and I'm amazed at how different it feels to be plotting this time around. I've learned a great deal about writing over the past two years and I'm starting to feel much more confident as I walk into book three. My characters are taking shape right before my eyes, and my plot elements are falling into place. I know it will change a great deal as I actually start to write, but that's what makes it so much fun.

For me, writing is such an intimate journey. It's just me and God as we tell a story. Someday I hope thousands of others will read it, but for now, it's just the two of us.

As my characters start "talking" to me, I realize there are bits and pieces of me in each one of them. I'm always awed when God prompts me to put a bit of my heart and soul into my hero and heroine. It's a beautiful time of communion and worship with my Lord. God meets me on the page and teaches me more about Him...and myself.

I'll be sharing more about my story on Way Back When-sday's Blog Post! It's set in 1927, an era I'm not as familiar with, but one I'm learning to appreciate for all it's drama and gaiety.

Your Turn: What is the weather like where you live (this is not a question for Lindsay Harrel to answer...)? If you're a writer, where are you at in your WIP? If you're a reader, what book are you enjoying on this cold Winter day?