My rambles

I am a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder because of reading her books as a child. Pioneer life interests me but like the modern world also.

One of the things that fascinates me most about families such as the Ingalls is when they would move someplace to "start over". They would sell what they could and only take essential items with them because wagon space was limited. Personal treasures or small family heirlooms might be taken along if kept in a small trunk but they needed room for bedding, tools, gun, clothing, cookware and provisions for the trip (for humans & horses) besides the family. Sometimes they would travel for weeks or months before settling miles or days away from other people. They had to be self sufficiant and work hard. It was a do or die situation.  They built their own home and furnished it with hand made furniture. They grew most of their food and Charles hunted or fished. On the rare trips to town Charles would get the essential items they couldn't provide for themselves from the land. There was no malls or even a Walmart so some things that they needed had to be ordered and they would wait weeks or months for.

A majority of their belongings were essential or practical, money was not wasted.

A trip that we can make in a couple hours might have taken the Ingalls weeks.

My dad's childhood was similar to the Ingalls except they didn't move around. They grew and canned their own vegetables. They raised (and slaughtered) hogs and chickens. They had a cow that provided milk for drinking and making butter, chickens for eggs. Other than a few things they couldn't grow they were self sufficient. My Dad would wake up before 5 a.m. to do his chores before breakfast and then walk 2 miles to catch the bus for school. After school he would do chores and do homework before dinner. He would walk three miles to attend church on Sunday, my grandfather was the minister. He met my mom at that church. He graduated high school in 1958 and joined the Air Force, leaving the farm life behind. Dad was the youngest of 12, 6 were born still or died shortly after birth. All born at home.

I wonder how many of us could live the way my dad was raised?

So much for my theory on Jessa

Jessa is pregnant and revealed the pregnancy today, she is due around her 1st anniversary. During Jessa's last trimester her sister Jill should be expecting her 2nd child and her sister- in -law, Anna, will be almost back in shape from her 4th pregnancy. Truthfully this family "breeds" like rabbits. There might be another little one on the way if the current courtship leads to marriage before November. You never know but this is the reality of a quiverfull wife, allowing God to decide family size. The family denies they are quiverfull but in reality they are.

I have no problem with large families as long as the parents are providing a majority of the care and the child is helping around the house occassionaly but that isn't the case with these families. Yes allowing the children to help teaches responsibility but it also denies the children the right to just be children when they are forced to raise their siblings. Their form of homeschooling also limits the children's future also, until just being a helpmeet and mother is the girls only option.

I am hoping Jessa and Ben have a healthy child, that they cherish each birth as sacred . I am hoping they choose not to exploit each moment of this pregnancy as a rating boost for 19 kids and counting. I am hoping Jessa will keep some of her "pregnancy" off  TV and remember each child is a treasure, a gift from God. I am hoping her first child is male so he will be allowed to be a child for longer than a girl would be allowed. I hope! I hope!

Is she..isn't she? Jessa Duggar

There has been some speculation lately whether or not Jessa Seewald is expecting her first child with Ben. I think she is but is choosing to remain silent at this time. Perhaps she is doing a Jessica Biel by not publically announcing her pregnancy until the impending "birth" can't be denied. She seems to enjoy privacy more so than her own family ,who would have made  the announcement on TV already.

Her own parents gained national recognition because of their extremely large family and that they continued to have children. Jessa like the older daughters became mothers to the younger Duggar kids, doing everything her own Mom should of done. If she is indeed pregnant I hope she enjoys the one on one time with her child after he/she is born.

Celebrity Pregnancy

I recently followed three celebrity pregnancies and was amazed how each was approached by the " mothers to be" and the fathers.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge was severely underweight at the beginning of her second pregnancy and suffered with hyperemesis gravidarum. Kate had Hyperemesis Gravidarum during the first trimester. like she did during her first pregnancy with Prince George. After rest she did return to some of her Royal Duties but was dubbed the laziest royal by the media. Kate's clothing was chosen to remain stylish and disguise her growing baby bump as she got bigger. She did her last Official Royal Duty on March 27th and began her Maternity Leave the next day with the press not aware of when the new heir will be born.

*Neither Kate or William gave any information away including the gender or due date.

Speculation began last fall whether or not Jessica Biel was expecting her first child with husband Justin Timberlake. Jessica's clothing was chosen to hide her stomache and she made 2-3 movies during her pregnancy and visited her husband on his tour when she wasn't as busy besides planning to open an elite children's resturaunt in Los Angeles. Her life as a hollywood actress wasn't put on hold during the pregnancy. Justin and Jessica announced the pregnancy about 6 weeks before their son's birth. Jessica's career is based on actual talent and not childbirth.

*the Timberlake family is yet to exploit their son for financial gain.

Jill Dilliard announced to the media before the urine dried on the home pregnancy test that she and her husband Derick were expecting . I guess waiting to share this personal thing was too much for Jill  considering her families reality show is based on her parents having too many children. Every week Jill was posting new pictures of her growing baby bump and announcing to the world the gender. Her son's birth will be shown on TV in a couple weeks and has been shown on multiple news outlets his first few days of life. His birth didn't go as planned but that didn't stop the Duggar family from exploiting the youngest Dilliard. During her pregnancy besides spending time with her buddy team (children), she drove her husband to and from work but nothing else.

Most likely before Israel David Dilliard is 6 months old and the urine dries another pregnancy will be announced by Jill. She has to catch up with her mom after all.

Royal Baby Watch

Years ago as a young girl I watched the "Royal Wedding" of Prince Charles and Diana, the Princess of Wales, I was enchanted. Their marriage was doomed from the start but I now know she wasn't the commoner as we were made to believe she had some Royal blood herself. The wedding itself showed every little girl that becoming a princess could happen to anyone. We loved this quiet lady, who smiled nervously and face reflected love for her prince. But Charles was made to marry a Spencer and not his true love Camilla so the adoration wasn't mutual. As a young adult Diana was in the limelight and would soon become the most photographed person on the planet. She fullfilled her "duty" to the thone by producing the heir and the spare, Prince William and Prince Harry. Diana introduced her sons to a world most royals knew nothing about and loved them immensely.

After Diana's tragic death , the young Princes were not to be hounded by the press at their schools, their schools became safe havens. While at the university Prince William met his future wife Catherine and fell in love. In 2013 Catherine and William produced the Heir, Prince George, who is third in line to the throne. Any day now the "spare" will be born. Hopefully the baby will be a "Princess" and named after her paternal grandmother Diana but that most likely won't happen since the Queen has a say in the matter more so than Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess has the love of her prince this time around.

*Bookies in the UK are betting on the gender and name of the 4th in line to the throne.