Hear me Roar!

Today. I am ranting. And raving.

 Probably not exclusively, but that's how we're starting this off.

About what you ask?

Pinterest. Soooo many things that drive me nuts about that confounded website.

1. And I think that there needs to be a law, or something to fix this. At least I really wish that my antivirus and junk would take care of this. Today it happened again and it really just ticked me off. Several times, and I know I'm not alone, I have been surfing on there and all of the sudden...BAM!! Some jack wagon posted their nasty fetish in the middle of the crafts category.

You get my point, right? I don't want to look at that crap. I understand why Pinterest can't filter it out, because they allow you to upload pins from ANYWHERE, but seriously. They need to get on that. We don't need to see that garbage. Nor does anyon's children.

Some days I really hate the internet. I really hope that it becomes a little less relied on when my children are old enough to use it.

I'm about to go on a "When I was your age rant" here so hang on.

You all know how it was though, back in middle school and high school. We still used these things called libraries. Google was still new. You didn't do research on the internet (well not exclusively). I still used an encyclopedia. And a dictionary. A real one. Not urban dictionary. Not Google.

But now our kids can be surfing the web looking for stuff for school and outta nowhere they're hit with pornographic images.

Yes, yes I know, there are filters and parental blocks and yada yada yada.

I know. I have them on my computer.

But that didn't stop some jerk from making it visible to everyone!

So if you don't know the importance of protecting your children from psychopaths and pedophiles. Learn about all the ways to stop it.

Set up as extreme of controls and parental blocks on your computer. The church speaks very strongly about protecting our families from these attacks.

Here is an excellent talk that I hope inspires you to persevere in the fight to protect our children.
It's by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, and it's awesome.

Preventing and recognizing an Addiction

I don't expect you to watch the video, but here are the highlights from it:
Steps You Can Take Now

• Prevent
• Recognize
• Overcome
• Support

Preventing an Addiction

President Thomas S. Monson offers three specific steps we can implement to battle pornography.

1. Return to Righteousness. An understanding of who we are and what God expects us to become will prompt us to pray. We can yet be guided by that still, small voice.
2. A Quest for the Good Life. He speaks not of the fun life, the sophisticated life, the popular life. Rather, he urges each to seek eternal life—life everlasting with mother, father, brothers, sisters, husband, wife, sons, and daughters, forever together.
3. A Pledge to Win the War. As we encounter pornography, let our battle standard and that of our communities be taken from that famous ensign of early America, “Don't tread on me.”

Recognizing an Addiction

Though you may already recognize that pornography is a part of your life, the questions in the article “Is My Pornography Use a Problem?” may help you determine whether it is time for you to seek help. If you answer yes to any of the questions or if you are troubled by other pornography-related thoughts or behaviors, you may benefit from discussing your pornography use with your parents, your bishop, or a professional counselor.

Overcoming an Addiction

Pornography use thrives in secrecy. To overcome one's use of pornography or involvement with other immoral behaviors, one should discuss these problems openly with appropriate priesthood leaders. Here are some suggestions that may help.

1. Disrupt the Cycle of Pornography Use. When attempting to overcome pornography use, find something to take its place; otherwise, you may be tempted to engage in other unacceptable behaviors to fill the void.
2. Control Thoughts. The First Presidency issued this statement: “We remind you of scriptures that make clear the relationship between one's thoughts and actions (see Matthew 15:19; Mosiah 4:29–30; Alma 12:14; 3 Nephi 12:28; D&C 121:45).” As thoughts are kept clean and pure, the temptation to view pornography will decrease. Any desire to use will diminish.
3. Stop Rationalizing. Replace rationalizations with true statements such as “I know that I am hurting myself, my spouse, my family, my relationship with the Lord and His Church, and my spiritual well-being every time I choose to indulge in pornography.”
4. Study and Apply Gospel Principles. A deeper understanding of gospel principles will help to overcome the use of pornography. Important topics to study include faith in Jesus Christ, the Atonement, repentance, and forgiveness.
5. Fully Disclose the Problem. Be completely honest and open when discussing pornography use with your bishop. A forthright confession will help the bishop understand the extent and seriousness of the problem and how he can best help.

Involving Others for Support

As those struggling with pornography work to recover, seeking necessary support from others, they will also benefit from the sources listed below.

1. Family Members. Family members can most effectively be a source of support by offering love and acceptance and by applying the same treatment steps to their own lives.
2. Recovery Meetings. In these meetings, newcomers hear participants describe how they apply recovery principles and practices in daily living.
3. Professional Counselors. When seeking professional help, it is important to select someone who is supportive of gospel principles as well as recovery methods consistent with those taught in the Addiction Recovery Program.
4. Ecclesiastical Support. Never forget or underestimate the power of ecclesiastical stewardship.
5. A Support Person. A support person helps those in recovery put their “lives into perspective and avoid exaggerating or minimizing [their] accountability” (Guide, 29).

I would apologize for babbling on about this one topic for so long. But I feel very strongly about it, and I hope none of you shrug it off. It can happen to your family, or a friend. And every time you log into Facebook or Pinterest, you are opening your computer to a slew of attacks from these crazies.

It's sad, but you can't give back the innocence of a child. You can't take back them seeing a harsh image. You can only protect them. You need to protect them.



Item numero dos.

I really. I mean really, HATE all of the "thinspiration" crap floating around out there. It is sending such a bad message to our youth, even to ourselves.

Every time I get on Pinterest, I see these sickly thin girls all over. With captions of "this is hands down the best work out ever" or "I would die to have this body". Well chances are, the things you would have to do to get it, will get you closer to that promise.

I'm not saying everything on there is bad, but there is a limit.

You don't have to be stick thin to be beautiful. Or healthy. Or in shape. Or anything.

I'm throwing this all out here, because I think people need to know the reality of being in shape.

When Michael and I got married, I weighed a whopping 125 lbs. I was itty bitty. Then I gained five pounds...and then ten.

And then when I found out I was pregnant with Amelia, I weighed about 140.

That's not bad.

By the end of my pregnancy, I had gained almost 60 pounds. I weighed in at 196 pounds. Yikes.

But hey, growing a human being is hard work. Men- I'd like to see your excuse.

After Amelia was born, I had a goal that I would lose all of that baby weight, and be back to 140 in three months.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Some of you can do it, and I applaud you. Congratu-frickin-lations. It's awesome. More power to ya.

Over a year later and I'm still about 15 lbs shy of that goal.

But let me tell you something. I am healthy. My baby is healthy. I have been able to nurse my beautiful daughter for her entire life thus far. And I am beautiful.

And Michael will tell you that my boobs are ah-mazing. Because, well they are.

Anyways. I think I may have lost what I was trying to say.

My point is, am I in shape? No, I do not have a 6-pack, nor do I have a desire to have one. But I am not un-healthy.

I look gooooood. And you better believe it. :)

So screw you Pinterest. And pinners. For making people who are perfectly healthy feel bad about themselves.

We as women, are all beautiful. In our own ways, with our own talents, and features, and personalities.



Moral of the story. Beware the internet. I know we've been warned time and again. But seriously. Take care of it.

Side note- when you are Walmart, or any store for that matter. If your kid is cute enough, and mine is. You can get away with anything.

Such as accidentally cutting someone off when coming out of an aisle.

Or reaching the car, and realizing that your kid has "accidentally" snuck stuff into your purse. And then having to go back inside to pay for it.

People just smile and laugh and try to get your adorable kid to interact with them. However, while she may not understand what is going on, she will high five you and blow you kisses to charm your pants off.

Fin.