Game of Thrones from my perspective

So, we were recently invited by Dustin's work to a private premier of the new season of Game of Thrones (season 3 I believe?), not only a premier but a chance to meet a couple of the cast members. We had never seen the show before (we rarely watch HBO), so when his supervisor told him it would be “unprofessional to go without having watched the show before” we decided to give it a shot. I borrowed it from my cousin and we sat through a whole hour long episode last night, and as cool as our offer sounded in the beginning, we are now very undecided on whether or not were going to go.
I couldn’t bare to watch the whole episode. I have never felt so violated in my life and I had to turn away from the TV a few times. I’m sure this is where those of you who watch the show will turn your heads and close my blog but just hear me out. To me, in watching the very first episode of Game of Thrones, I felt it was definitely a “mans” show, about very jealous, disrespectful “men” seeking more power than they deserve. I can’t think of any reason a self respecting woman would enjoy the show (please if there are any of you out there, leave me a comment and share your perspective, I’d like to try to understand). Not only did I feel violated from sheer lack of respect given to women in this episode, but I also have not watched a show with so much nudity! HAHA! Now I probably sound like a total prude, I can assure you I’m not, and again I have only seen the first episode of this Game of Thrones show. I’ve been told it gets “better” but I doubt the plot can get much better and I don’t think I can enjoy watching a show that brings women down so much.

I honestly thought I would like it, so I’m a bit disappointed. I love watching shows set in different time periods and even different cultures. I think it’s interesting to see how different things were and what people were like, etc. I didn’t know I would feel so violated afterword. I just don’t exactly enjoy watching unwilling women get “screwed” *for lack of a better word* by whoever, when ever, as if it’s some sort of game. I don’t find that entertaining and Game of Thrones seemed to have a whole lot of that and even embrace it. Don’t get me wrong, I know that women didn’t really have “rights” back then, I get that. I understand you cant base a show on that time period and give women in the show the whole “equal rights” deal. It just wouldn’t work. At the same time I felt there was just far too much.

So, my major issues with game of thrones are the lack of respect for women *the fact that they are treated like objects only there for sex willing or unwilling which seems to be mostly unwilling in this Game of Thrones show*, and that there is SO much nudity. I can deal with violence and some nudity and even pure jealousy lol. I guess I thought that it would be more about the “Game of Thrones” and less about defiling women… I didn’t know those two went hand in hand.

So, again if anyone out there who watches Game of Thrones would like to inform me of WHY they like it I am all ears and willing to hear you out. Maybe there’s something I’m missing in all of this? Maybe the first episode was not the best episode to represent the whole series? Until next time,

Kayla

Immunization Dilemma

Do you immunize your children to protect them from disease, or do you choose to take that chance and protect them from the immunization it’s self?

Not long ago it was fairly rare for someone to question the importance of immunizations, yet now it’s become quite a dilemma, mainly in children. Which is the lesser of the two evils? This is the question everyone’s asking. It simply depends on who you ask though.

I know this is a topic that is up there with politics, religion, and abortion in controversial status and will always spark strong debate from both sides. Just the kind of topic I choose to avoid discussing on a personal level, BUT (yes, there’s that word…) I am going to go out on a limb and tackle it today. I am going to post my real life opinion along with some controversial facts right here on this blog…

Let me just list a little bit of information on what could be entering your child’s (or infant’s) body…

DTaP: formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80 (Tween-80).
Act HIB: ammonium sulfate, formalin, and sucrose (or HIB Titer: ammonium sulfate, thimerosal, and chemically defined yeast-based medium).
MMR: hydrolized gelatin, chick embryo, human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue.
Verivax (Chickenpox): phosphate, sucrose, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), processed gelatin, fetal bovine serum, guinea pig embryo cells, albumin from human blood, and human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue.
IPOL (polio): neomycin, streptomycin, and polymyxin B, formaldehyde, and 2-phenoxyethenol, continuous line of monkey kidney cells.
Havrix (hepatitis A): formalin, aluminum hydroxide, 2-phenoxyethanol, and polysorbate 20, residual MRC5 proteins -human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue.
Flu Shield: trivalent influenza virus, types A&B, gentamicin sulphate, formadehyde, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80 (Tween-80),chick embryonic fluid. (Fluvirin: influenza virus, neomycin, polymyxin, beta-propiolactone, chick embryonic fluid.

*You can see where I got this information HERE*

Now this is only to name a few of the most popular. Do you recognize ANY of these ingredients? I mean aside from the obvious and reoccurring formaldehyde because I’m sure we all know what that is. Would you EAT any of this? Would you give your child a teaspoon of any of this? I’m pretty sure that answer was no. If your answer was yes then I recommend looking a few of these things and their side effects up and reconsidering (possibly seeking professional help).

If you wouldn’t eat it why would you inject it into your veins? Or even more important a child's?

I understand, they say the amount of each of these harmful chemicals is minimal, but I’m still not ok with it. There are so many disgusting and awful ingredients listed here but, formaldehyde, really?! We fill dead bodies with that, why would we begin filling our babies with it? Every couple months, every six months, a year, two years, whatever the case. It all adds up. So I ask you, why? To protect your child from a disease? Is it really worth it?

Research on this is so conflicted it makes my brain hurt. One side saying that these immunizations are perfectly safe, the other side saying they can cause (or trigger) things like SIDS, Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, and other life altering disorders that you can’t reverse. I do not know everything about every one of these chemicals and the impact each of them have on the human body, nor am I claiming to, but I do know that I would not willingly put these things into my own body(much less a baby's). I do believe God made our bodies capable of building up an immune system and fighting off disease for a reason. You can argue that (however long ago) people died from these illnesses and the invention of the vaccination was a “God send”. I will only counter with clean water and really clean anything was also scarce, hygiene practices were not what they are today, things like Autism were much less common. Coincidence?

It’s true, by choosing not to get immunizations you have to be more careful, sometimes depending on your surroundings A LOT more careful. But with this said and with my oldest in a public Kindergarten, my children have been sick with more than a runny nose only ONCE in the last year and a half and even that passed rather quickly. I don’t keep them in a bubble and I don’t limit their exposure (we go to places like Chuck E Cheese *GASP!*), we simply practice good hygiene habits, wash our hands after being in public or after touching something dirty, and before eating.

Again, everyone has their own opinion on the subject and is going to do what they feel is right for their family, this is simply what I chose. I will always remember what a lady said after she was done telling me why she chose not to and that is:
”I would rather my child get sick from something I didn’t do, than become permanently damaged from something I did do.”

Kayla

Comparing what we have

Do you ever run into those people in life where their entire life just seems “perfect” somehow?
I do, I do quite a lot actually. I know, I know, I really shouldn’t try to compare my life to others because I truly don’t know what happens “behind the scenes” or what they had to go through in life to get to “that place,” but it’s really hard not to notice.

I notice, compare, and even start to envy… I really should be ashamed, I know, my life isn’t bad by any means and I really have no room to compare my life to theirs but in the moment, I can’t remember any of this. All I know is that I “wish” I had whatever it is that they have. A better “this”, a newer “that”, a life where everything seems easier and less stressful. The latter is the most difficult for me though. I don’t really mind not always having “newer and better” but in the midst of a stressful day at home (or really wherever) I find my self thinking about how *enter random name of the day here* seems to have it all together and I feel like I’m struggling to barely make it every day. Struggling to get out of bed every morning to start my day, struggling to stay positive and not let frustrations get the best of me, struggling to get the every day “supposed to be easy stuff” done, struggling to get my laundry caught up, struggling to keep up with never ending dishes and keeping two kids fed and healthy. It looks pretty darn easy for some people, yet no matter how hard I try I just can’t seem to cut it. I feel like I’m taking on the world and just somehow seem to keep falling a little more behind every day.

Don’t get me wrong, I am insanely blessed and I know it. I get to be a stay at home mother and wife, I have a husband who makes this possible and I don’t have to worry about where our next meal (or rent) is coming from. Not everyone has these luxuries. I know I am incredibly blessed, it’s just way too easy to forget that while “looking” into others’ lives, comparing mine to theirs. I mean really, who am I to compare my self like that anyway? I do believe it’s a sin to envy someone (or their life) because you wish you had something they have…. Like God has been unjust, or forgotten to give me something I “deserve”. This is where I am a bit ashamed. By comparing and wishing my life was like their life I am showing ungratefulness, setting my self up for failure and to be let down, and also setting my self up for one heck of a bad mood. All of this and lets not forget the impact it has or will have on my two beautiful girls.

Do I want them to grow up never finding contentment? Feeling ungrateful even when they have a million things to be grateful for? Absolutely not.

I want to work on being content with my life and stop comparing my self to others so much. Instead, try to just be happy with the life I DO have. The one God gave me without “owing” me one second. The life that could have ended before it begun, and still could end any day He chooses. I’m also going to start reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts again. Yes, I did say again…. :) It is one of the most inspiring and uplifting books I have read.

So join me in finding contentment and learning to be grateful for every thing (big or small) we have been blessed with.

Kayla