first fig

cross posted at the exponent

as i mentioned in my last post, i am expecting my third child, due right around christmas. by now we’re all starting to get excited to meet this little guy, all except my two year old daughter. she stubbornly insists that she is the baby and will barely acknowledge that another baby is coming. i’m not really worried about it, it seems completely normal to me but i would like to make the transition as easy as possible for her.

i was almost four when my younger sister was born and i remember that i was not thrilled about sharing my parents’ attention. but my parents did something smart, they got me a baby doll and cradle and some of my best memories from that difficult time are of me taking care of my baby just like my mommy was taking care of my baby sister. as we get closer to my due date i’ve been thinking about doing something similar for my daughter. Read the rest of this entry »

cross posted at our family blog

i don’t write or post a lot of pictures of myself on this blog because, like i’ve said before, this blog isn’t about me. family blogs exist for the sole purpose of showing off cute pictures of your kids. but these pictures fall into a gray area since they’re of me carrying our next child.

Read the rest of this entry »

cross posted at the exponent

i’m a grad student in a public administration program and a term we often use is “the body politic”, meaning a collective group of people organized under a governmental authority. i’ve been thinking about this concept in terms of what it means to be a pregnant individual and part of a society since i am currently pregnant with my third child.

pregnancy is full of complexities, mostly personal in nature. but pregnancy is one of those times when the personal intersects with the public. not only do you cease to consider yourself merely an individual due to the presence of another, but the community also ceases to see you as an individual. on some level i can understand this; pregnant women quite literally represent the continuation of our society, we are the lifeblood of the body politic. it is no surprise that others have an interest in the welfare of the next generation. but should pregnant women be asked to set aside their privacy and at times, their autonomy, to ease the fears of society? some would say yes, evidenced by the broad legislation utah passed last year that would prosecute women for reckless behavior resulting in a miscarriage. as the one being asked to set aside the self for the good of society, it is much harder to willingly comply. Read the rest of this entry »

cross posted at the exponent & feminist mormon housewives

mormon feminism has had a big year.  after being pronounced all but dead, it has been thrilling to see this renaissance take place in such a short period of time. the year started with the rebirth of the feminist literary tradition; the Our Visions, Our Voices tour put on by the mormon women writers was amazing. And, of course, exponent II magazine is back with a bang. then there was the Patheos and UK Guardian articles written by fMh’s reese dixon, proudly proselytizing our cause.

i am not alone in recognizing a groundswell in the movement. the same publication that asked only six years ago where all the Mormon feminists had gone now declares that Mormon feminism is back. one of the most exciting developments has been the creation of the mormon feminist activist organization, Women Advocating for Voice and Equality (WAVE). Read the rest of this entry »

cross-posted at the exponent

This is a sarah palin post…

are you still reading?

lest anyone be confused, this is not a post where i glorify the former vice-presidential candidate. i, like most feminists, can’t stand sarah palin. my politics fall radically to the left of hers and i find her to be hypocritical and ridiculous. most of the time i like to pretend she doesn’t exist and if exposure is absolutely necessary, i prefer it to be in tina fey form. that being said, i do think palin serves a useful purpose. (this is where the revoking of my feminist card comes in.)

there has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks on whether sarah palin can legitimately call herself a feminist. i am not here to rehash those arguments. there is little use in denying, however, that if palin’s political views were incorporated into mainstream feminism they would dramatically change the movement as it exists today. sarah palin is feminism’s kryptonite; this is why many feminists reacted so viscerally when she invoked the term. but where she weakens the secular movement, i think she strengthens the mormon feminist cause. Read the rest of this entry »

So remember that time I said I was going to post everyday for a month and then I almost missed Friday and actually missed Saturday? Yeah, well I’m coming to the realization that maybe I set to high of a goal. It’s just impossible for me to write thoughtful posts everyday with two very active toddlers. Also, life has given me an unexpected opportunity that will make that goal increasingly difficult. Oh, it’s nothing bad, I’m actually quite excited about it and I’ll tell you more about it in the coming weeks.

So this is my very first blog. As you can probably see, I created First Fig about a year ago but I spent that year deciding whether I was brave enough to have a blog. (Also I was having a baby but that’s neither here nor there). Now that I have decided to be brave, I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself and my co-contributors.

About mraynes:

I am a Mormon feminist and have proudly claimed that label. I graduated with a degree in history with an emphasis in women’ history and women’s studies. I want more than anything else in the world to go to graduate school but the time is not right so I am supporting my husband through his doctoral program by working at a domestic violence shelter. I am the director of domestic violence services; basically I help women become independent through counseling and providing them with resources. I also facilitate groups both at the shelter and in the community. Recently I became a mother and it has been an amazing experience. Eventually I would like to go back to school and get my doctorate in social policy and social welfare.

About weasie:

Weasie is the middle sister. She is currently a junior at BYU, studying Anthropology. Right now she is preparing to go to Africa in January. She will be doing an internship in Tanzania and hopefully she will be able to give us updates every once and a while.

About rayness:

rayness is the baby of the family; she is the most beautiful and smartest of the three of us. She is a freshman at BYU and studying Political Science. rayness is a constitutional scholar, she can tell you about every Supreme Court decision ever decided. Her life goal is to be a Supreme Court Justice.

Hopefully my sisters will have enough time in their busy schedules to tell you more about themselves, they are amazing! Anyway, we are really excited about this and we hope you enjoy our blog.