POLITICS!!!

I have been more than frustrated this year with the campaign. I thought this article gave a lot of info very briefly.

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Editors' Note: Six weeks ago we published this article, a scorecard on the candidates' stands as to family values. Now, as we approach Election Day, less than one week from now, we publish this again so you can be intelligent and informed on your vote for President. A letter from the First Presidency dated September 11, 2008 on political participation has been included at the end of the article.

We are in the midst of a presidential campaign between two candidates whose vision of America is vastly different, and we are bombarded every day with discussion about their relative merits. However, ironically, while we may know details of their personal history or whether pigs or pit bulls wear lipstick, what is often conspicuously missing is where they stand on some specific issues that will greatly impact your family.

Over the years we've had a few letters from readers who chastise us at Meridian for discussing anything political. However, from the inception of the magazine nine and one-half years ago, we have tried to keep a finger on the pulse of current events and look at them through a lens of LDS values.

We all live in a world that is not only vastly different from our moral standards and world view, but it is spiraling away from us at a dizzying rate. How to negotiate through these currents bring up critical topics for all of us, and we don't always see things the same. Discussion, education and information help us each clarify our own thinking.

The magazine was named Meridian for two reasons: the meridian is the highest point of light, but also meridians on the globe take a measure of the world.

From the beginning, Meridian has sought to take a measure of the world, specifically bringing up issues that affect the moral foundation of our society and that impact family, and religious freedom.

We hope these scorecards will be useful information as you contemplate your voting decision.

The Scorecard

The Family Research Council has researched both candidates extensively, including their comments, their former votes and news reports to compile a voter scorecard on where John McCain and Barack Obama stand on family issues. It is a highly-detailed voter guide that drills down “on the issues important to the family so as to discover not only a candidate's position, but the depth of that position.” Footnotes and reference guides are given for further reading.

This scorecard certainly does not claim to cover every family issue, but does look at many of the ones that are or will be considered by the government. Though, in this scorecard, questions about poverty are not directly asked, by far the most significant influence on whether a child will grow up in poverty is his or her family structure. Children who grow up in intact families with married fathers and mothers are much less likely to experience poverty.

You can download a copy of this scorecard by clicking here . To see it requires a simple registration.

Here's a sample of the questions and positions:

Women's Health

Would you support a federal law prohibiting both human reproductive cloning and cloning for research?

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

Do you support Medicaid-funded abortions?

McCain : No
Obama : Yes.

Abstinence Education

Would you support or oppose a federal parental notification law before a minor receives an abortion?

McCain: Support
Obama : Oppose

Would you fight to protect the integrity of federally defined abstinence-until-marriage education?

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

Promoting Stronger Marriages

Do you support a U.S. constitutional amendment to define and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman?

McCain: No
Obama: No

If you do not support a U.S. constitutional amendment to define and protect marriage now, would any of these hypothetical future circumstances allow you to support such amendment?

*if one or several state supreme courts require their states to recognize same-sex marriages from another state.

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

*if the U.S. Supreme Court requires states to recognize same-sex marriages from another state (thus overturning a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act)

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

*if the U.S. Supreme Court requires the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages and/or partnerships for any purpose under federal law (thus overturning a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act)

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

*if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is a right under the U.S. Constitution

McCain: Yes
Obama: No

The Federal Defense of Marriage Act (1996) declares marriage to be the union of one man and one woman for all purposes of the federal government and declares that states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Which of the following describes your position on the federal DOMA?

*I would veto any bill that would weaken any provision of the federal DOMA
--McCain

*I would support repeal of the provision of DOMA that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman for all federal purposes, thus freeing the federal government to give marital benefits to same-sex couples.
-- Obama

*I would support repeal of the provision of DOMA that declares states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states, thus leaving courts free to require such recognition under the Constitution's “full faith and credit” clause.
--Obama

Homosexuality and Special Rights

Which of the following comes closest to your position on the Employment Non-Discrimination ACT (ENDA) which would grant federal civil rights protection on the basis of sexual orientation?

*I would veto any bill to provide federal civil rights protection on the basis of sexual orientation.
--McCain

*I would sign a bill to give federal civil rights protection based on sexual orientation and “gender identity”.
--Obama

Which of the following comes closest to your position on the proposed federal “hate crimes law, which would allow the federal government to prosecute any “hate crime” anywhere in the country?

*I would veto any federal “hate crimes” law, and leave prosecution of such crimes to state and local authorities.
--McCain

*I would sign a federal hate crimes law that included protections based on sexual orientation and “gender identity.”
--Obama

Neither candidate has been aggressive in pledging to see that obscenity is prosecuted aggressively through the Department of Justice.

Another Scorecard

Another scorecard on the presidential candidates that also gives links to both the Republican and Democratic platforms is here . Please click through and see the statements from each party's platform and how the candidate measures up based on your values.

The First Presidency Statement on Political Participation

We also include the statement issued by the First Presidency on September 11, 2008 concerning political participation which was read in all Latter-day Saint congregations throughout the United States:

Political Participation, Voting, and the Political Neutrality of the Church*

As citizens we have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political process affects our communities and nation today and in the future.

Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.

Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government.

The Church affirms its neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
The First Presidency

*Published from the LDS Newsroom. Used by permission.

MY BOYS

Itty Bitty Football is now done! :( Basketball will be next in January. Guess we'll just have to find other stuff to do Tuesdays and Thursday mornings until then! Can anyone come play?! :)
Kyler had his 1 year appointment today. Here were his stats:
Height: 30 3/4 (75%)
Weight 24lbs 6 oz (75%)
Head: 49 1/2cm (above the 97%)
Yes! He is a BIG kid!
I felt like such a jerk this morning. The whole morning I am telling Jaden we are going to the doctor to get Kyler some shots. I assured him again and again that we were not going for his shots. We got those when he was little like Kyler. Well, in the office they convinced me to get a flu shot for Jaden as well. Need I say more. I had a lot of making up to do today, but I think he still loves me! Now...those shots better work! :) No flu this year, right?!

Kyler's First Birthday

Sunday was Kyler's 1st Birthday! I don't think there was any question as to whether he enjoyed his cake or not!


Thanks Eric and Nat for the great zebra toy! He LOVES it!

Thanks Michael, Steph and the boys for the PJ's Kyler is showing us!


















Kyler got snow boots, books, and fun gumball machine toy with 12 balls! (Thanks gma and gpa Bradshaw) He couldn't be happier.

Oh yes, and we can't forget my tradition of making a shaped cake. We decided on a snake for Kyler this year. It will be fun to see what he chooses on his own next year! Happy Birthday baby! We sure love you!

My Wife is Hot...and A Whole Lot More!

Whoa...so I've known that my wife is smokin' hot, an amazing cook, and that she can kick my butt, for a long time. She's got a knack for making people smile, she'll be your best friend in a day, and she's got the kind of "alternative girl" (anybody remember the band Homegrown?) spirit that I just dig - known that too. What I didn't realize is that I also married a woman with the will power to pull her hotness out of bed everyday and take care of two little monsters - two very rad little monsters if I do say so myself - and one overgrown slug all by herself, every day. Mel, here's to you for making it happen while I've felt like little more than - well, an overgrown slug for the last 6 months.

This post is also an opportunity for me to give everyone an update on how I've been doing lately and further introduce you to the adventure that has been my health for the last 6 months. Many people ask me or Mel about how I'm doing, and we're finally moving in a positive direction, so this is a perfect time to let everybody know what's been going on, not to mention a perfect time to brag a little more about Mel.

Here's the details:
For review, Mel wrote a little about what has been happening here

• 6 months ago I started dealing with some heavy chest pain and fatigue
• Went through a mound of tests before the cardiologist said they didn't think it was my heart (still trying to figure that one out).
• 3 months ago the chest pain, muscle & joint pain, and fatigue had escalated to a ridiculous level (defined as the level that you turn in to a giant slug).
• 2 months ago I was diagnosed with Chronic Mononucleosis - whew...at least we knew why I was so tired.
  
• 4 weeks ago we learned that Chronic Mononucleosis was a lot more than we had first understood. You can find a short article on the condition here
• Basically, what I thought was going to be 4-6 more weeks of feeling bad turned into what could be more like 2-4 more years.
  
• After lots of advice and prayer (Your doctor will tell you, "Well, I would recommend lots of rest and water." - Thank Doc), I was convinced that the answer was getting even more serious about nutrition.
• Lots of research lead me to a bunch of information that I would have considered "crazy" a couple years ago.
• Due to the detailed information and preplanned "helps" available on the site, we decided to follow a plan laid out by Dr. Mercola
• We began juicing vegetables. You've never lived until you've had the chance to down an Asparagus, Celery, Spinach, Cucumber juice (actually, it wasn't that bad). Nope, I'm not touching any fruit or carrot juice due to the sugar content.
• We cut all Gluten out of my diet, started eating lots more vegetables, and we've become regulars at the local Good Earth market.
  
• Aaaaaaaaaaaand...two and a half weeks later I feel a lot better (kind of the difference between "somebody just beat me with a stick" and "somebody just gave me an Indian Burn"). Without giving you a full digest of my day, it's easiest to just leave it at that I'm really optimistic that we're going to beat this A LOT sooner than later.
  
• I'm becoming convinced that we can't really take nutrition too seriously. Whether or not I become a nutrition missionary has yet too be seen, but I'm sure I'll be adopting many, if not all, of these principles as lifelong habits.

Now you know.



This is also on opportunity for me to say thank you. We've had friends mow our lawn, bring over dinner, watch our kids, offer advice and more. Mom, Mel's been off-the-charts amazing, but I think we both agree we couldn't have done this without you. (How many moms think it would be fun to watch their children move out only to find out they have to go play Mary Poppins at their kid's house?) Kind words and encouragement have meant the world. When everybody (seriously, everybody) in the neighborhood says, "Just let me know if there's anything we can do," you begin to realize that you're going to either have a "Who wants to help the Mealeys?" raffle every now and then, or you're just going to be grateful for all of the positive energy coming your way. I admit, I've gone with the latter option. Thank you all again.

One more time - Mel, I love you. Thank you.

Christian

FINALLY!!! (will probably be a long post)

(Quick pre-post....this is a series of posts. If you haven't been to the blog in a while scroll down 2 posts and read up. Otherwise you may be seriously confused! :)
Also, when I decided to write a recap of Kyler's birth I remembered it all starting on a Wednesday. Which was the case last year. So even though the date won't add up right, the days of the week are correct! :) And now....for the finale!
I don't know if it was some sort of sub-conscious that was telling me that my water was about to break or what because I jumped up and out of bed while it was all happening, and said "My water just broke." I say sub-consciously because I must have known something...because there was no mess in the bed. (And I don't know about all of you other pregnant moms out there...but jumping, literally, out of bed is a task that isn't that simple. Rolling over, at least for me, isn't even something I can do on my own this late into pregnancy. Honestly don't know how I got up so fast!)
Anyway, I ran to the bathroom and just sat. Excitment, nerves, and anticipation all hit me at once. Christian got up quickly and wildly ran to the sink and started to wash his hair to get the bed head out. I laughed and told him he had time to take a shower. I think he was relieved by this, because he still needed to "wake up!" I told him that we had to wait until Eric and Natalie were here so that we could leave Jaden!
I called my midwife and told her my water broke. She told us to come to the hospital. Then I called my friend Kari, in Cedar City to let her know that today was the day! She wanted to be there for the birth, so she got in her car right away. Then I called Eric and Natalie (Christian's brother and his wife) and let them know they were needed! They got here and slept on the couch waiting for Jaden to wake up. By 5:00am we were at the hospital. I still couldn't believe it. He was really going to be born today!
Getting checked in wasn't as easy as I thought it would be though. Because eventhough my water had totally broken at home, they said when they checked me that it was still intact! Now I was very confused. I know I didn't just pee my pants, because I WAS STILL LEAKING!!! Luckily my midwife conviced them to let me stay!
We checked into the room and got situated, still no contrations or pain and still at a 4, but definately leaking. They asked me if I wanted to start on patossin, and I said no that I would rather have it all go on it's own. I mean common...how long could this really take....right?! :)
I think contrations finally started about 7:00am. And another sac of water broke shortly after. So they are guessing that I had a sac around the real sac with the baby, and that's the one that must have broke at home and had possibly been leaking since Thursday morning. Each contraction was amazingly more difficult to breathe through. No slow climbing here. Kari showed up soon after (I know...amazing huh? She must have been bookin' it!) And by about 7:45am I needed that epidural. By 8:00am things were much better! I LOVE that feeling of no pain. Now that I had my epidural I thought...oh we could be here all day long. But time went very quickly and having Kari there was such a great part of it. At 8:45am my midwife Claudia, checked me again. I was at an 8. Kari asked her how long she thought it would be until the baby was born. Claudia said within the hour! Both our mouths dropped wide. (I think Christian's may have too) Then Kari wanted her to guess a time! She said that she guessed it would be between 9:20 and 9:30. It was hard for me to believe that since I was only at an 8 and not even near the part of pushing which can take FOREVER.
But then she checked me again at 9:00am and wanted me to start pushing! I was complete! NO WAY!! It really was just all going so fast for me! I couldn't believe it. SOOOOOOOOO different than Jaden's birth. So Christian suited up, and as she was instructing him on what to do, Melissa, my other midwife, showed up. Claudia quickly said "I'm staying! I've been here the whole time; I get to catch this baby" So eventhough Claudia's shift ended at 9am she wanted to stay and finish this with me. I had so much help! Christian, Kari, Claudia and Melissa! It was all fantastic. And at 9:21am Christian pulled out Kyler Robert Mealey and placed him on my tummy! (Good guessing Claudia) :) And good job Christian!
Last year Friday was October 19th. Each year it moves up by a day, but since it was leap year this year, it moved up by 2! So his birthday actually isn't today. It's on Sunday! So 3 posts ago when I decided to do this, I was remembering the day of the week. Not the actual date! OOPS! It was still a good story though right?! And life has never been the same since!

The continuation....

I woke up Thursday morning still feeling pretty sad about having to change my appointment yesterday. Jaden and I were playing in the toy room upstairs. Christian hadn't left to work quite yet and was playing with Jaden too. As I was picking up toys I was like...um...did I seriously just pee a bit? So I decided to go to the bathroom. It was hard to tell whether it was pee, or discharge. Then I got scared....what if I was leaking fluid. I told Christian and he suggested I call the doctor. Now let me just tell you....all you have to do is say the words "sac broke"...."leaking"....."don't know for sure"....and they have an appointment for you in no time. So, where I had to cancel because "no one was going to be there for me"....all of a sudden there was someone there! How convenient! Cooincidnce??? I think not!
Anyway, they just wanted to make sure I wasn't leaking fluid so off to the doctors I went. They checked me...I was at 4cm and about 80% effaced. She said that my sac was kinda hanging out, but she could feel that it was intact. But they decided to do a pH test anyway. POSITIVE on the test. The paper turned bright blue. So they guessed I had a small hole somewhere in it. The midwife told me that she felt like the baby was ready to come, but that I wasn't ready for him yet. I was like....are you joking? Who in their last month, is not ready for the baby to come?! She told me to go home and have a great day playing with my other boy (Jaden) one last time. Spend a lot of time with him. Then I should meditate and imagine going into labor. Having contractions, getting more intense, and holding the baby when he came out. I admit I thought it was kinda cooky, but I thought hey...why not!? I told them I had an appointment for Tuesday next week and asked if I should keep that one since I was here today? She assured me that I wouldn't make it through the weekend. Now if that's not getting your hopes up I don't know what is....I told her I didn't want to get too hopeful since we still had just under 2 weeks to go. Again she smiled and said...just let him know you are ready!
So after lunch Jaden and I spent a lot of time playing, and reading and soon it was naptime. So while he slept I decided to do that "meditation" thing. I fell asleep part way through it...so I guess it was relaxing! :)
After naptime we walked to the park in the neighborhood. I met a friend their and told her all about the experiences from the last 2 days! We laughed; our boys played. It got cold, so we went home.
I don't really remember anything more about that night. Just that my mind kept saying..."well, if my sac was hanging out then why couldn't they just break it so that labor could really start?" Maybe that's just what my mind needed to hear, cuz at 4:00 in the morning my water broke!

One year ago today...

I know what many of you are thinking....today isn't Kyler's birthday! You're right! It's not. But I thought it would be fun to write about the events that took place right before he was born last year. So...we'll start with today! (This was Wednesday last year)
...Last year today I was at Costco with Jaden getting our normal groceries. My phone rang. It was the doctor's office telling me that no one would be there for me tomorrow for my appointment and that I needed to re-schedule it! ( HELLO....don't know if everyone is like this or not, but I am ESPECIALLY when I am pregnant!) WHAT? re-schedule!? How could they possibly think to do that to a pregnant person. We look forward to those last few appointments. It's like telling me Christmas has decided to just cancel or something. I felt myself begining to tear up. (Yes...I was very emotionally attached to this appointment....obviously! ) I seriously didn't want to cry in the middle of Costco, so I quickly said sure...um...Friday is fine. At least it would still be before the weekend. (I had been making my appointments near the end of the week 'just in case' they wanted to ...oh....i don't know.....break my water and let me go to the hospital for the weekend! :) That way Christian would miss as little work as possoible....back to the story) Quickly the receptionist said no, I'm sorry we're going to have to push it to at least Monday or Tuesday next week around 2pm or so! WHAT? Now I really was starting to cry. I didn't know what else to say, and I didn't want to REALLY cry...so I just said...okay fine. I'll look at my calandar when I get home and let you know if I need to change that. (Knowing in my head very well that 2:oo in the afternoon Jaden would be napping! Could they have seiosly picked a worse time?!)
I left Costco feeling pretty down. And I'm sure cried as I told Christian later what happened. Not that anyone could understand! (Okay all you mommies out their quit laughing!) :)
TO BE CONTINUED...

What in the world have we been up to?...

Itty Bitty Football started a few weeks ago!

Jaden LOVES this rotation of throwing the ball through the holes. And check out that form on his kick! :) Yes he is left footed! Too bad his is the blue ball just inches off the ground! :)












We spent an afternoon at Wheeler Farm. So fun!

I still can't believe we got a picture of the 3 boys holding their 3 little brothers! (Okay...they are all little except for Kyler....we'll say younger! :) )


The ducks we so loud and seeing a 3 day old pig was actually really neat. (their were 10 of them!)












We even started Joy School a bit ago. On this particular day only Cohen was there, but he and Jaden were so funny! In case you can't understand the video we were learning the letter "D" and so when I gave them their snack I said "da, da, DORITOS!"

Kyler is getting more coordinated. He really liked playing "soccer" with the balloons.



We stopped by the duck pond in Provo one day after a long morning of errands! Jaden LOVES to feed the ducks! We enjoyed a very short lunch break afterwards. IT WAS FREEZING!!!

I think that Kyler will sing before he talks! He still doen't talk much. Mostly the only word he says over and over as he points to things is "dat" AKA that! It's the singing I thought I was going to get a video of. I wasn't prepared for what happened... we're in trouble now!

Lastly, Kyler has learned another new trick! I have found that when I say "weeeee" he gets on his head a lot of the time ,ready to do a sommersault. I think this is because after he does it I generally say "weeee" So here is Kyler doing a "weeeee"...well at least trying to! :)









Well, if that wasn't a long enough post I am sorry! :) It was fun for me to rememeber what we have been up to lately. It's good for me to see that eventhough my kids bring so much stress to me some days, that we do share good times and they really are good kids!

Angelas Accessories

One of my old friends has started an at home business with some other chicas! Too bad I don't have little girls to dress up! (Although Kyler's hair is getting long enough we could probably do something with it... :) )These really are adorable! Check it out!

Her products include bows, flowers, and headbands. Check out their website at http://angelasaccessories.blogspot.com/
Way to go Crystal! Good luck keeping up with the high demand!

Garlic Lime Chicken

So I don't know how this seems to happen....I swear everyone is connected more than they know! But in the last couple days I have been "invited to take part in a recipe exchange!" by like 10 different people! So, since I don't want anyone to be left out, and for some to get their 36 recipes or whatever and others nothing....here is my recipe for EVERYONE!!! Hope you enjoy it! It's a favorite for sure!

Garlic Lime Chicken

1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBLS butter
2 TBLS olive oil
4 TBLS lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

on a dinner plate, mix together first 7 ingredients. sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
in a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. saute chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes on each side. remove chicken and keep warm. add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. (If you don't let the sauce reduce when you put the chicken back in all of the spices will just wash off) add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve!

I'm on the phone!

One the things that Kyler has picked up on lately is talking on the phone! He LOVES my phone, but other "things" work too. (the remote, tape measure, even toy tools). However he's not a happy camper when my phone gets taken away. Luckily we have another phone to give him that is old! Still, this has brought on tantrum problems that seem to be getting worse, and not usually having anything to do with not having my phone. If you had a child who dealt with tantrums please let me know what you did about it. You wouldn't think with that sweet face that he could get mad...
And although it is somewhat humerous to watch such a small boy throw himself to the ground and beat his head on the floor...it needs to stop! IDEAS???...