Something to think about

Well I haven't had many chances to write lately, hopefully that Will change.


Some of you reading my posts may think that I am against doctors. Please do NOT get that impression. I am not against doctors I just feel that we should stand up for ourselves & our children more. I think that too often we agree to go along with everything the doctors say s & not often enough do we question the reasons for the procedures and/or medication/vaccines we put into our children. (I too am guilty of it, although I am now more aware & try to research things more.) I think we would all save a lot of money by simply asking what's the test for & how will the results change they way the "condition"it going to be treated?
Here's an example, during pregnancy most doctors routinely do a blood glucose test in the third trimester. I asked what would happen if I failed this test. I was told I would be put on a healthy diet. So -Why can't I save myself a couple of hundred dollars & just eat a healthy diet?
Of course, after I did some research I had lots more questions: If diabetes is going to cause deformities & other major health issues for baby it will do so in the first trimester. Why aren't they testing for this at that time? Why is the glucose test routine- it didn't start out as routine, it was started as a study to see if higher glucose levels in pregnancy would predict diabetes later in life.
My biggest question: Doctors know that glucose levels are naturally higher toward the end of pregnancy- so why are they stressing out women by telling them they have diabetes?

So here's something to think about:-- Everyone complains about the high cost of health care & health ins. Yet at the same time we often agree to tests & procedure because they are covered by ins. If we all had to pay out of our own pockets for every procedure we had done- I think everyone would be researching the validity of each & every procedure. After researching the procedure one would then make an informed decision. I think that there would be some procedures that would become non-existent. If everyone were more careful about what procedures they had done it would lower the cost health insurance because we wouldn't just agree to every procedure- 'cause the money would be coming straight out of our own pockets!

Hmmmmm. Chew on that a while. Then let me know what you think.

I'm Hungry........

Let's face it getting dinner on the table can be a huge challenge, whether you are a stay at home parent or a parent that works outside of the home.
For those that stay at home it's- how am I going to get dinner made with the kids running all over?
For those who work the "9-5"- you don't get home until let's say 5:30- how do you get dinner on the table before 8? The kids have to get in bed at a reasonable time- there's no time to make dinner. (I mean after work you have pick up the kids, get home get everyone in the house, change your clothes, figure out what's for dinner & then actually make dinner.)

This is when many people say- order pizza, or stop by & pick something (fast food, deli, etc.) We all know that eating out (ordering in) can get expensive -more than $20 a meal! Check out these numbers:

- In 1995 27% of America's meals & snacks were "away from home." -
www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/1999/PR-0060.html

-"In the next decade, more than half the average household food budget will be spent on meals bought outside the home compared with 25 percent in 1955" -www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/09/national/main2073726.shtml

-"The average American family today eats out approximately three times a week. For a family of four, that can add up to $300 or $400 per month, or even more, taking a huge bite out of the monthly grocery budget. " www.essortment.com/career/spendlessdinin_sfef.html


SO what can we do about it?

A few years ago I found an Awesome company whose mission is "to bring families back to the dinner table" by providing quick, easy, affordable meals solutions. I tell you what -they are AWESOME! You can even make up a personal meal plan for your family. When my family started planning meals- we save a TON of money because we were no longer stopping by the grocery store every night to pick something up for dinner. We also eat less take out meals now. Check it out by clicking on the link!

"Chic on a Shoestring"

Everything you need for your family at an "affordable" price! Affordable - you got my attention! I get really frustrated when I see & hear these headlines because every has a different idea of what affordable is.

I saw part of a morning show the other day & they were talking about an outfit that "only" cost $100. Well-- let me tell you 1 outfit for $100 is not what I consider affordable. For $100 I should get at least 3-4 outfits. After all I so have to buy clothes for my children & still have money left to feed them.

Sorry

I apologize for not posting regularly I am no longer allowed to do so at work & so I have to find time at home. What a total shame, as I have several posts started & need to finish them before I actually publish them.

Keep watching I will get them done. (someday.....sooon.)

Chicken Pox

Well, it finally happened. After all my hoping & "exposing" the rest of my children finally got the chickenpox! Yea- I'm done with them. (We were on "vacation"- camping!)



I can't help but wondering: "Why are so many parents scared of the chicken pox?"

I have to laugh when people see children with chickenpox & "freak out." Stay away from my kids! Well, you know what, you aren't protecting your children any by not exposing them. It has been proven that adults that get the chicken pox have a more difficult time dealing with the illness. It's a "normal" childhood disease & with the "invention" of fever reducers (Tylenol,
Motrin, etc.) the majority of children have no complications from the illness.

I just sit & wonder why don't parents take more responsibility for the health of their children? Many of stand idly by as a doctor tells us what is best & what is normal we don't research any of it we simply agree with whatever we are told. We as parents are afraid to to speak up for our children even when our gut feeling tells us something is not right. For some reason we don't want to spend the time researching things ourselves.


People ask me, "Why don't you just get them the shot?"

My answer to that question is actually quite long & consists of several things:

Why do you waste your money on a false sense of "security?" Because all the pharmaceutical companies, schools, & doctors are scaring parents into thinking they MUST get this vaccine for their children? Why would they do that- because it's good business, it's what pays their bills. Obviously, the drug companies are making money form it but so are some doctors. How, you ask- well some doctors have been known to get "kick-backs" (something similar to a commission) for every prescription they write for a particular medicine.


I didn't get my children the "vaccine" for several reasons including the following:

• Children can still get the illness (I know several children that got the vaccine & they got the chickenpox worse than any of my children, who got them from head to toe.)
• It isn't proven to protect them for a life time
• Once they have the vaccine (or disease) they can get shingles- so why expose them to another "uncomfortable" disease? Keep them protected form shingles until they actually have the chickenpox.

My oldest child got them on her 1st birthday & I thought that was the best age to get them. Due to personal experience I have changed my mind. The age my children were when they had the chickenpox: 5 months, 1 year, 3 yrs, 5 yrs 9months, 8yrs. By far the easiest age to deal with them is what I consider the "prime time."

5 months - 2yrs is the "prime" age for children to get the chickenpox. They are not too young & yet they are just young enough. Let me explain: during this age range the children aren't too bothered by the illness. They don't scratch or whine about them like the older kids do. They are young enough that they keep themselves busy & have their minds on other things, so they don't scratch.

Think about this.......

I can not stress this enough for any pregnant woman- Do your research for anything you are tested for (before you get tested) & make an informed decision. Many doctors do "routine" test simply because that's what everybody else does. They don't know anything about the illness, the rate of accurate/inaccurate results, or "treatments" that are proven safe & effective.

Since many women don't have much personal experience (most only have 1-2 children) when is comes to pregnancy they tend to trust whatever their doctor says. Now here's the thing- Good old doc. may have the experience of watching women be pregnant, on & off for nine months, But in my book that in now way can make him/her more of an expert than someone who has physically been pregnant & given birth. So, why is it than that so many women trust their male doctor to know so much about the natural workings of the female body, pregnancy & birth? Why would you not question the theories of these doctors?

I have lots to say on the subject & will add to this post later- I have run out of time.

Cardboard boxes, rope, pine cones.........

It's amazing, for so many years parents have been buying toys for their children "only the best"- most popular for my child. Then, after all that money was spent the child played with the box longer than the toy!!

With all the toy recalls in the past couple days it make me think (again) Kids are smarter than we think!
I remember as a child playing with cardboard boxes - it could be a house, space ship, car, train, store, etc...... anything! & the games we played with just a piece of rope. I was reminded of one the other day when the local library hired a guy to come & play "wild & crazy" games with the children (the point being that they get out & move.) IT was the game we played as children - where you hold the rope behind you- your tail & everyone has to run around and try to get your tail. If they get your tail then it's their turn to be the "Monkey" or "Lion" or whatever you want to call it.

What happened to all the games we used to play- We had huge imaginations because we didn't have everything all "shaped" out for us. We didn't need a toy microphone to pretend to be singers we could just pick up a large pine cone & sing into it. Maybe that is why children have a much harder time with imagination & make believe & why they are "growing up" so much faster in today's world.

What do you think?

Don't tell my children ...

Well, a big thank you to Jennifer at the The Lactivist for bringing this to our attention.

Apparently, Dr. Sanghavi who practices Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiology in Gallup, New Mexico is an "expert" on breast milk. Parents magazine has published his opinion, as a legitimate "expert" on the subject! How does being a cardiologist make you qualified to tell God & every woman in the world, that they are wrong?

Never have I been happier that I cancelled my subscription after the free months ran out! This is not the first article of their that I have disagreed with.

Please don't tell my children that they were exclusively breastfed because I was selfish! I didn't really want to provide them with the best nature has to offer. I didn't really want to boost their immune system. (I wanted them to get sick so I could spend more precious time with them- who doesn't like taking care of a sick child?) I didn't even do it to protect them from things like diabetes & obesity. For goodness sakes I certainly wouldn't want them to have a high IQ (They figure things out fast enough as it is)!

Please don't tell my children that the real reasons I breastfed them was:

• To spend every second I could with my beautiful babies. (So they would grow up knowing that I would always love them & be there for them.)
• I was too lazy to carry around bottles, heavy cans of formula, water, a stove & a pot (gotta warm that bottle) or risk the hot water in the public restroom.
• I believed that babies cry because they need something & I was "not tough enough" to make my baby wait for food.
• Because I loved them so much that I couldn't stand to let my son starve when he refused to take a artificial nipple. (All I wanted was to spend 2 hours at a Christmas party.)
• To punish my husband by taking away "his toys."
• To get out of cleaning the house, washing clothes, doing dishes & cooking because I was busy feeding baby. (Well I tried my best, but this never got me out of doing those things- it only delayed the task.)
• Don't let me forget how much I LOVE wearing a wet shirt. You know- I minding my own business when suddenly Whoosh! nursing pad is either full or in the wrong place & I'm left with two wet circles on the front of my shirt!

Icky, Dirty, Nasty, Invisible Germs

I thought I share with all the "germ conscious" parents out there. What a great way to keep those nasty germs away.

Check it out: http://www.gottagomitts.com/

Kids in cars

I just wanted to share I was doing some searching on this & here are the links to some websites I found interesting.

http://www.kidsandcars.org/

http://keyetv.com/topstories/local_story_143103716.html


http://www.topix.net/family/kids

What's wrong with these people?

OK- every summer we hear these stories. "Baby was left in the car by....." What is wrong with people? They are very careful to make sure the car is locked so no one can steal it or the child, but for some reason they don't think about the heat.

How can you not think of the heat?? I just don't get it- Have they never gotten into a car that has been sitting in the sun with all the windows closed?

WHY would you leave a child in the car alone??????? Oh- "baby was asleep so I didn't want to wake her/him," "I only had to get a couple of things." First, we have portable car seats. Second, I would rather wake my children than leave them to roast in a car. Third, why would you take the chance that a stranger could possibly get in your car & take your child (auto theft, kidnappers, etc.)? As far as- "it will only take me a minute"- when did anything ever take "only a minute" when you were in a hurry?? It's Murphy's Law that if it should be a quick trip it will not be.

Your child is always safer with you- if someone wants to kidnap your child- they can break a window or convince your child to unlock the door or open the window! Have you not heard the stories about thieves stealing a car with a baby in it?

If you for some reason "absolutely have to" leave your child in the car, why would you not leave it running with the AC on (which brings up another set of safety issues) or at least leave the window open? In the winter, I have seen some people leave their cars running while they go shopping or to church, so it won't be cold when they get in. Of course, in the summer they leave it with the AC on instead of the heater. WHY can't these parents think of that?

Are they so worried about the environment that they forget about the health & well being of their children? What good is a clean planet if there isn't anyone to live on it?

Newborn Baby Essentials!

If you are a parent or parent-to-be, chances are you have seen numerous articles entitled something like this: "Must Haves for Baby" or "Baby Gear Essentials." These articles tell you what things you absolutely must have for your new baby. As a mother of five I have also read many of these articles and am left wondering, "If these are essentials how did the human race survive this long?" (essential:A. noun:necessity, essential, requirement, requisite, necessary. ) "How can anyone afford to have children?"
Although many of the baby gadgets & clothes are cute & fun, it is possible to get along with out them. Having children is only as expensive as you make it.

In order to figure out exactly what one must have for a new baby, one must first think about what a new baby has to have to survive - the necessities.

Babies, like all living things, have 2 basic needs:

• Food & water
• Shelter

That being said babies needs 2 things:

• Breast milk or formula
• Protection from the elements (Examples: a safe home or place to live, something to keep them warm.)

That's it- these are the "baby essentials," if a baby has these things he/she will be able to survive. I know some of you are saying but what about diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, onesies and bottles. The simple fact is that humans have survived for thousands of years before the invention of these helpful items. Therefor these are not necessary for the survival of a baby, they are all convenience items.

That being said, here is what I suggest for any new &/or expectant parents. I believe this list will be most helpful for those of us with limited $. The number of each items depends on how much time & money you have- how often can/do you want to spend doing laundry.

Diapers -disposable or cloth. If you choose cloth I suggest buying some plastic pants to go with them. Also you may want to start shopping for them NOW. It can be difficult to find cloth diapers. If you are choosing disposable go online & sign up at manufacturers websites & they will send you coupons (this usually lowers the prices enough so all brands are comparable.) You will soon figure out which brand(s) work for you. There is one brand I don't use because it always leaks (even though it claims not to). I don't use one of the others because it contains perfumes & gives my babies a rash (& I don't care for the smell.) You don't need powder (don't use baby powder on girls- it is linked to ovarian cancer; I believe talc is the problem) or cream unless baby's bottom start to get red. Powder is not recommended for babies because it can get into their lungs easily. If you want to use a powder use cornstarch & be careful not to shake it so it goes into the air. You can keep some sort of diaper cream (zinc oxide) just in case.

Breastfeeding/Bottles - if you are exclusively breastfeeding you really don't need any bottles (my first four children never had a bottle in their lives.) If you have to go to work or want some time away once in a while, you will need bottles. You will also need to "practice" with baby to see which nipple/bottle works best. My son refused to take anything artificial including a pacifier. Luckily at that time I was a stay at home mom (SAHM.) You may also want to purchase a breast pump to fill those bottles or if you're like me, just hold a cup under the opposite breast when feeding baby. If you choose to bottle feed you will need to choose formula as well as bottles. Again, babies can be choosy as to which nipples they will take. Ask your Dr. for recommendations & go online to the formula websites to sign up for coupons.

Blanket - I think "receiving blankets" are a good size- not too big not too small. They keep baby warm without too much bulk. A good size to cover baby when nursing & not too warm.

Baby gown or Sleeper or T-shirt (Onesies) - Gowns are nice because they work for boys or girls & will fit baby as he/she begins to stretch out. They are also easy to get into for diaper changes. The down side is they go on over the head- if baby has a leaky diaper it is a bit more difficult to get it off with out smearing the contents from the diaper all over baby. Sleepers - are nice because they are one piece & can be worn both day & night. However, they are a little harder to get into for diaper changes. I suggest a sleeper that opens in the front for "easy access." T-Shirts (Onesies) are great because they keep babies shirt down. Personally, I love the shirts that snap down the front because it is easy to get them on & off and clean up is simple even with a leaky diaper. I don't care for the t-shirts that go over the head because it doesn't matter what kind/brand of diaper you use at some time or another there will be a leaky diaper.

Wash cloth & towel - babies can use the same ones you do! No need to spend extra money for "baby" towel & wash cloths. I do recommend a thinner washcloth because they are easier to hold on to & as far as softness- it is just as soft as any baby wash cloth I've seen. I like regular towels better because the cover more of baby & they are thicker. Thickness counts for keeping baby warm & of course, to soak up the mess baby will make when you take him/her from the nice warm water into the cold air. (You can count on you new bundle of joy to poop &/or pee either in the bath tub or as soon as you take him/her out.)

OK- I know my list is short & you are asking, "What about a crib, changing table, toys & baby wipes?" To be perfectly honest you don't need them!

Baby wipes: You can clean your baby's bottom with a warm washcloth or make your own wipes with paper towels & warm water (I have a recipe somewhere & Viva paper towels work best for this!) If you choose to purchase wipes- get those coupons!

Changing table: A dresser with a mirror works awesome! They can be cleaned off (or put down a changing pad if you like) & babies love watching themselves in mirrors. As they get older & more wiggly the mirror give them something to do while you change them. Don't have a dresser? Babies can be changed anywhere- the floor, couch, bed, table, seat of the car, etc. Just make sure you have something clean to set them on (such as a changing pad.) No matter wher you are changing baby, NEVER let baby out of you reach during a diaper change!

Crib: Lots of babies sleep with mom or dad (I know it is not recommended, but I have slept with all of my children & never had any problems & I am a very sound sleeper.) Co-sleeping also allows nursing moms more time to sleep. Baby can nurse while you sleep! Not comfortable with co-sleeping? Babies can sleep almost anywhere- open dresser drawers (make sure it is empty), clothes baskets, etc. any where where they can breath & not roll away.

Toys: Until baby is a couple months old, he/she won't need. When baby starts getting interested in toys rattles. Make sure the rattles are light enough for baby to hold/move. I like the little wrist & foot rattles because they teach baby to use their body. (When I move the part it something happens-the rattle make noise.) When baby gets old enough to reach for a rattle make sure you have some that are easy & light enough for baby to hold. The next toys you will need are teethers, be sure to get a couple different textures.

Burp cloths/ bibs: Cloth diapers make great burp cloths as do bibs. I don't like bibs with ties- babies get a hold of the string & untie them and they seem to "cut" into baby's neck. I suggest velcro closures. Bibs that pul over the head are great until they are full of fodd & you try to take them off- the food goes from the bib to the baby.

Transportation: what you need for this depends on where you live. If you live in the city & don't drive, all you need is a good stroller or carrier. If you are going to travel in a motor vechile you need a car seat. Do your research, find a seat that will work in you vechile. I also suggest that you get a convertable car seat- it will last longer. Infant seat are nice but you have to purchase a new one at about a year. Many convertible seats will last as long as you child needs a seat.

Hello!

Well, here it is, a new adventure for me: Blogging!

Why do I want to blog? Because I have an opinion! :)

Seriously, I would like to share opinions, "expertise," & experiences relating to children, families, & current events. I am also interested in the experiences and opinions of others. I believe we all have something to offer & it is comforting to know we are not alone in our experiences.