Monday, October 31, 2011

The Greater Good

Today i watched a documentary that i wanted to share with everyone out there in the USA.  It's called 'The Greater Good'. 
'The Greater Good' is free to watch online till Nov 5
"The Greater Good looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps with no room for middle ground. Exploring the cultural intersection where parenting meets modern medicine and individual rights collide with politics, this character driven documentary weaves together the stories of three families whose lives have been forever changed by vaccination. By reframing the vaccine debate and offering, for the first time, the opportunity to have a rational and scientific discussion on how to create a safer and more effective vaccine program in America today, The Greater Good challenges viewers to think again." source
"Back in the 1980s, children were asked to get 23 doses of 7 different vaccines. By 2010, parents are being asked to give their children 69 doses of 16 vaccines. That’s triple the dose of those recommended in the 1980s.
And today, many states have made certain vaccinations mandatory… with parents having little or NO say in whether or not their children will receive a vaccine.
Are we doing the right thing? Should all of this be stopped? Or, are we completely taking vaccines for granted?" source

I don't care if you are pro vaccine or anti vaccine, you need to watch this movie. It's about education and becoming informed.  If you have no knowledge you have no choice.  Knowledge is power and we need this power in our lives.  If you can't sit down and watch the whole movie at once (it's 1 hour and 20 min) then watch it in segments like i did.  However you need to just watch it. 
Follow this link to watch the film

And if you would like to own this documentary it is only $10.00 this week (it's normally $20.00)  You can purchase it here.http://shop.mercola.com//product/the-greater-good-dvd,881.htm

Monday, October 17, 2011

How to buckle a child into a 5 point harness

It's been a while since i've made a car seat safety post, but that doesn't mean i'm not as passionate about it as i was before, i just got too busy to sit down and make a post.  There has been a topic i've been wanting to talk about for a while when it comes to car seat saftey, but i didn't know how best to go about it.  Now i don't have to since The Car Seat Lady has done if for me!

Ok, so i've been wanting to talk about the correct way to buckle a child into a 5 point harness and to bring attention to the fact that many caregivers do this incorectly because they leave excess strap by the child's legs.  I wanted to explain what i mean when i say this and how to check for it and make sure you have a tight insilation.  Then today when i was on facebook i saw a video The Car Seat Lady posted and it was exactly what i wanted to share!  So that's just what i'll do!  

After watching this video a couple of times there should be no excuss for not buckling up a child correctly in their car seat.  And if you do still happen to have some problems (since all car seats are different), take action in your child's (or grandchild, nice, nephew or friend's) life and ASK FOR HELP.  That is why there are CPSTs, to help you keep your child safer in the car.  You can find a local one at Safe Kids USA or on the national CPS Certification website.  (and if you know me personally i know 2 CPSTs that would love to answer any questions you have!)

How to Buckle a Child into a Car Seat with a 5-Point Harness from The Car Seat Lady on Vimeo.


Please pass this post on to everyone you know!  As i've mentioned in other posts,
98% of people are not using their car seat correctly and at least three child endangering mistakes are made by most parents while installing car seats.  This is a huge issue!  Proper information needs to be passed around so that children can be kept as safe as possible while traveling in a car.  
 
If there is a child in your life that you care about, *please* do not stay quite,  pass this information on!

Thank You!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Commercialization of Childhood


Well, it's gearing up to be that time of year again when the store ads go out in full force and you cannot sit down to watch a tv show without being bombarded with commercials about all the things you HAVE to have this holiday season. 

Most of the time i don't give *too* much thought to this (although lately i have been getting rather annoyed with tv ads), but now that i have a daughter that i'm raising i'm giving more thought to the things around me.

And one thing that makes me sick is the over commercialization of children! 

Everywhere you turn someone is trying to sell something geared towards a child. Books, movies, toys, food, vacations, mouth wash, cars, cell phones, music, on and on and on.  It's all over the place.  And the sad and sick thing is they start from the very beginning!  Just take a stroll down the local baby aisle at the store and you'll see diapers with cartoon characters and baby shampoo with the same.  Why should a baby care who is on their shampoo bottle?  But the advertising departments of companies know that if they can get a child hooked on a brand as early as possible they have a better chance of having a customer for life.  So they are going to put characters that children (even babies!) recognize and love so they will want the product.

I for one am trying not to fall for it.  I *really* hate the over commercialization of everything around us.  I'm trying to put my foot down and limit the items our daughter has that are commercialized.  I don't want all her toys, clothes, food, etc to be covered in "advertising" (and in children's terms this normally means a cartoon character).  I want her to grow up to be able to think for herself and be free from the problems that arise from too much commercialization. 

As i mentioned before in my post, 'More Natural Play Please', i want our children to play with toys that build the imagination.  But often times when children play with toys from their 'favorite tv show' they only mimic what they saw on tv, instead of using past experiences and actually playing with their imagination. 

I just want our children to be free from the idea that things bring happiness.  I don't' want my children to think that in order to have a good meal it HAS to be from a name brand box, or in order to be 'cool' they HAVE to have the clothes from a certain store, etc etc.  Not only do i want them to have their *own* image, but i also don't want them to be a slave to the advertising industries and throwing money down the drain for things that do not matter, and will not bring true happiness. 

And this is why i'm trying to have toys that encourage imagination play, toys free from logos and strict rules.  It's why we do not have a TV in our home.  I know i can't shelter my children forever, but at least home can be a safe haven from the pressure from all around.

And if you've read all this and think that i'm some crazy nut of a mother, i encourage you to watch this documentary on the subject that i found on the Waldorf Today website.  It's called 'Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood'.  It's an hour long documentary that talks about how these companies specifically target our children, how they study them to figure out how to sell things better to children, how to get children to throw the best fits to get what they want and how much money we are wasting, and how our children are loosing their childhood.


Source

The part i find most disturbing is around minute mark 40 when they start talking about how they are targeting BABIES to sell their products.  I think once you watch this fill you will be just about as disturbed as i am.
After you watch this film, please, share your thoughts with me, i'd love to hear them!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Beauty of a Mother

I want to share this picture that i ran across a few weeks ago.  I think it ties into my previous post very well. 

There is so much hate out there about our bodies, especially postpartum mothers.  We hate the stretch marks, to sag, the bulge, the pooch.  We look at what society considers beauty and feel inadequate next to it. 

We need to remember the miraculous, wonderful, AMAZING thing our bodies did!  We were partners with God to make something amazing, something no one else can do.  We are mothers and we are beautiful!  

Yes, our bodies may not ever be the same again, but life will never be the same again.  We must remember this and remember that we are all daughters of God, and we are all beautiful.

And if you are a mother struggling with how you look postpartum i *highly* suggest checking out the website, The Shape of a Mother.  I love that site! 

The Whale and the Mermaid

Hello hello my friends!

Sorry i've been MIA, and sorry i keep making excuses.  I think i've mentioned before that life is extremely hectic right now and we're just trying to get moved into our new house, but problem after problem keep arising. 

But i have not forgotten you!  Today i ran across a photo and an analogy i wanted to share with you :)

French model Tara Lynn

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.
But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "
 
French model Tara Lynn     

     
UK model Chloe Marshall
          





























































































































Australian model Crystal Renn
Kailee O'Sullivan
Two of my beautiful sisters
My beautiful mother and me
My beautiful sister in law
A beautiful friend

Another beautiful sister in law

You are all beautiful!!

How Amazing are we?