Dr. Irwin came over to the house today for a visit. I really respect his opinion and I wanted to ask him a few questions about Seth. We've had so many opinions on him - and lots of different answers. We've heard autism, dyspraxia, adhd, oppositional defiant disorder, sensory integration disorder, etc etc etc. So, he came in and immediately sat down and started playing with Seth. He was amazed at the progress he's made since August. His opinion - lots of emotional and social issues, but NO autism. NO AUTISM! He said that he DID have autism, but he's recovered enough in certain areas for it to be UN-DIAGNOSABLE. To hear a professional say 'it's not autism anymore' made my day. We've worked so hard and I feel like it's paying off.
He also made me feel much better about Seth's diet. He reminded me that some of the villages Dr. Weston A. Price studied had very limited diets and exceptional health. As long as it's not processed junk, then I shouldn't worry about his limited list of foods.
He said that now that our TV is gone, we will probably see a lot of Seth's other "problems" disappear.
Dare I say that I'm now a Happy Hippie Recovered Autism Mom?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Goodbye TV
We said goodbye to our television yesterday. I feel so liberated. We took down the entire entertainment unit, all the movies, everything. It's all in storage. Goodbye mind-numbing entertainment, hello meaningful family time.
This morning, instead of Seth watching his usual post-breakfast movie, we've been dancing to Christmas music and had so much fun. We made a memory this morning. I don't miss the TV.
This morning, instead of Seth watching his usual post-breakfast movie, we've been dancing to Christmas music and had so much fun. We made a memory this morning. I don't miss the TV.
Kids Homemade Christmas
Here is a list of things that your kids can make for handmade Christmas presents this year. Courtesy of Crafty Crow.
freezer paper stenciled object such as a t-shirt, sweatshirt, apron, tea towel, tote bag, etc.
homemade deoderant, soap, face scrub, etc.
drink coasters made from fabric, felted wool, popsicle sticks, oil cloth, cork, weaving, etc.
write and illustrate a story then bind it into a book
blank book or journal
candles: rolled up beeswax sheets, recycled old candles, soy candles, dipped candles, etc.
several different exotic varieties of homemade ice cream
pillowcases: make from scratch or buy them and add decoration with stenciling, fabric markers, fabric paint, embroidery or simple applique
crochet washcloths or dishcloths; especially nice from organic cotton yarn
a decorated walking stick
set of magnets: marble magnets, artwork glued onto magnet sheets, button magnets or woodsie magnets
homemade candy such as peanut brittle, rock candy, lollipops, etc.
make or buy some simple tote bags and using stenciling, fabric paint or fabric markers label them for tech accessories, beauty supplies, craft supplies, etc.
bean bags
a game
a compilation recipe book: collect recipes from family members and compile into a book/notebook
terrarium
wee garden
crayon cookies
homemade cookies or pie
a weaving
music mix cd
recipe in a jar
spice mix for grilling
scarf: no sew fleece scarf, knit/crochet scarf, fabric scarf, etc.
a decorated wood box
felt play food
wet felted wool balls
felted soap
stationery set
stickers
jewelry: earrings, necklace, bracelet
clock: get a kit and get creative with the clock face
a diorama
a calendar: have artwork printed for each month
anniversary calendar with special occasions already written in
flowers: tissue paper flowers, button flowers, felt flowers, etc.
doll or troll house made from a gourd, cardboard boxes, wood shelves, etc.
garland
simple pillow
painted rocks to be used as paper weights, door stops, plant markers, etc.
no-sew fleece blanket
mobile
hot sock: sock filled with rice to heat for cold winter nights
desk accessories: pencil cup, drawer organizers, etc.
bookmarks
dress-up kit
make a puzzle from wood blocks
embroidered drawing framed in an embroidery hoop
puppets
puppet theater
key chain
sachets
set of napkins
handmade rubber stamps
decorated picture frame
ornaments
bulletin board
peg dolls
doll house accessories
stuffies
freezer paper stenciled object such as a t-shirt, sweatshirt, apron, tea towel, tote bag, etc.
homemade deoderant, soap, face scrub, etc.
drink coasters made from fabric, felted wool, popsicle sticks, oil cloth, cork, weaving, etc.
write and illustrate a story then bind it into a book
blank book or journal
candles: rolled up beeswax sheets, recycled old candles, soy candles, dipped candles, etc.
several different exotic varieties of homemade ice cream
pillowcases: make from scratch or buy them and add decoration with stenciling, fabric markers, fabric paint, embroidery or simple applique
crochet washcloths or dishcloths; especially nice from organic cotton yarn
a decorated walking stick
set of magnets: marble magnets, artwork glued onto magnet sheets, button magnets or woodsie magnets
homemade candy such as peanut brittle, rock candy, lollipops, etc.
make or buy some simple tote bags and using stenciling, fabric paint or fabric markers label them for tech accessories, beauty supplies, craft supplies, etc.
bean bags
a game
a compilation recipe book: collect recipes from family members and compile into a book/notebook
terrarium
wee garden
crayon cookies
homemade cookies or pie
a weaving
music mix cd
recipe in a jar
spice mix for grilling
scarf: no sew fleece scarf, knit/crochet scarf, fabric scarf, etc.
a decorated wood box
felt play food
wet felted wool balls
felted soap
stationery set
stickers
jewelry: earrings, necklace, bracelet
clock: get a kit and get creative with the clock face
a diorama
a calendar: have artwork printed for each month
anniversary calendar with special occasions already written in
flowers: tissue paper flowers, button flowers, felt flowers, etc.
doll or troll house made from a gourd, cardboard boxes, wood shelves, etc.
garland
simple pillow
painted rocks to be used as paper weights, door stops, plant markers, etc.
no-sew fleece blanket
mobile
hot sock: sock filled with rice to heat for cold winter nights
desk accessories: pencil cup, drawer organizers, etc.
bookmarks
dress-up kit
make a puzzle from wood blocks
embroidered drawing framed in an embroidery hoop
puppets
puppet theater
key chain
sachets
set of napkins
handmade rubber stamps
decorated picture frame
ornaments
bulletin board
peg dolls
doll house accessories
stuffies
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Best. Book. Ever.
I've been reading this book, Instead of Medicating and Punishing: Healing the Causes of Our Children's Acting-Out Behavior by Parenting and Educating the Way Nature Intended by Laurie A. Couture, and it's absolutely wonderful! I don't even know where to start. It has such great information. Here's an excerpt.
Chapter 10: Does Your Child Have a Brain Disorder or Is Our Culture Disordered?
The mental health, psychiatirc and pharmaceutical industries have capitalized on human suffering for years, marketing everything from macabre experiemnts in gothic "asylums" in centuries past, to the simplistic self-help books, charismatic "inner child" workshops, trendy therapies and mood-numbing chemicals of modern times. It should be of no surprise that the mental health and pharmaceutical institutions eventually turned from a focus on adult "pathology" to the financial goldmine of the suffering of society's most vulnerable and most captive subjects...children.
Are our children really as brain disordered as the experts wish for us to believe or are their behaviors and extreme emotions natural reactions to a toxic cultural environment? Do our children really require powerful mind-altering chemicals every day just to function or are our children screaming out for something deeper than a pill? Does it really make us feel better as parents when the "experts" and authors assure us that "it's not our fault", the child has a "chemical imbalance" or "the child's brain doesn't have any brakes"? Do we believe that deep down? The multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry hopes that we do!
What did we learn from the last nine chapters about what children need in order to function optimally physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, sexually, morally and spiritually? To sum up briefly, we learned that for our children to develop optimally in all areas:
- Children require secure parent-child attachment
- Children's basic physical and emotional needs must be consistently met as soon as possible, especially in infancy, but also all throughout childhood
- Children require that mothers hold or "wear" them continuously on the skin for the first 12 months of life
- Children require that their mothers breastfeed them as often as needed, for no less than 2.5 years and optimally more
- Children need a physically and emotionally safe, stable, loving and nurturing home environment
- Children need to be loved, treasured, cherished and respected for who they are as individuals
- Children need continuous physical affection at all ages
- Young children naturally feel safest, most attached and most comforted by cosleeping with their parents
- Children need guidance and discipline that is physically and emotionally nonviolent and based on strong family and community modeling
- Children need to be with their parents, friends and communities during the day
- Children do best in mixed-age groups of peers
- Children need freedom, exploration and play in order to learn and keep the desire to learn
- Children ideally need to be able to imitate and join parents and adults in their community doing work that children find interesting
- Children need constant, regular, high-energy physical activity all through out the day
- Children need to direct their play, learning and exploration
- Children need their developmental pace and abilities respected
- Children need to learn according to their learning styles
- Children need to learn primarily through unique intelligences that they posses and need to have their intelligences treated as valid
- Children need to have their parent's time, affection and playfulness - Substitutes won't do!
- Children need entertainment and cultural modeling that is developmentally appropriate, fun, enriching, fulfilling and active
We can expect natural alarm signals from children whose needs are not being met. We can expect natural emotional and behavioral instability to result when children's needs aren't met. That being the case, when children give us alarm signals and emotionally and behaviorally show us their distress, are they telling us that there is something wrong with their brains? Or are they telling us that they are suffering distress from disrupted attachment, unmet physical and emotional needs, trauma or unnatural learning conditions?
--
"You have the power to give up yelling, hitting, rough handling and punishing your children. You have the power to give up our culture's cold beliefs that babies belong in cribs, fed by bottles. You have the power to challenge harmful trends, including the belief that the sarcastic cartoons on TV are "fine" for your children to watch.
You have the "mother-bear" power to challenge our culture's apathetic notions that children belong in school and that your children "learn more" at school than at home. You have the parental power to tell your children's teachers that you will not be allowing homework in your home. You have the power to connect with the unschooling or homeschooling groups in your area to find out how easy and freeing it can be to allow your children to learn at home and out in the community. You have the power to search for a school for your children that you would have loved as a child; a school that will allow your children to keep their natural love for learning; a school that your children would find true joy in.
You have the instinctual, loving power to cuddle and nurture your children daily and re-parent their earlier unmet needs. You have the courageous power to deeply listen to your children and find out what they need, instead of what you believe. You have the healing power to not blame yourself, to not blame others, to not blame brain disorders and to not blame your children for the way things are now. You have the power to get the help you need in order to help your children."
"You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." - Gandhi
I will be posting more on this book later. She has a whole chapter dedicated to re-attaching to your children. It's fabulous.
Chapter 10: Does Your Child Have a Brain Disorder or Is Our Culture Disordered?
The mental health, psychiatirc and pharmaceutical industries have capitalized on human suffering for years, marketing everything from macabre experiemnts in gothic "asylums" in centuries past, to the simplistic self-help books, charismatic "inner child" workshops, trendy therapies and mood-numbing chemicals of modern times. It should be of no surprise that the mental health and pharmaceutical institutions eventually turned from a focus on adult "pathology" to the financial goldmine of the suffering of society's most vulnerable and most captive subjects...children.
Are our children really as brain disordered as the experts wish for us to believe or are their behaviors and extreme emotions natural reactions to a toxic cultural environment? Do our children really require powerful mind-altering chemicals every day just to function or are our children screaming out for something deeper than a pill? Does it really make us feel better as parents when the "experts" and authors assure us that "it's not our fault", the child has a "chemical imbalance" or "the child's brain doesn't have any brakes"? Do we believe that deep down? The multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry hopes that we do!
What did we learn from the last nine chapters about what children need in order to function optimally physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, sexually, morally and spiritually? To sum up briefly, we learned that for our children to develop optimally in all areas:
- Children require secure parent-child attachment
- Children's basic physical and emotional needs must be consistently met as soon as possible, especially in infancy, but also all throughout childhood
- Children require that mothers hold or "wear" them continuously on the skin for the first 12 months of life
- Children require that their mothers breastfeed them as often as needed, for no less than 2.5 years and optimally more
- Children need a physically and emotionally safe, stable, loving and nurturing home environment
- Children need to be loved, treasured, cherished and respected for who they are as individuals
- Children need continuous physical affection at all ages
- Young children naturally feel safest, most attached and most comforted by cosleeping with their parents
- Children need guidance and discipline that is physically and emotionally nonviolent and based on strong family and community modeling
- Children need to be with their parents, friends and communities during the day
- Children do best in mixed-age groups of peers
- Children need freedom, exploration and play in order to learn and keep the desire to learn
- Children ideally need to be able to imitate and join parents and adults in their community doing work that children find interesting
- Children need constant, regular, high-energy physical activity all through out the day
- Children need to direct their play, learning and exploration
- Children need their developmental pace and abilities respected
- Children need to learn according to their learning styles
- Children need to learn primarily through unique intelligences that they posses and need to have their intelligences treated as valid
- Children need to have their parent's time, affection and playfulness - Substitutes won't do!
- Children need entertainment and cultural modeling that is developmentally appropriate, fun, enriching, fulfilling and active
We can expect natural alarm signals from children whose needs are not being met. We can expect natural emotional and behavioral instability to result when children's needs aren't met. That being the case, when children give us alarm signals and emotionally and behaviorally show us their distress, are they telling us that there is something wrong with their brains? Or are they telling us that they are suffering distress from disrupted attachment, unmet physical and emotional needs, trauma or unnatural learning conditions?
--
"You have the power to give up yelling, hitting, rough handling and punishing your children. You have the power to give up our culture's cold beliefs that babies belong in cribs, fed by bottles. You have the power to challenge harmful trends, including the belief that the sarcastic cartoons on TV are "fine" for your children to watch.
You have the "mother-bear" power to challenge our culture's apathetic notions that children belong in school and that your children "learn more" at school than at home. You have the parental power to tell your children's teachers that you will not be allowing homework in your home. You have the power to connect with the unschooling or homeschooling groups in your area to find out how easy and freeing it can be to allow your children to learn at home and out in the community. You have the power to search for a school for your children that you would have loved as a child; a school that will allow your children to keep their natural love for learning; a school that your children would find true joy in.
You have the instinctual, loving power to cuddle and nurture your children daily and re-parent their earlier unmet needs. You have the courageous power to deeply listen to your children and find out what they need, instead of what you believe. You have the healing power to not blame yourself, to not blame others, to not blame brain disorders and to not blame your children for the way things are now. You have the power to get the help you need in order to help your children."
"You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." - Gandhi
I will be posting more on this book later. She has a whole chapter dedicated to re-attaching to your children. It's fabulous.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What's Cookin' in My Kitchen Today
We picked up an order from the farm today. Loads of raw goat milk, raw goat milk yogurt, fermented ketchup, raw goat milk cheese, maple syrup, and 1lb. apples.
I think that I'll make Seth a modified version of tuna casserole loaded with that goat milk cheese (and hope that he eats it).
We're going to bake some apple slices with the maple syrup and sprinkles of cinnamon. Yum!
Also, Seth has now added refried beans to his list of foods! So, I've been soaking and making beans today. Here they are before they get pureed with bacon fat and ghee.
I think that I'll make Seth a modified version of tuna casserole loaded with that goat milk cheese (and hope that he eats it).
We're going to bake some apple slices with the maple syrup and sprinkles of cinnamon. Yum!
Also, Seth has now added refried beans to his list of foods! So, I've been soaking and making beans today. Here they are before they get pureed with bacon fat and ghee.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Updates
Yeah, I know. It's been a while. I wish I could tell you some exciting story about what I've been up to. But, alas, just the regular ol' day to day taking care of kids scene. Little rugrats are keeping me busy. Here's an update.
Ella - In addition to signing "more" she's started pointing and waving bye-bye. Yep, the cutest thing you've ever seen. She's so cute I just want to eat her up. She's also started sleeping much better at night. What more could I ask for?
Seth - He had his DAN! appointment today and it was great. Dr. Gennaro is seeing so much improvement in him. She took out a picture of him that she took at his first appointment and he looks so pale and angry. She mentioned how much more color he has in his face. His body is continuing to heal, just like it should. He also didn't have any meltdowns while we were there (a first)! I mentioned his food issues to her again and she did some applied kinesiology to find out why he's having issues. Fears and phobias is what she kept coming up with. I think she nailed it on the head. I've actually compared Seth to a abused shelter dog - timid and scared of the world. So, she put him on a homeopathic spray for fears and phobias. She said that she's seen peoples lives change from these sprays. She also put him on a parasite spray. He's been on Pleo Oku for a while now, but I guess it wasn't working the way it should be. Dr. Gennaro said that Seth's gut is healed enough to start cleaning out those heavy metals. So, we're starting with Natural Cellular Defense. It's negatively charged volcanic ash that is suppose to pull out the metals from his body. Anyways, so here is his supplement list right now.
Adrenal Support drops - 5 drops/2x day
Stress Relief drops - 5 drops/2x day
Fears and Phobias spray - 2 sprays/2x day
Parasite spray - 2 sprays/2x day
Probiotics - 1 tsp day
Cod Liver Oil
Pleo Fort - 2 drops/1x day
MMR homeopathic capsules - 1 capsule/1x week
Corpus Colosum homeopathic capsules - 5 capsules/1x week
Enzymes - at every meal/snack
Basic Nutrients Plus - 1 capful a day
Natural Cellular Defense
I think that's it for right now.
Also, the best thing happened while we were at Dr. G's office. There was another autism mom coming out of the office as we were coming in. We gave each other the knowing smile and I thought that was the end of it. But, she ended up coming back in the office and asked if she had seen me at the Green our Vaccines Rally. I was so surprised that she recognized me - that was months ago and there were thousands of people there! We started talking and it turns out that she's got a 3 year old boy on the spectrum, a 1 year old girl, they live in Alexandria near us, and they are LDS! I'm so excited that we met! She's got my email address and we will try and get together soon. YAY!
Christmas update - I've made the homemade pledge and I'm almost done with my shopping. I've been using Etsy to find most of my gifts. I couldn't be happier with the things I've found. I'm never having another store bought Christmas again!
Ella - In addition to signing "more" she's started pointing and waving bye-bye. Yep, the cutest thing you've ever seen. She's so cute I just want to eat her up. She's also started sleeping much better at night. What more could I ask for?
Seth - He had his DAN! appointment today and it was great. Dr. Gennaro is seeing so much improvement in him. She took out a picture of him that she took at his first appointment and he looks so pale and angry. She mentioned how much more color he has in his face. His body is continuing to heal, just like it should. He also didn't have any meltdowns while we were there (a first)! I mentioned his food issues to her again and she did some applied kinesiology to find out why he's having issues. Fears and phobias is what she kept coming up with. I think she nailed it on the head. I've actually compared Seth to a abused shelter dog - timid and scared of the world. So, she put him on a homeopathic spray for fears and phobias. She said that she's seen peoples lives change from these sprays. She also put him on a parasite spray. He's been on Pleo Oku for a while now, but I guess it wasn't working the way it should be. Dr. Gennaro said that Seth's gut is healed enough to start cleaning out those heavy metals. So, we're starting with Natural Cellular Defense. It's negatively charged volcanic ash that is suppose to pull out the metals from his body. Anyways, so here is his supplement list right now.
Adrenal Support drops - 5 drops/2x day
Stress Relief drops - 5 drops/2x day
Fears and Phobias spray - 2 sprays/2x day
Parasite spray - 2 sprays/2x day
Probiotics - 1 tsp day
Cod Liver Oil
Pleo Fort - 2 drops/1x day
MMR homeopathic capsules - 1 capsule/1x week
Corpus Colosum homeopathic capsules - 5 capsules/1x week
Enzymes - at every meal/snack
Basic Nutrients Plus - 1 capful a day
Natural Cellular Defense
I think that's it for right now.
Also, the best thing happened while we were at Dr. G's office. There was another autism mom coming out of the office as we were coming in. We gave each other the knowing smile and I thought that was the end of it. But, she ended up coming back in the office and asked if she had seen me at the Green our Vaccines Rally. I was so surprised that she recognized me - that was months ago and there were thousands of people there! We started talking and it turns out that she's got a 3 year old boy on the spectrum, a 1 year old girl, they live in Alexandria near us, and they are LDS! I'm so excited that we met! She's got my email address and we will try and get together soon. YAY!
Christmas update - I've made the homemade pledge and I'm almost done with my shopping. I've been using Etsy to find most of my gifts. I couldn't be happier with the things I've found. I'm never having another store bought Christmas again!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thanks Michael Pollan
Someone from one of my yahoo groups led me to this article from the NY Times.
Farmer in Chief
Here is an excerpt
"Which brings me to the deeper reason you will need not simply to address food prices but to make the reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them. Let me explain.
After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study. Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy it used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. Put another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases. This state of affairs appears all the more absurd when you recall that every calorie we eat is ultimately the product of photosynthesis — a process based on making food energy from sunshine. There is hope and possibility in that simple fact.
In addition to the problems of climate change and America’s oil addiction, you have spoken at length on the campaign trail of the health care crisis. Spending on health care has risen from 5 percent of national income in 1960 to 16 percent today, putting a significant drag on the economy. The goal of ensuring the health of all Americans depends on getting those costs under control. There are several reasons health care has gotten so expensive, but one of the biggest, and perhaps most tractable, is the cost to the system of preventable chronic diseases. Four of the top 10 killers in America today are chronic diseases linked to diet: heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. It is no coincidence that in the years national spending on health care went from 5 percent to 16 percent of national income, spending on food has fallen by a comparable amount — from 18 percent of household income to less than 10 percent. While the surfeit of cheap calories that the U.S. food system has produced since the late 1970s may have taken food prices off the political agenda, this has come at a steep cost to public health. You cannot expect to reform the health care system, much less expand coverage, without confronting the public-health catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
Farmer in Chief
Here is an excerpt
"Which brings me to the deeper reason you will need not simply to address food prices but to make the reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them. Let me explain.
After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study. Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy it used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. Put another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases. This state of affairs appears all the more absurd when you recall that every calorie we eat is ultimately the product of photosynthesis — a process based on making food energy from sunshine. There is hope and possibility in that simple fact.
In addition to the problems of climate change and America’s oil addiction, you have spoken at length on the campaign trail of the health care crisis. Spending on health care has risen from 5 percent of national income in 1960 to 16 percent today, putting a significant drag on the economy. The goal of ensuring the health of all Americans depends on getting those costs under control. There are several reasons health care has gotten so expensive, but one of the biggest, and perhaps most tractable, is the cost to the system of preventable chronic diseases. Four of the top 10 killers in America today are chronic diseases linked to diet: heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. It is no coincidence that in the years national spending on health care went from 5 percent to 16 percent of national income, spending on food has fallen by a comparable amount — from 18 percent of household income to less than 10 percent. While the surfeit of cheap calories that the U.S. food system has produced since the late 1970s may have taken food prices off the political agenda, this has come at a steep cost to public health. You cannot expect to reform the health care system, much less expand coverage, without confronting the public-health catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Latte Factor.
"For all the little things we spend our money on like fast food and starbucks, this alone over a long period of time could end up to be a considerable amount. Say you spend on average roughly $10 for lunch and starbucks. Over a year it’s $3,650 and over thirty years it comes to 109,500! Now imagine you put this money away in the stock market in some kind of an index fund, which historically averages about a 10% return. You would end up with 660,443.50! Isn’t this amazing? So yes, your daily fast food and starbucks is costing you over half a million dollars. This is also known as the Latte factor."
Source
I'm going to start saving $10 a day. How about you?
Source
I'm going to start saving $10 a day. How about you?
The website I can't get enough of today
Overcoming Consumerism
which led me to this thought provoking site that compares two families....a consumer-centered family and a family working towards self-sufficiency. Really has me thinking about some changes to make around here.
I was planning on a homemade Christmas this year. But, once we started getting all those fun holiday catalogs I started to think that maybe I would buy just a *few* things. Nevermind. Recycling the catalogs and staying away from stores.
which led me to this thought provoking site that compares two families....a consumer-centered family and a family working towards self-sufficiency. Really has me thinking about some changes to make around here.
I was planning on a homemade Christmas this year. But, once we started getting all those fun holiday catalogs I started to think that maybe I would buy just a *few* things. Nevermind. Recycling the catalogs and staying away from stores.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Vaccines
A friend of mine from college asked me some questions about vaccines. I dug around in my old vaccine information and found a few great websites. I thought I'd share.
There is so much information out there - you just have to go digging for it yourself. Here are a few websites to get you started on researching...
http://www.909shot.com/Default.htm - You can click around here and find lots of information.
http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines.html - This page talks about a delayed vaccine schedule.
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/ - Lots of great info, plus a delayed vaccine schedule.
Yes, you CAN delay any and all vaccines. Your doctor can't make you do anything - it's completely your decision (they just don't tell you that!). You can also request thimerosal-free vaccines. Thimerosal is the mercury preservative that some are speculating causes autism. Honestly, if you're feeling worried just wait. Wait until you find more out and can make an educated decision. I've come to the conclusion that it is a spiritual decision as well. Pray about it. What we've decided to do with Ella is wait until she is 2 years old and then pray about it. I don't believe that our children's bodies are ready to combat toxins like that until then.
I remember I was so scared to go back to Seth's pediatrician and tell him we didn't want any more vaccines. I made Rhett take time off work so he could go with me for support. It was no big deal though. He prodded a little bit, but was fine with our decision. You are the parent, not him. So, don't let him bully you around if you decide to wait. Also, you can request to see the vaccine ingredients - that usually shuts them right up!
http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html - List of vaccine ingredients......it's disgusting! Don't look at this if you've just eaten and have a weak stomach.
I couldn't help Seth before it was too late, but maybe I can help another child.
There is so much information out there - you just have to go digging for it yourself. Here are a few websites to get you started on researching...
http://www.909shot.com/Default.htm - You can click around here and find lots of information.
http://www.generationrescue.org/vaccines.html - This page talks about a delayed vaccine schedule.
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/ - Lots of great info, plus a delayed vaccine schedule.
Yes, you CAN delay any and all vaccines. Your doctor can't make you do anything - it's completely your decision (they just don't tell you that!). You can also request thimerosal-free vaccines. Thimerosal is the mercury preservative that some are speculating causes autism. Honestly, if you're feeling worried just wait. Wait until you find more out and can make an educated decision. I've come to the conclusion that it is a spiritual decision as well. Pray about it. What we've decided to do with Ella is wait until she is 2 years old and then pray about it. I don't believe that our children's bodies are ready to combat toxins like that until then.
I remember I was so scared to go back to Seth's pediatrician and tell him we didn't want any more vaccines. I made Rhett take time off work so he could go with me for support. It was no big deal though. He prodded a little bit, but was fine with our decision. You are the parent, not him. So, don't let him bully you around if you decide to wait. Also, you can request to see the vaccine ingredients - that usually shuts them right up!
http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html - List of vaccine ingredients......it's disgusting! Don't look at this if you've just eaten and have a weak stomach.
I couldn't help Seth before it was too late, but maybe I can help another child.
Halloween
This is the first year we've tried taking Seth trick-or-treating and it was a success! We were anticipating the worst, but he really did great. I didn't think we would even get out the door - because of his major sensory issues he's very weird about clothes, so I didn't think he would let me put on the costume. It was so fun to have a "normal" kid for a night! Seth dressed up as Peter Pan and his best bud, Emma, was Tinkerbell. Ella was a flower.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
GFCF playdough
1/2 to 1 cup of goat milk powder (depending on how liquid your peanut butter is)
2 tablespoons of honey
1 cup of organic peanut butter
mix and play!
2 tablespoons of honey
1 cup of organic peanut butter
mix and play!
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