Whew

It has been a LONG time! I have been so busy with the kids, that blogging has been the VERY last thing on my mind.

Updates

Clare: Our little girl has started a 2 day a week Mothers Day Out and so far LOVES it. She is getting rave reviews from her teachers. So far they have told us she is smart, intuitive, helpful and creative.

At home, Clare seems to be a bit bored which was one reason why we thought a MDO would be good, however we had hesitated because we werent sure if a private preshcool would take her without any vaccinations. But we got our religious exemption in place for her and are so glad we did.

Paul: Little man spends his days with me, he plays really well by himself and seeems to enjoy running errands, he doesnt like being left with anyone but me which is a bit tiring but sweet. He is very talkative and is always telling me little sweet things about his day. I really enjoy my time with him.

Nevan: whew! Nevan is such a third child. No one told me that thirdsies are NEEDY! Man, he takes it out of us! He always likes to be held, entertained, cuddled and fed. Needless to say WE ARE TIRED! Nevan has a hard time staying on any sort of consistant routine, which makes nighttime extremely difficult. He wakes every hour to hour and a half to nurse which after 9 months, I am pretty exhausted from this. Some nights he will go three hours without waking...but that has really only been a handful of times.

Thats all for now, here are a couple pics.

Getting better...naturally

Alright here is my post on natural remedies that have worked WONDERS for my family.

Here are the things you will find in my medicine cabinet:

Vitamin D3

Vitamin C

Vitamin A

Pro-Biotics (refrigerated section)

Coconut Oil

Coconut Water (refrigerated section)

Zinc

Elderberry Syrup

Gripe water

Sovereign Silver

Essential Oils; Lavender, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Tea tree oil, Thieves

Cloves

Pure/Raw Local Organic Honey

Grapeseed Extract

Pain a Trate

Epsom Salt

Garlic oil (refrigerated)

White Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar

Alright- things you will NEVER find in my cabinet:

Tylenol/IBprofen (my DH smuggles it in every once in a while)

Orajel or Anbesol (spelling?)

Thermometer

Any other meds you can think of...

My first and favorite remedy is D3. I am amazed at this Vitamin, we personally use Carlson's brand from the HFS (Health Food Store), however I have been researching Swanson's vitamins and I am thinking of switching to those. I give my children 35ius ppobw (perpoundofbodyweight) every day that they are not outside in the sun. I give them 1000iusppobw anytime they are sick for 3-5 days depending on if their symptoms are going away or getting worse. These recommendations are from the Vitamin D Council. I notice EVERYTIME I give them D that their illnesses usually last about 3 days (previous to my health food kick...when I used mainstream meds...it would take at least 5). If I know my kids are going to be around someone sick in the family, I automatically give them an upped dose (1000ius ppobw) that morning. If I see them starting to sneeze or acting sick I give them an upped dose and it kicks it.

I give my children Vitamin C to bowel tolerance when they are sick otherwise I just give them the recommended dose of C daily that is recommended on the bottle.

I actually have yet to give my children A, but have heard it is wonderful when a child has a virus (or an adult).

I give my kid pro-biotics almost every day and double the dose when they are ill...this is amazing when they have bugs in their tummys. I personally use Solar ray brand from the HFS - its about 23 dollars and lasts me three months.

I use elderberry syrup to help sooth throats and chest colds

I use essential oils on my children all the time-I follow the 'Less is MORE' rule and usually put between 3-5 drops in a T of Coconut oil - except I do put Lavender directly on cuts and burns without dilution.

Lavender- just about everything under the sun...I put it on cuts, scrapes, burns, on their feet to calm them

Eucalyptus- I mix with Lavender and dilute and rub on feet and chests when they are sniffly

Lemon- I have and put in food to flavor

Peppermint- directly on temples for a headache and a drop in the belly button to bring down fevers (although that is only in dire circumstances...since I let fevers burn typically)

Thieves- is a blend from Young Living (super expensive company) that I use sparingly on mykids for immuno support sometimes.

I use Honey to get vitamins down my kids, I typically do not buy the children's versions of vitamins because they are overpriced and can have lots of additives. I buy capsules of everything and give my children the contents in honey.

I also use honey to soothe throats and to build up a resistance to local pollen which causes horrible allergies in some people (doesnt seem to affect my kids)

Grapeseed Extract (capsule form)- is AMAZING stuff..I give it for the sniffles and for any swelling. WONDERFUL.

Epsom salts - I use in the bath to draw out toxins from the various cuts my kiddos get every day in teh back yard.

PainaTrate (The Wellness Company) I get this...its basically the natural version of Bengay...it works great- but I dont really recommend the company so much anymore.

Garlic Oil- I make my own, I boil Garlic for about 10 minutes in Olive oil and then store it in a mason jar in my fridge- I put it in my childrens ears when they are bothering them and have used it for the ONE time they got ear infections- their ear pain was GONE in less than 2 minutes.

White Vinegar (cheap walmart brand) I put some in the bathtub with my kiddos every other night or so (about 1-2 cups)...this is the quickest healer I have found for any rashes or infections on them or in their privates. I also use White Vinegar mixed with some Lavender in a cleaning bottle to clean my counters and floors.

Apple Cider Vinegar - I put about a cup in a gallon of sweet raspberry or apple tea and then give it to my kids to drink...they LOVE it. I also put it in Apple juice...I am still learning about Apple Cider Vinegar but I sure like what I have learned so far and I will blog just about Apple Cider Vinegar in itself later.

Cloves: I boil cloves in water and rub it on teething gums..works pretty good!

Sovereign Silver- I use for immune support- I give them one recommended dose when they are ill. I put it on pimples and cuts and skin irritations...works great!

Coconut Oil- I use for thrush, yeast infections, diaper cream, I give my kids tablespoons to eat whenever it is out...it is a common remedy in our house.

Ask me about any of the above specifically...I can think of quite of few more but the above ones are my favorite!

God Bless!

Mandy

My journey to Chiropractic

I LOVE CHIROPRACTORS! I have yet to run into one that I think is kooky or quacky or whatever the stigma is attached to these amazing people!

I grew up with the mindset that Chiropractors were quacks and always had this mental picture in my head of a loony lookin old man with giant glasses forcefully tweaking someones body in horrible positions. Well that silly idea sure changed when I met my husband's chiropractor!

Right after my husband and I were married, my husband tweaked his back (sciatic nerve) while racing with his groomsmen on the golf course at our reception. He tweaked it so badly that he spent our honeymoon in tremendous amounts of pain and constantly complaining of "his mushrooms" I have no idea where he got that term for his lower back- it came about while he was sleep talking and has been a joke between us for 3 years now.

Anyways, back on point- My husband's mother kinda pushed us to go to the Chiropractor...of course I was resistant but my husband was set on going. We walked in and the girls behind the counter did some xrays and a thermal heat scan on his back and then in walks Dr. H, young handsome, full of life, educated Doctor H! That was surprise number 1. Surprise 2 was when Dr. H had my husband stand next to the adjustment table and then lowered him to a flat position face down. Dr. H pulled out a miniature pogo stick and went to town on my DH's back! He just went up and down his spine and out across his hips 'thumping' him...I think I was laughing at this point almost expecting this to be a joke! Except joke was on me, because after spending my first two weeks of married life with my limping husband..I watched him walk out of there like nothing had happened. WOW. I kinda put this experience to the back of my mind until five months after my DD was born.

When Clare was five months old she stopped going to the bathroom (specifically number 2) for about 5 days...my pedi told me this was normal, ehh but my gut told me otherwise- she wasnt acting like my normal, happy, loving little girl; she wasnt horrible, just obviously uncomfortable. Josh's mother again mentioned the Chiropractor and Josh convinced me to try it out for myself and Clare, My MIL also recommended I go for my constant sleeping problems. I have always had a hard time going to sleep at night and that had only gotten magnified since getting up every couple hours with a baby. So we took Clare to see Dr. H and within 10 minutes of her thumper adjustment...well...we went through 2 diapers on the way home and Clare slept through the night for the first time that night and for about three weeks after that, until she seemed to need another adjustment at which point I jumped at the opportunity to take her, this time we let her play in the waiting room after the adjustment so we didnt have to deal with disastrous dipes in the car...without fail- she went through a dipe and outfit in Dr. H's office about 5 or 10 minutes after the adjustment.

My experience- The same day Clare was adjusted, I received Xrays and a thermal scan which showed lots of heat (pain) up and down my back...amazing how the body adapts and compensates for pain. Dr. H adjusted me and yes I was sore the next day but that night I slept sooo great! I personally have experienced multiple times having headaches or colds or ear pain and going to the chiropractor each time has eliminated this problem!

Now each time my kids have gotten stopped up or sick or just aren't sleeping, all it takes is a Chiropractic adjustment. I took Nevan for his first adjustment when he was 4 days old and poor baby had a twist in his lower back that was definitely causing him pain. I have found that if I take my kids to Dr. H when they get sick for an adjustment and then give them Vitamin C, D3 and Pro-biotics...the sickness is gone within three days always. I have learned the importance of a fever from my Chiropractor- here is a great article for ya: http://drtenpenny.com/fever.aspx

My favorite Chiropractic story though is this one. My Sister in Law is currently enrolled in her 5th (of 10) trimester. She comes home and tells us about various techniques she knows and she recommended I get my hands adjusted...here is the story behind my hands.

When I was in fifth grade, I ran into a wall playing a game of 'butts up' and injured one of my wrists...I wore a brace for a while but that was about the extent of it. When playing volleyball, I started experiencing horrible pain in my wrists, to the point where I couldnt wear bracelets, watches or even a hair tie on my wrists. I would have to sleep with my hands a certain way or else my wrists would hurt the next day. My Momma took me to the doc and they basically told me I would have to get a dye test and most likely get surgery...we sorta ignored it and I just stopped Volleyball. I suffered for five years following that with wrist pain...I couldnt do push ups, couldnt wear jewelry and would oftentimes just deal with the pain. I had my hands adjusted in November of 2010, which worried me in itself but I havent had ANY pain in my wrists since then! NONE! To think I went 7 plus years with this pain...I adapted to it, never the less it was always there and one adjustment took care of it completely!

Anyways-I ALWAYS go to my Chiropractor first before going to a doctor and so far...its worked!

Attachment Parenting

Here is my account of my journey to attachment parenting (AP).

I grew up in a large family, however my oldest siblings were pretty much out of the house by the time my sisters and I were adopted in so we really were just raised together. When I was seven years old my oldest brother and his wife had their first child, a baby boy named Joseph. I learned quickly the ins and outs of bottle feeding, holding, diaper changing, burping, and various other duties of a mother. My sis-in-law had four more children after Joe, all girls. Due to family circumstances I spent a lot of time playing with these kids and helping when I could. I LOVE children and loved spending time with my nieces. I also have other nieces and nephews, I just seemed to spend more time with the original five above...partly because we always lived so close to them. These kids were great, always on a good schedule, ate well, happy, smiley, so much fun. These guys were/are loved. I would say my sister-in-law and bro are great examples of parents. The way they raised their kids worked for them, they made certain decisions that worked best for their children. I formed my opinion on how children should be raised completely on how they raised their five children, how they chose to feed, how they chose to sleep, how they chose to discipline and forgot to take into account when my first was born, that she is in NO way related to my family, she is of completely different origin and of completely different blood, she has a completely different personality then any of my nieces and nephews. I can't take my children and say..."aww how sweet, they remind me of my brother- so and so" because thats really just silly, and it is the reality of the situation. This is my reality as an adopted child. Basically what I came to realize is I am my own person and just because my family does something one way, doesnt mean I have to fall in line and do it the same way...this goes for all siblings in every family (adopted or not). When you become a parent, you have to accept that responsibility and read the cues of your own child and then make the best decision based on circumstances, your child, and you. I spent so much time with my first daughter trying to fall in line with how I had seen my nieces and nephew raised that I was completely rejected by my daughter. We were never really in sync, I tried the CIO method, I tried breastfeeding, I tried spanking (not a method my bro and sis-in-law used btw), I tried timeouts...I tried it all and felt like I was failing because my daughter just didn't/doesn't respond to these methods. Guess what, I was failing. I was failing to recognize that not every child is the same and not every parent is the same. I was trying to conform my daughter and husband to an idea I had from what I had seen growing up without taking into account that my husband and I have a completely different dynamic, my husband has no clue how my nieces and nephews were raised and my husband has his own opinions on how children should be raised. I was making decisions on how to raise OUR daughter and forcing my husband to fall in line because 'I'm the mother'. Unfortunately I continued that cycle for about 2 years, until I had two children and was pregnant with the third and I realized...the way I was parenting was not working for my children, me or my husband. Massive changes started happening and are still happening. I went from the 'Cry it out' methods to 'Love it out', I went from strict forceful scheduled naps and bedtimes to a more relaxed structured day. I went from spanking and yelling (which is a discipline method I just kinda fell into) to understanding and extra attention. All that being said, my dear Clare and dear Paul started cuddling with me, started proclaiming their love for my husband and I. My husband felt like he was more of a father (he didnt like being forceful with our children). I have been so rewarded since changing my outlook and views on parenting and family. None of these changes were made without lots of prayer and some very humbling moments when I stepped back and saw I was the problem, not my innocent little children.

Now I can proudly say I am the Mom, that doesnt leave her child to cry it out at anytime, you can often find me doing chores with a baby in the sling or a tot in the ergo, you will find that Clare and Paul help quite often with the mopping of the floor or folding of laundry. You will also find that I breastfeed until my babies want to stop which is a sad day for me because I enjoy that special 'quiet' personal time with my children, you will find that I dont run to the doctor for every cold, sniffle and fever...actually I typically run to the Chiropractor (but that story is for a different day). If I took a snapshot of my bed in the morning, you would see one manly husband, and three little red heads, thats right *Gasp* we let our babies get into bed with us...we get more sleep that way and saves on the heating bill :)

Chiropractor post tomorrow!

Introduction

Well, to start this blog off, I am going to take each topic of interest that this blog will focus on and tell my thoughts and kind of my background and story for each topic.

DISCLAIMER- I am not always that great with words, this is just an opinion blog and gives information from my perspective.

I was adopted with my three sisters when I was three years old, I was taken from my birth mother when I was 11 months old and put into a wonderful foster home for two years. I was breastfed for my first 11 months...pretty impressive in my opinion.

I am the seventh of eight children. I have four older brothers, two older sisters and one younger sister. Family is very important to me, I spent a lot of my middle school and high school years with my nieces and nephews. I was raised Roman Catholic and when I was quite young my second oldest brother entered into the priesthood. My faith has always been important to me, I grew up praying the Rosary as well as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. My Dad always had us watching movies about the lives of the Saints, if we weren't watching 'Saint' movies. Whenever we went anywhere we would pray the Rosary and/or the Chaplet. My two favorite Saints are St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi.

I have been raised conservative and Pro-Life. To me, EVERYTHING can be traced back to LIFE issues and the most important and basic human right is a human's right to LIFE. I grew up going to Right to Life rally's and LOVED that we were about the only car in town with Right to Life stickers. I still remember the magnet my parents had on our refrigerator that read "Adoption not Abortion". I LOVE babies and children, they bring so much joy into the world, I think I have a good grasp on both sides simply because of my background as an adopted child. No child is UNWANTED and no one can take the life of the most innocent in their hands and decide to kill that life.

I am now married, I met my husband while in training for a cruise ship job in Hawaii, we dated for 8ish months, Josh proposed at a lumber yard in a rental car just hours after asking for my hand. We got married 6 months later and pregnant about 2 weeks after that :) We quit shiplife and bought a house...ups and downs....three children later, we are settled in Oklahoma City. I stay at home with the babies and Josh manages a Braums which is a popular southern icecream/fresh market. He really enjoys his job and we really like the company. We hope he will continue to move forward with this company.

Josh and I's very first argument as a married couple was about vaccinations and homeschooling.

Not sure how this came up, but basically Josh gave me an ultimatum sorta...

Josh: When we have children they will be homeschooled and we will not vaccinate them.

Me: whoa...we will definitely vaccinate, and HELLO! You married a highschool graduate and I HATED school...I can't teach our children.

Josh: FINE, I'll stay at home with the kids and you can work

Me: yeah right.

Well 11 months and 1 scary adverse vaccine reaction later, I was questioning vaccines pretty heavily. After watching my dear little 2 month old go through an adverse reaction to her 2 month routine vaccinations, I picked up a book my MIL gave me and started to read it, my emotions were the following while reading this book in order: Laughter, disbelief, gradual feeling of betrayal, complete disgust, despair. First of all I read the well documented ingredients and was sickened to find out that Aborted Fetal tissue is used in culturing vaccines...side note: I am the pro-lifer that will not eat at certain restaurants or shop at various places if I have found that they support abortion in ANY way shape or form. Not only was there the above listed ingredients but I was shocked to read the rest of the ingredients and sort of grossed out that I had been fully vaccinated as a child and adult, not that I blame my parents AT all...I firmly believe that whether you choose to vaccinate or not to vaccinate you are doing what you think and believe is best for your child. Well I started researching vaccines daily, I looked at the CDC website, AMA website and finally scoured all the information I could find from the vaccine manufacturers themselves. My final decision was based on prayer and my intuition as a mother. So - thats the history behind deciding to not vaccinate...it took me about 15 months to really come to the final conclusion to not ever vaccinate...during which time, Clare would receive a vaccine here and there when I fell to the pressure of various pediatricians. So very sorry to my DD, I didnt mean to make you my learning guinea pig.

Thats enough for one post, that gives some background on how I came about not vaccinating...and where my stance on Life issues are.

Topics to be discussed on this page

Hopefully this will give yall an idea of topics to be seen here.

Religious News

Religious Saints and People of Note in Society

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to do with the Pro-Life movement

Vaccinations- any info I can find from either side of this argument will be posted with my thoughts and ideas behind the article.

Circumcision

Homeschooling

Cloth Diapering

Breastfeeding

Gentle/Peaceful Parenting

Natural remedies

Natural Alternatives

Those are just a few things out of many that go through my mind daily

New Beginnings

Well, this has been a long time coming for me. Ever since having Clare my world has changed. My views on politics, motherhood, parenthood, wife-hood and health have all been shaken and changed for the better. I put a lot of time (all my free time...which is basically late nights and early mornings) researching various topics that are directly pertinent to my family and I. I have decided to start this blog to compile my research and thoughts on these topics. I want this to be open to everyone, and hope other mothers and wives can find my information helpful and useful.