Food-for-Thought round-up: end of August

I need to clear my tabs...and my head.  In no particular order:

Time Magazine Asks: Who Needs Kids Anyway? - I thought the tone of this was a little judge-y, but seriously, the magazine cover is just shocking, sooooo....  The last line of the article was very poignant.

Ten Ways to Be Less Wasteful - I liked these, and some of them we already do.  I actually have a set of nine cloth napkins in progress.  And kind of along the same idea, 7 Ways to Sample Living With Less.

40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World - This was just cool.  And a little bizarre.

Duck Dynasty on Abortion, Adoption and Abstinence - Love these guys!!

12 Most Important Metrics for Your Child's Education - Yes.  Yes.

The Five Steps - This was a really simple reminder that I think sometimes my crazed-mommy-drowning-in-early-childhood self needs to remember.  Especially steps 1-4, probably work much better than ranting and raving, and, well, it was a long week last week.  This was just a really, really good re-focus.  

All Good Babies - The term "good baby" really bothers me (in the context in which it is normally used).  This lady gets it.  He is a baby. And therefore he is good.

10 Things I wish the Mainstream Media would get right about Parents who don't Follow the Recommended Vaccine Schedule - I am not looking to incite any battles or start any big thread-wars here, I just really appreciated this perspective on people who choose alternate vaccine schedules.

Here is a video about St. Kolbe.  I am actually just putting it here so I will remember to watch it sometime.  I pulled it up with the kids watching and then decided maybe I should watch it first to make sure it wasn't too much for them.  But we celebrated Kolbe's feast recently so we've read and seen several things about him of late.  Really an amazing saint with an amazing story.

That's all.

Food-for-Thought round-up: August 10

A few that have been all over the internet lately and are probably nothing new to you, but still good:

To Moms of One or Two Children - I've read several articles of this type in the past year or so and oh my, they are so true.  As much as I treasure the days when it was just me and Gemma, or even me, Gemma and a baby, I do.not.want.to.go.back.  Being a first time parent is hard, really hard.  You second guess yourself and everyone has advice for you and you feel like you are parenting in a big fish bowl.  Not that I am completely immune to caring about what others think but oh it gets easier the more kids you have.  Life gets more nuts but you learn to dance with the chaos.  The kids test your limits and stretch and change you (literally and figuratively) in ways you never thought or wanted to be possible, but you emerge a better person on the other side.  Our children - with all their idiosyncrasies and craziness and love and everything in between - are gift.  Pure gift.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Mama Knows, Honeychild - I linked the "Adventures in Family Prayer" one, but poke around a little [and grab a box of tissues because you will laugh so hard you might cry].  It's like Crappy Pictures for Catholics.

Moving on, no real order to the rest of this:

Social Media Marriage Killers - This was really great.  In a former life before I was married I spent fairly regular time around people who enjoyed (??) talking very disparagingly of their husbands.  It really bothered me then, and it bothers me more-so now that I actually have a husband.  If I have a problem with Aaron, I will take it up with him, not my friends and certainly not Facebook or my blog.  Sure, I will joke about things now and then, but I honestly would never say anything about him behind his back that I wouldn't be OK with him reading or hearing me say.   

The Coming Push to Give HPV Vaccine to Infants - Seriously, my husband called this one several years ago.  They get you at Hepatitis B before you leave the hospital and then they have you.  I realize Health Impact News Daily is probably a fairly biased source, but I've seen several articles on this from various sources of late.  Watch out.  That's all.  (said in my most doom and gloom conspiracy theory voice, haha.)

Teach Your Six Year Old to Tie Shoes in Five Minutes - I don't know.  It looks cool.  And Gemma can't tie her shoes yet (so we have velcro for kdg), but isn't there something to be said for learning to tie shoes the real way?  Someone chime in on this because I honestly don't know. 

This one on Modern Word Choices was interesting.

Six Great Mysteries of the Bible - This is why I like all those shows on Discovery and NatGeo and the like.  So intriguing. 

Gemma has gotten into mazes lately and I found these free printables after a (very quick) google search.  They print in a 20 page PDF booklet which was very handy! We've both enjoyed working on them together.

Why I Want my Kids to be Bored - I liked this a bunch.  The only technology our kids use currently is the TV and their CD player.  Sometimes I feel badly that I don't let them play games on the computer or that we don't own a tablet or whatever else, but then I read things like this.  And I'm not saying those things are bad or shouldn't be used.  Moderation in everything, and I know as our kids get older technology will become more a part of their lives, and that's fine.  But for now, I like where we are and definitely appreciated this article.

What were your favorite articles this week?

Food-for-Thought round-up (2nd edition)

A Pox on the CDC's Vaccination Agenda - This was an interesting read I stumbled upon after just going through a round of chicken pox at our house.  I would definitely lean towards thinking the chicken pox vaccine is doing more harm than good, for various ethical and safety reasons.  A few things of interest from the article: (quoting)

Indeed, since the introduction of universal chickenpox vaccination in the US in 1995, the vaccine has been found to have only limited effectiveness,[2] with 1 in 5 children receiving the original vaccine experiencing “breakthrough” infections.”[3] This is why, at present, children on the CDC’s immunization schedule receive two doses. But increasing the number of doses isn’t working either.  For example, in 2006, a chickenpox outbreak occurred in a population of Arkansas schoolchildren with 97% immunization compliance. When the researchers looked at the difference in outbreak cases between one-dose and two-dose children, none could be found.[4] (the footnotes can be found at the end of the article if you click on the link)

and

Chicken pox vaccine is also grown with living cells from aborted fetal tissue. Known as “diploid” vaccines, they carry their own set of biological and obviously moral risks.  As far as the precautionary principle stands, injecting virus-infected human cells, alongside powerful immunotoxic adjuvants, into the bodies of healthy children in order to ‘protect’ them from a benign, immune-strengthening bout of chickenpox, sounds like the very definition of insanity. But as it stands today, millions of parents and their pediatricians consider this not only sound practice, but necessary to prevent infecting others.

Oftentimes people examining the effectiveness or necessity of compulsory vaccination fail to mention the aborted-fetal link, so I was impressed that this article touched on that.  For more info on aborted-fetal vaccines and their dangers, take a look at this video or more info here.

Homemade Watercolors - We go through a lot of watercolors around here, so I'm intrigued.  Definitely debating about trying these.

How Same-Sex Marriage Won - I like how this tied same-sex marriage to the wide-spread acceptance of contraception.  As my husband said, contraception really paved the way to many of the "evils" we see in today's society.

Is Cursive Writing Dead? - I can (sort of) see both sides of this one, but I definitely fall into the camp that leans toward thinking cursive is still very necessary.  I mean,on a very basic level, how does one sign one's name if one cannot write cursive?  Am I missing something here??  I think cursive teaches attention to detail, it teaches kids to slow down and take pride in their work.  I think it can be an art in and of itself.  I remember my grandma's cursive always perfectly slanted and beautifully written with those flare pens she was never without.  Maybe I'm just an old sentimental fuddy-duddy, but do away with cursive?  Methinks not.  If cursive is not taught to my children in school, I intend to teach it to them at home. 

Lactivism, aka I'll teach YOU how to feel about nursing - I really liked this. Three kids in, I feel like I've really come full-circle with the whole 'nursing' thing.  I've never used formula (and my younger two have actually never had a bottle), but with my oldest I would pump at home and then bottle-feed her in public.  I feel silly about this now, but that's where I was.  With my second, in looking back I am probably a little guilty of some of that in-your-face "lactivism" that I've definitely witnessed, namely in perusing threads and strong opinions on Facebook.  I feel like I've reached a happy medium with my third, and will probably be in the same place I am now with any subsequent children.  I keep an "all purpose" light-weight blanket in my diaper bag that I use as a blanket/changing pad/nursing cover/burp cloth, etc. etc.  If I am out in public and in close quarters (namely the pew at Church comes to mind) I will toss this blanket over my shoulder when I  nurse.  Otherwise, if I am at a park or in a large gathering where there's lots of space, I typically just nurse.  That said, I will add that I am rather small-chested and I always wear a tank under my shirt that I can pull down the neckline of so there just isn't a whole lot of anything being shown.  If I were somewhere and didn't have my magical blanket and my baby (who nurses on demand) needed/wanted to nurse, I am confident of my ability to discreetly nurse him in a "non-in-your-face way" without offending anyone. Or rather, if anyone chooses to be offended I am of the mindset that this is their problem.  And I say that with all due respect.  Like I said, I've really come full-circle.  I feel very strongly about the importance of breast-feeding...from nutrition to bonding and everything in-between.  But it's not my job to convince the general public of this by being obnoxious. 

And along the lines of breastfeeding, I didn't read the whole thing but The Risk of Not Breastfeeding was an interesting and unbiased paper.

Here's one that really doesn't need any commentary...Blessed John Paul II to be Canonized!!!! 

And another one from Catholic AP.  Finding God in our Parenting Weakness.  I liked this quote a lot: 

I am not called to create perfect experiences for my children.  I am not called to create a perfectly tidy house for my children.  I am called to lead my children to heaven, even when it’s messy, inconvenient, and downright infuriating.  

In the recipe category...we don't have (or have room for) a dehydrator, but I think I may try these homemade fruit roll-ups in our oven.  I remember loving my mom's homemade fruit roll-ups, and I couldn't agree more with the author's sentiments on the store bought ones.

For more Food-for-Thought visit Simplemama.

BREAKING NEWS - PepsiCo

I posted earlier this morning about "U" Week, but had to interrupt my regularly scheduled posting to share some awesome news!!!  God is so good...and boycotts work!!

See below for the great news!

Now to tackle big Pharma...

For Immediate Release: April 30, 2012

Boycott Ends: PepsiCo will not use aborted fetal cell lines for flavor enhancers

(Largo, Fl) Children of God for Life announced today the stunning news that PepsiCo will not use aborted fetal cell line HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney) in their contractual agreement with Senomyx to develop flavor enhancers for their beverages.

Children of God for Life’s Executive Director, Debi Vinnedge, hailed PepsiCo’s decision as a major breakthrough and achievement by thousands of concerned consumers who have been writing and boycotting PepsiCo beverages since last May.

In a letter to Children of God for Life, PepsiCo’s VP of Global Public Policy, Paul Boykas stated that “Senomyx will not use HEK cells or any other tissues or cell lines derived from human embryos or fetuses for research performed on behalf of PepsiCo.”  

“We are absolutely thrilled with PepsiCo’s decision,” stated Mrs. Vinnedge. “They have listened to their customers and have made both a wise and profound statement of corporate integrity that deserves the utmost respect, admiration and support of the public.” 

In speaking with Mr. Boykas, Vinnedge noted that the company had conducted internal discussions, recognizing it was a highly sensitive and controversial subject that quite frankly, was not in the best interests of PepsiCo.  “We took the matter very seriously,” stated Mr. Boykas. “We have an official Statement on Responsible Research and we intend to live by that policy.”

That policy precludes any research by PepsiCo - or third parties they fund – from using human tissue or cell lines derived from embryos or fetuses.  The decision means an immediate end to the boycott that began in May 2011- welcome news to both PepsiCo and their customers who have abstained from their favorite beverages in protest.

“We are grateful to PepsiCo and especially to all those who sent a loud and clear message to the management of this company. It’s incumbent upon us to closely monitor the situation to be sure that PepsiCo remains true to their word,” said Brad Mattes, Executive Director of Life Issues Institute, one of thirty five prolife organizations that joined Children of God for Life in the boycott. “There are moral cell lines Senomyx can and should be using – not just for PepsiCo research but for all their customers.”

Senomyx receives royalties for products sold using their ingredients. If they do not use aborted fetal cell lines, they offend no one; if they do, they most certainly offend at least half of US consumers who are prolife.  But Children of God for Life also heard from a number of women who stated they were pro choice yet this use of aborted fetal cell lines, crossed the line and angered them as well. 

“If for no other reason, it only makes financial sense for both Senomyx and their collaborators to avoid a substantial loss of potential market,” Vinnedge said. “Senomyx needs to stop using the aborted fetal cell lines entirely and we will continue to pressure them to do so.”

Vinnedge is strongly encouraging the public to take one more important step:  write to PepsiCo and thank them – and then go buy your favorite Pepsi products to celebrate!

“Too often we seem to focus on the negatives and forget to take the time to let others know we appreciate their efforts”, stated Vinnedge. “It is our sincere hope that the public will once again rise to the occasion en masse as they did in the boycott – but this time in appreciation and support of PepsiCo.”

For more information visit: www.cogforlife.org/pepsiboycottnews.htm 

Also, please take the time to contact Pepsi and THANK them for doing the right thing.  Click HERE to email them directly through their website.

Issues

I try to keep this blog "light" and not make it too much a platform for some of today's heavier social issues, but every once in awhile I feel strongly enough about something that I just can't resist.  ;-D  So there's my little disclaimer.

Recently (past year or so) I've come across various circumstances that have led me to really take an interest in bio-ethical issues, especially those that relate to the medical field.  I don't claim to know everything.  I don't even claim to know a lot, but I continue to learn so very much; and more importantly I have come into contact with some wonderful people and organizations that have opened numerous doors to me when it comes to raising awareness regarding these important issues.

Sadly, most of what I learn in regards to bioethics in medicine is nothing short of shocking or appalling.  Or both.  And I will admit, this is coming from the perspective of someone who: a.) tends to approach health and wellness from a more natural perspective than "mainstream medicine", and b.) has deep moral convictions when it comes to ethical issues.  So that would be my 'bias' if you will; but alas these are the factors that help form my perceptions and thoughts on these weighty issues.  And now you know.

I give you such a preface in order to share an article published earlier this week at MercatorNet, and then today on Catholic Exchange. (Click either link, both articles are the same despite their differing titles.)  This article deals with the steep rise in autism rates in the US (and various other countries) over the past 20 or so years, and the potential implication of the bio-tech industry when it comes to this remarkable rise.  I'd say more here, but really, if your interest is piqued by what I've said thus far please just take the time to read the article. It is lengthy, but well-done and well-worth the read.  You can also (along the same vein) take a look at Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute and some of the work and research Dr. Theresa Deisher has done recently.  It is truly edifying to see others -- especially those in the fields of medicine and science -- taking such a proactive approach to these serious issues.  People like Dr. Deisher -- who are willing to put on the line not only their professional reputations, but also their ability to receive research funding and grants in order to provide ethical research and products to those who care so deeply about the health of body and soul of our society -- deserve our attention and support.

Book Review: What your doctor may not tell you about Children's Vaccinations

What your doctor may not tell you about Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave, M.D. was an interesting read.  I will say up front that if you are looking for well-documented, unbiased information about vaccines and the diseases they are meant to prevent, this probably is not your book.  A better book for that in my opinion is Sears' Vaccine Book which is actually being re-released late this month with updated information on all the current mandated and recommended shots and the diseases they are meant to prevent.  But I digress.  

Cave's book was published 10 years ago, which makes a lot of the information pretty dated and somewhat non-applicable for a parent wanting to make a decision today about today's vaccines.  That aside, she seemed to really have an agenda for blaming vaccines on the plethora of brain and autoimmune conditions that plague so many of our children today.  I certainly don't disagree with her argument - I personally feel that there is a plausible link there, somewhere, between the increased number of vaccines given (often in multiple dosings) to very young children today and the steep rise in cases of autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, developmental delays, etc. that we are seeing currently. I just thought some of her evidence was anecdotal and a little questionable at times.  The book was well-cited from a number of "credible" sources like the Lancet, the World Health Organization, the CDC etc., but there were also many sources that could be considered "less credible" by a critic, and the book was interspersed with a lot of examples from her own practice as well that I just thought would have been better left out.  I think they undermined her credibility, even if they were true and valid.  Plus, as I read there were various things I thought just sounded odd or incorrect and ran them by my husband (who has a medical background) and they just didn't quite add up.  

Her statistics about vaccine injury though were very sobering (and all of these were well-sourced, VAERS documented cases) and the reiteration of the shady dealings and conflict of interest that goes on between big pharma and the government to put vaccine mandates in place angered me, as it has for some time now (but not always, mind you...)  I learned a lot about why people blame conditions - namely autism - on vaccines and I definitely feel more informed having read this.  It is a terrible injustice to us and our children that drug companies and the government are so willing and eager to completely write the idea off without doing adequate research on the matter. And I could rant longer about that but won't.  Bottom line, if you are looking for a book to aid you in becoming better informed to make the right vaccine choices for your children, I would look elsewhere.  If you feel sufficiently informed on the subject and would like more information on some of the more "controversial" aspects of the vaccine debate, this book provides some very interesting insights.

And on a related note, I recently requested from inter-library loan and began reading Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health, and Our Children (published in 2011) and it has already proven to be absolutely riveting - approaching the vaccine debate from a refreshingly logical, no-nonsense point of view through numerous well-sourced essays, studies and reports written by a number of authors with varying backgrounds.  It focuses namely on legality, parental rights and human rights issues when it comes to strictly enforced vaccine mandates without the opportunity for (true) free and informed consent.  After reading the introduction and bouncing around to several chapters I decided to purchase this book for myself.  It is that poignant.  And it boasts recommendations and praise from people like the former director of the National Institutes of Health and current health editor of U.S. News and World Report; the former vice chair for the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines; retired military personnel; and a practicing M.D. and former U.S. Congressman.  It presents information in a way that even the staunchest advocate for the current AAP recommended vaccine schedule (read: state mandates) would have trouble refuting intelligently due to its pragmatic approach.  But that's all I'm going to say for now.  I do need to actually read the rest of the book...  You can read more customer reviews of this book by clicking here.

It happened in California...

Today California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB499 which will allow children as young as 12 years old to be vaccinated without parental knowledge or consent. This currently applies to the Gardasil (HPV) and Hepatitis B vaccines (both STD's), but will expand to include ANY new STD vaccine that is brought to market in the future.  This means that boys and girls as young as 12 can be alone in their doctor's office, or pulled into the nurse's office at school, be offered a vaccine and told that if they don't get it they can get sick and die, the child will be given the shot and parents may never know about it.  Read more here.

The passage of this law should strike fear in the heart of every parent across our nation, because it sets a terrible precedent for the (lack of) protection of parental rights when it comes to informed consent to medical treatment of our children.  I know the topic of vaccines tends to polarize people, but - the whole vaccine debate aside - this law completely and utterly usurps parental rights, plain and simple.  It takes a decision that belongs to parents and parents alone and puts in the hands of a school-aged minor and a doctor or nurse, likely with an agenda that opposes the morals and values with which your child has been raised.

It happened in California.  Where will it happen next?

You can visit NVIC for more information on parental rights and informed consent when it comes to vaccine mandates.