Carol | January 6, 2012
This is what I’m doing right now…. Sooooooo thankful for my lifestyle…. Soooooo glad I can stay home…. And that my kids can stay home, too…. So thankful to have learned about attachment parenting 18 years ago.
Thankful
Carol | December 5, 2011
At the grocery store, I wear C1 in a ring sling in a sitting/standing forward position so her hands can grasp the shopping cart handle. I don’t have to worry about her falling out of the shopping cart, and I have room for all the groceries needed for a “big” family. She loves to push the cart. I often pass her items or let her get things off the shelves, and she puts them in the cart. We meet a lot of people who want to talk to her and hold her hand. When we get to the check-out counter, she helps get things out of the cart and put them on the counter. Her favorite part is after waiting… and waiting… and waiting… for it to change from “Do Not Remove This Card”, she gets to haul the credit card out of the little machine. Then the check-out lady gives her the receipt.
C1 is an excellent shopper (as were all my babies/toddlers). I believe that is because she has always been carried, always been included, always been treated as a person. She is not stuck in a car seat. She is not stuck in a cart. She is not stuck at home with a babysitter. She is learning about real life.
The most common question I get when people see me wearing C1 in a sling is, “Isn’t she heavy?” Uh, yeah. But you sort of have to carry your 15-month-old child. I mean, seriously, if I have to make a bunch of stops – to the bank, to the post office, etc. I can’t leave her in the vehicle. It would be crazy to drag a stroller. Why wouldn’t I choose a way to carry her that leaves my hands free? (What on earth do other mothers do?!) Very importantly, babywearing also keeps C1 content in “her spot”. She knows her place and does not struggle to get down which she would do if she was simply in my arms. Today, I had to take the van to get it inspected. C1 had just fallen asleep in her carseat. I put her in the sling and she slept the whole time in the waiting room.
Babywearing makes mothering so much easier, assuming you don’t prefer to get a mother substitute.
Carol | November 26, 2011
Quebec to ban prayer in home-based daycares
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/quebec-to-ban-prayer-in-home-based-daycares
“Jean Charest’s Liberal government issued a directive last December stipulating that government-funded daycares must not offer any activity that aims to teach a belief, dogma, or practice of a particular religion.”
“The directive, which took effect June 1st, banned religious prayers, crafts, and songs – including many Christmas carols…”
“Now the Ministry of Families and Seniors has indicated they will extend the ban into home-run daycares that are subsidized by the government.”
Carol | November 23, 2011
‘Princess Nancy’ Pelosi calls Cain ‘clueless’; vows to do more for child care
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/princess-nancy-pelosivows-to-do-for-child-care-what-we-did-for-health-care/2011/11/15/gIQACzY1VN_print.html
Daycare: “At the top of her to-do list, she says, will be ‘doing for child care what we did for health-care reform.’”
Abortion: “‘I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it … but they have this conscience thing.”
Look out…
Carol | November 10, 2011
The Secret that Makes Housewife Blogs So Irresistible
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-secret-that-makes-housewife-blogs-so-irresistible/#ixzz1dK5ngGcj
“There’s a reason that people who work are paid to do so: It’s a sacrifice. Their salary is a compensation for the fact that they’re taking time out of their real lives to be there.”
“My life as a stay-at-home mom of five young kids is much more challenging than my life as a single working woman was.”
Hat Tip: http://www.jillstanek.com/
Carol | November 9, 2011
Scotty McCreery – Dirty Dishes (Yahoo Music Session)
Dirty Dishes ~ Scotty McCreery
Mama hollers “Supper time,
And don’t make me tell you twice
Wash your hands and wipe your face.
The table’s no place for your toys,
And try to use your inside voice,
Don’t dig in ’til we say Grace.”
So we put down our forks and bowed our heads
And then she prayed the strangest prayer ever said:“Well, I wanna thank You Lord,
For noisy children and slammin’ doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin’ all the time,
Draggin’ in dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchen
And dirty dishes.”We all got real still and quiet,
And daddy asked “Hon, are you alright?”
She said, “Dear, ain’t nothing wrong,
Noisy kids are happy kids,
And slamming doors just means we live,
In a warm and loving home,
Your long hours and those dishes in the sink,
Means a job and enough to eat.So I’m gonna thank You Lord,
For noisy children and slammin’ doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin’ all the time,
Draggin’ dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchenFor my little busy bees
Beggin’ Mama, Mama can you please?
Always wantin’ to call in vain
Loads of laundry pilin’ up
Their crayons crushed into the rug
And in those little sticky kisses
And dirty dishes,
And dirty dishes…
Hat Tip: http://www.jillstanek.com/
Carol | November 8, 2011
“To be Queen Elizabeth within a certain area, deciding sales, banquets, labors, and holidays; to be Whitely within a certain area, providing toys, books, sheets, cakes, and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene. I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No: A woman’s function is laborious because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.” G. K. Chesterton
Carol | September 14, 2011
Spirit-Led Parenting : Laura’s Story
http://www.inthebackyard.net/2011/08/spirit-led-parenting-lauras-story.html?m=1
“It was not an easy route to choose, but it felt like home, and I was free. Even in those weary nights, as I fed and rocked my baby through the fatigue and frustration, there was freedom. It was sweet, and it was good, and it was God.”
Spare The Rod And Spoil The Child?
http://gracethrufaith.com/selah/spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child/
“…The notion of inflicting physical punishment on children can’t be supported Biblically…”
Bad parenting makes teenagers EIGHT times more likely to abuse alcohol, study finds
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030902/Bad-parenting-makes-teenagers-EIGHT-times-likely-abuse-alcohol-study-finds.html#ixzz1XyqA7vSV
“The amount of alcohol a child drinks as a teenager and young adult could be linked with how they were brought up, a study has found.”
“Parenting style is one of the strongest influences on how much a child will drink, according to new research.”
Motherhood as a Retreat From Equality
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/world/europe/24iht-letter24.html
“Here in Germany, the only adults populating playgrounds on any day of the week appeared to be mothers — often mothers with a university education who not long ago earned a respectable income.”
“Of the several social insights to be gleaned from this comparison, one is surely this: French mothers work, and many of them full-time.”
“The nanny culture seen in Paris is by no means unique. Indeed, in places like New York City and London, where the system of state child care is generally less developed than in France, nannies are also a common sight.”
“What is striking is that in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, that nanny culture barely exists. Only 14 percent of women return to full-time work after having one child, and only 6 percent after Baby No. 2.”
“In France, where about 60 percent of mothers with young children work, two-thirds of two-income families employ a nanny…”
Interesting:
http://samuelmartin.blogspot.com/2011/09/normal-0-false-false-false.html
Carol | July 20, 2011
‘Big Bang Theory’ actress Mayim Bialik a real-life scientist
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/15/mayim.bialik.big.bang.theory/
“Her research on these hormones, which are critical to the mother-child bond, helped her understand biological mechanisms involved in parenting.”
“For instance, while some mothers complain about having to breastfeed their infants about every two hours all night, Bialik appreciates a deeper significance. The hormones that make a mom feel closer to her child get refreshed during breastfeeding. So if babies want milk every two hours, that guarantees a frequent rush of hormones that bond mother and child.”
“Breastfeeding, sleeping close to your baby and keeping him or her close to you as much as you can are all part of the natural human process, she says. Bialik is also an advocate of “gentle discipline,” or not using physical force against children.”
“‘We’re starting to see more and more research substantiating that children hurt when you hurt them,’ she said…”
“For their two sons — “an almost-6-year-old and an almost-3-year-old” — she and her husband don’t use nannies, babysitters or daycare, and don’t even rely on family members to look after their children…”
“The flexibility of the schedule of homeschooling, and the opportunity to spend time with their children for most of their day, appeal to Bialik and her husband…”
Carol | June 25, 2011
Quebec’s daycare policy doesn’t lead to success: study
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2011/05/20110511-120405.html
“There is a serious quality problem. I would go as far as to say that daycare quality is very low, both in terms of educators’ formation and in terms of the quality of interactions between educators and children.”
Carol | May 29, 2011
My children have had very few experiences with earaches or ear infections in their lifetimes. My 17-year-old has only had an earache 2-3 times ever. My 12-year-old had an earache once as a baby and once as an older child. My 9-year-old had 2-3 mild earaches two summers ago. My 6-year-old boy had one ear hurt for approximately two hours last year, and my 8 1/2-month-old girl has never had an ear infection. The grand total of earaches among my five children throughout their lives is 7-9.
Earaches or ear infections occur when a person experiences a conflict about wanting to hear something, but can’t, OR when the person does not want to hear something. For example, two summers ago, the weather was rather unpredictable, so we spent much time one morning debating over whether or not we would be able to go on a river float. My 9-year-old daughter loves such activities and wanted to go badly. We kept changing our minds. When we finally announced that we definitely were going to go, my 12-year-old son, familiar with German New Medicine, predicted that his sister would get an ear ache. Sure enough, as we were floating down the beautiful river, my daughter’s ear began to hurt and throb. That was the healing phase of her hearing (sound-morsel) conflict. She wanted to hear something, and when it finally came true, she began to heal. That’s when the pain begins. We knew it wouldn’t last because her conflict active time was short, but it still hurts in the mean time! The same thing happened the next time we hummed and hawed over going on another river float the following week! (We treat earaches with garlic, but get your own medical consultation.)
I often hear parents talk about their babies having ear infections. Oftentimes during infancy, it is because the parents let their baby cry-it-out. When baby wants to hear his mother come to rescue him, but she doesn’t, and then when she finally does come, he may develop an ear infection or ear ache. That is a predictable and preventable health problem. If you want to help prevent ear infections, respond to your baby’s cries. Read more about crying-it-out here.
“The middle ear relates to hearing conflicts (the “sound-morsel”). The conflict of “not being able to catch a sound morsel”, for example not hearing Mommy’s voice, affects the right ear, whereas the conflict of “not being able to get rid of a sound morsel”, for instant loud annoying noise, affects the left ear. An intense conflict-activity results in a middle ear “infection” during the healing phase.” (Source: German New Medicine) NOTE: I understand the right/left ear makes if a difference if you are right or left-handed. Also, I understand some conflicts affect both ears regardless.
A similiar situation would occur if a child is at daycare and needs to hear his or her mother’s voice or doesn’t want to hear the daycare provider’s voice.
I have studied German New Medicine independently for the past four years, and I took a full four-day seminar last summer. I am NOT an expert, and I will NOT answer health questions, but I encourage you to research this material yourself. I find it incredible, and it applies so accurately to the health concerns I face with a family of seven.
I highly recommend the booklet:
The Strong family and their medical adventures: Lisa has a middle ear infection Volume 2
And the following two websites:
http://newmedicine.ca/
http://www.germannewmedicine.ca/home.html
When your child becomes sick, determine the conflict that the child faced right before he or she fell ill. I have been on Facebook since 2007, and I have been able to predict with great accuracy who is going to get sick, and what they will get. I will tell my husband that so-and-so is going to get a cold, etc. and sure enough, she does. I have seen this with colds and flus, pink eye, sore throats, eczema, and of course ear infections, etc. Things that stand out where a child is bound to get sick is when they start daycare, or when their mother works full-time and then takes time off to be home with the child. I have seen both mother and child develop pink eye because they are so happy to see each other during a vacation. I read about a baby’s recurring earaches, and suspect the mother lets him cry-it-out. Sure enough, that ends up being the case. Also, school causes a lot of stress conflicts and belly-aches for children. I have seen lots of university students get colds or flus right after exams. Conflicts in your life can make you sick. Learn how to prevent conflicts and resolve inevitable conflicts quickly.
Edited to add: Hearing conflicts aren’t the only cause of health problems related to crying-it-out. It’s how the child perceives the situation. It could also be a visual conflict, or a separation conflict (resulting in skin issues), or an abandonment conflict, etc.
Edited a mistake: Even though he didn’t remember, I am sure that my six-year-old’s ear did hurt for a couple hours last year.
Carol | March 27, 2011
Baby’s growing up… and taking a shine to politics: The MEP who brings her daughter to Parliament
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364414/Baby-s-growing-getting-interested-politics.html#ixzz1Hq0B2ycf
“‘It was not a political gesture. It was first of all a maternal gesture – that I wanted to stay with my daughter as much as possible, and to remind people that there are women who do not have this opportunity [to bring their children to work], that we should do something to talk about this.’”
Carol | February 22, 2011
I believe the true test of teachers is how well their below average, struggling children improve under their tutelage. As I see it, for the average or above average child, a teacher (and the public school system) is a handicap. After attending school for twelve years and homeschooling for thirteen years, I am convinced public schools are nothing but a babysitting service. It is true that some families truly need the free babysitting, but surely we can’t pretend that the public schools provide optimal educational services.
I find it amusing when parents are pressured to be more involved and to help with homework, etc. (Why do they hire the teachers?!) If the parents only knew that homeschooling (on the parents’ part) need not take much more time than that. Without away-school, their children will also have more time to “just be children” and grow and play and learn.
When I meet a child who “failed” a grade, I tell him, “You didn’t fail. Your teacher failed.” (I have told that to several children, and you should see the look of relief in their eyes.) Maybe it’s not the children suffering from learning disabilities. Who’s testing for teaching disabilities?
Of course, the system is more to blame. Teachers may be nice, sweet, kind, caring, hardworking, and dedicated, but the system simply isn’t set up to support them. Forcing 15-20 children to be at the relatively same level every day using the same cookie-cutter curriculum will not work for every child. Why should ANY child fall through the cracks?
Sounds like those striking teachers in Wisconsin have been doing a great job. *sarcasm*
State’s black fourth-graders post worst reading scores in U.S.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/89007417.html
“Reading scores for Wisconsin’s African-American fourth-graders trail those of their racial peers in every other state…”
“Wisconsin’s eighth-graders matched their highest score of the last decade. Even so, only 34% of Wisconsin’s eighth-graders were considered proficient in reading.”
34% of eighth-graders proficient in reading?? And that’s good??
The above article was encouraging when it mentioned the Montessori schools and their phonetics-based reading programs, etc.
Low test scores worry districts
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/100953394.html
“The Class of 2010 posted Wisconsin’s lowest score since 1996…”
Carol | February 20, 2011
Children of working mums ‘more likely to be ill’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1357389/Children-working-mums-likely-ill.html#ixzz1EXuRR8xL
“The children of working mothers are up to three times more likely to be ill…”
I notice this among my Facebook friends. I can hardly believe how often their children are sick. Once again, it is related to the child facing more conflicts… more stress, less attachment, less permanent conflict resolution… (Note: if it is something as simple as a cold, remember that colds that are related to the nose – stuffy, runny, etc., are the healing phase of a “stink” conflict or a “fed up” conflict. “That stinks.” If it is ongoing, then it is likely hanging healing and the conflict is not getting completely resolved.)
http://www.screencast.com/users/GNM/folders/GNM%20Videos/media/19ff3380-c040-45aa-962b-6e701efd56d6
More from the Dailymail article:
“Those whose mothers worked were more likely to have spent time in hospital, to have been diagnosed with asthma and to have suffered bone breaks and poisonings.
“Lack of supervision is thought to be one of the reasons.”
“It was possible working mothers felt guilty at leaving their children during the day and were more likely to seek medical help for relatively trivial problems.”
And a quote by John and Sheila Kippley,
“No one ever feels guilty about doing what he or she truly believes to be right. Nor will anyone feel guilty about mother-child separation if it is absolutely needed for family survival.”
Carol | February 20, 2011
How Couples Recover After an Argument Stems from Their Infant Relationships
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110218142453.htm
“Couples’ abilities to bounce back from conflict may depend on what both partners were like as infants…”
“By looking back at observations of the participants and their caregivers from the 1970s, when they were between 12 and 18 months old, the researchers discovered a link between the couples’ conflict recovery behaviors and the quality of their attachment relationship with their caregivers. People who were more securely attached to their caregivers as infants were better at recovering from conflict 20 years later. This means that if your caregiver is better at regulating your negative emotions as an infant, you tend to do a better job of regulating your own negative emotions in the moments following a conflict as an adult.”
“The researchers also found that there is hope for people who were insecurely attached as infants. ‘We found that people who were insecurely attached as infants but whose adult romantic partners recover well from conflict are likely to stay together,’ remarked Salvatore. ‘If one person can lead this process of recovering from conflict, it may buffer the other person and the relationship.’ The health of a relationship can be salvaged if one person can quickly disengage from conflict and avoid dwelling on negative thoughts and emotions…”
How Couples Recover After an Argument Stems From Their Infant Relationships
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/how-couples-recover-after-an-argument-stems-from-their-infant-relationships.html
