To vaccinate or not...

Getting off of my emergency prep kick for a minute. THo I'll jump right back on after we finish butchering a processing cow that Hubby has out back hanging up... and we get school going again... sometime soon anyway.

So my next topic? Evidence of Harm. A book that every parent or parent to be should read! Why? Because there are so few parents who are actually informed about the vaccines that are given to their kids, let alone the risks involved. And let's face it. ANytime you put a foreign object into a small child, it is a risk. Whether it be peanuts for the first time or cow's milk... let alone mercury.

This book and many others are available on the market. It takes you through the long process of many parents finding something had gone awry with one or more of their children. Then follows their journey thru to discovery of possible causes and possible cures.

I am not a staunch believer that all children should avoid vaccines like the plague. But I wholeheartedly believe that there are many many children who NEED to be vaccine free in order to preserve their mentality and emotional ability to function in the world. The statistics are all their if you look for them. Since The 1970 when sevreal vaccs were added to the schedule, the number of children affliction with Autism, and PDD-NOS has sky rocketed. If you want numbers, go get them. I believe in sharing a little info, and then each person going out and finding their own research to form an informed opinion.

THere have been many possibilties laid on the table as to the cause. It is for easch of us to decide which one fits best. Vaccinations given with mercury... have your children had them? Have they experienced a high fever shortly afterwards, then stomcah upset? Possibly followed by a rash, etc? These are a few of the early signs of distress cause possible by a vaccine, or too many vaccines at once.

My point is - if you have kids in the home, or will, it is your responsibility as the parent to make an informed decision. A lot of perents think that just asking the DR, are these safe? and getting an answer is informed. Unfortunately, since this is a very contraversial topic and the Dr is in a partnership with the company creating and selling the vaccinations - this is not going to be an unbiased answer (in most cases). Because most DRs don't want to know they are administering dangerous chemical to their patients - so most don't find out. Some, like many parents, go on faith. Faith in the FDA and the CDC. Not exactly what I would call a Divine Institution.

Being informed, or getting informed is part of the resonsibility of being a parent. WE interview babysitters, we check out preschools, we go to PTO meetings, we learn more about education and child developement, don't we? Why wouldn't it be natural for us to learn more about the chemical we have injected into our newborns and two yr olds? It is. We're coached in breast feeding a baby that doesn't take to it like a pro. We ask a million questions about milestones. We should be asking questions about vaccines. And when we don't get direct and clear answers we should go find some.

So do I think that every parent to rise up against the vaccine schedule? No. But I do believe that every parent should understand what is being injected into their child, why, and when and all of the possible side effects involved. A lot of people do a delayed schedule for their children - allowing their children's immune system to strengthen, keeping the levels of mercury low and at a more safe rate. There are more options that just "yes" and "no".

Research them for yourself and decide what's best for you and yours. I truly do not believe that any informed and prayerful parent can make a wrong choice here. One size does not fit all, everyone is different. Find what fits you and your fam.

I'm sure some one wondering what we do concerning our own children. Well, after recieveing his 2 yr vaccinations (I was going on that faith I mentioned earlier) our eldest boy stopped speaking, developed behavior problems, and austic like symptoms. We have picked and chosen a few vaccines, but for the most part have since erred on the side of caution and opted out of vaccines altogether. While our first 4 children have had some vaccinations, we have 2 who have not had any at all. Oddly, the two youngest ones seem to have the hardiest constitutions. Our children who have been vaccinated against measles, mumps, and even one had the chicken pox vaccine. The vaccinated ones have actually had measles and mumps despite their vaccines. And the oldest has suffered through chicken pox as well. These personal experiences have seriously strained my "faith" in the vaccination ideology. But in addition we have made the inqueries, done the research, and decided.

While we have decided against vaccines for our family, we do not feel that any others parents who believe in the strength of vaccinations to be lacking in any way as parents. However we have been accused of being irresponsible ourselves because of this decision. I've actually been told that by not vaccinating our children I am "risking their lives". I also risk their lives and my own everytime we drive down the road. However, this person (a medical Doctor) refused to admit there was any risk whatsoever to any child's mentality of emotional abilities reguarding vaccines. WHich I found rediculous. As I said, with ANY medical procedure there is risk. Why else would they have you sign those papers saying you've read the long list of possible side effects, and give your permission despite them??? Of course there is risk. So our conversation ended. I just can't talk to someone about something they either decieve themselves about or knowingly lie to me about.

Please note that this is not a post saying "Don't Vax", or "Do Vax"! It's just a post suggesting that we learn more about it before we make this decision. Just because we have decided for our children, thusfar, not to vaccinate, does not mean I think you shouldn't. You should do what you think is best for your family! This is meant to be a pressure free post.

Step 2

Emergency Prep Made Easy Step 2!! Okay! You've got your 72 hour kits, in the closet, or car, wherever works for you. But what is the next step?

WATER! Good Clean Drinking Water!! Or at least stored water that you can sanitise to drink when you need to. Why? Well, now let me explain.

When devastation strikes, it is the dirty water that has the lingering effects long after the storm has passed. Consider Haiti. Long after the typhoon has hit more people continue to die from lack of clean water. Dysentery Town!


Next Question: How much water? We're not talking a year's worth. Let's just say go for the three days, like in your 72 hour kits. Then build onto that a week's worth. Then a month's. Build slowly. Eventually you may have a year's worth, or you may have experienced a reason to have the water supply to begin with and be starting over.

You want to find containers you can store somewhere in your home. And remember under your bed is just fine for thing kind of thing! Be sure they are SAFE containers. I love being as GREEN as possible. But lemme tell ya, folks. Those GREEN bottles, they LEAK!!! So go with good old reliable hardcore plastic! You can reuse them over and over and there ya go. Recycling! You're still GREEN. And be cheap. This is not a Martha Stewart competition!

Now like I said. You can either build up an already clean supply. Or build up a supply you may need to purify later. There are TONS of ways to do this. The most economical way is Bleach. But Bleach actually has a pretty short shelf life. So you may want to check out a few other alternatives; such as: iodine crystals and the like. The flavor of bleach and iodine not appealing? You want to know that at least your water will be palatable? Well, well, well... lookey here:

www.pazumpa.com

The tops water information site I've come across. Complete with videos, how to's, etc! There is a video just on water purification with bleach or iodine, and he tells you how to make it palatable. Such cool stuff!

So, step 2? WATER! Drinkable water. Don't worry about toilet flushing yet, I promise we'll get to it next time. Easy Peasy Emergency Prep!

Everyday Prep

A little something for you to listen to... a radio show. A great life story and everyday reasons to be prepared. Please listen to Cherlynn Bell's stories and ideas that have worked for her and her family.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/cherlynn-bell/

Emergency Prep #2

Okay what's the first step to becoming prepared for an emergency? A 72- hour kit. This kit is great for a house fire, for becoming stranded away from home due to flood or storms, and many other short term emergency.

A 72-Hour Kit is a bag or back pack, nothing fancy, and I'm sure you have an empty unused one laying around the house. What makes this backpack special is what's in it! One of the ways to pack this bag is to pack it all individually. Another way it to pack your items within ziploc bags or other plastic containers. You'll want to label them, so that little brother Jimmy doesn't get stuck with sister Linda's undies in his bag, in case you are separated for any reason. Here's a brief list of what is usually packed:

1- toiletries, for ladies don't forget your menstrual cycle stuff - you never know, right? oh, and don't forget a little roll of TP, just in case you're stuck without some! Which, by the way happens more often than you think!!

2- a food pack- within this bag you want to pack enough small food items to last for 72 hours; such as protein bars, tuna and crackers, etc.

3- Water!!! Enough for 72 hours!

4- a flashlight

5- a set of clean clothes, nothing special, just sweat will do if tightly packed.

You need as many bags as there are people on your house. This way if you need to hop in your car because of an emergency, such as a loved one getting rushed to the hospital, all you have to do is grab the bag and go. And then you are sure of at least having some clean undies and a drink during your stay away from home. And just like on a long plane ride, deodorant is SOOOOOOO nice to have!

Some people keep these in their closets, by the door, or in their cars. Whatever works for your family... SO! If bags don't work for you stack able plastic handled containers work just as well. Really, it's any container you can grab in a hurry and be on your way.

So this is a great start to becoming prepped for any emergency! See, it's no big deal. A few bottles of water, a book bag, and little thought and you're prepared. You can store them away and not worry about it anymore, if you happen to need your Kit in the future. You're ready!

Be sure to check out these sites for reasons why, ideas, and other neat info on emergency prep!

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/72hourkit/

http://www.survivalsolutions.com/

everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com

www.provident-living-today.com/index.html

www.simplylivingsmart.info

www.emergencyhelps.com

Stay Tuned for the 2nd step in Emergency Prep Made Easy!

Emergency Prep- Why!!??

It's not just for those crazy Mormons!! Now, people I can say that, because I am an LDS member. I am allowed to poke fun at myself! So let me say it again- Emergency Preparedness is NOT just for those crazy Mormons!!! And it is NOT just for the paranoid either. In this day and age it is for EVERYONE!!

First let's talk about what emergency prep is... It's a lot like training your children what to do and where to go in case of a fire in the house. And how many of us have fire alarms? How many of our kids know how to stop, drop, and roll? This is not something we do because we're nuts, or paranoid. It's something we do because we are thinking ahead!! And making our family prepared!

Now then : I'm not gonna get into the three year food storage, or canning, or dehydrating, etc. Emergency preparedness is what your family is prepared to do at a moment's notice if : There is an earthquake in your area; if there is a flood; if there is an ice storm; if there is hurricane; any other natural disaster; or if you and or your husband loses their job. Let's face it, with what's going on in the world right now, any of this is possible. Especially the job situation, right? If you live in CA, or Asia earthquakes are something you expect. If you live on an island in the ocean typhoons are predicted and experienced on a regular basis. Fl - floods, storms, etc. And yet, most times these areas' people are NOT prepared for any of it. We could go through a list of places and natural disasters that occur there; but I'm sure you all are aware of what to expect in your area. IF you're not - you should make it a priority to find out.

Why? Why, should you find out? Won't the government come to your aid? Not in the first 24 hours, and sometimes not within the first week or two. Anybody been keeping up with the news in the past 5 years? And after they come, if they run out of funds - they STOP COMING! What about your church? Is your local church prepared to house, feed, and clothe for ALL of the area? Or were you planning on turning away nonmembers? Your parents? You're gonna go home in an emergency? Assuming they are prepped for you and your loved ones on top of their own needs, what if you can't get there? Parents? Thinking of going to your children's homes? The same thing applies. Your neighbor!! Ahhhh, of course! You're neighbors will let you in! What if their house was totalled and they were on YOUR doorstep first?? There are LOADS of reasons to begin your preparedness plans today.

What if you lose your job? Happens a lot lately, doesn't it? Do You have enough savings in the bank to cover a year? More or less? We don't. It's tough to get that $ into savings after paying all of the bills, isn't it? Some of us don't have any savings. So maybe we don't have enough to pay our bills AND buy groceries for a year... but we do have some food put by, so we could pay our bills for a while, while not having to worry about groceries. How stable is the workplace?

These are the why's we should think about being prepared for an emergency, although there are more! Read my next post to learn about the 1st step to emergency preparedness without going insane, spending too much, or feeling like you're being paranoid.

The adventures of children...without TV

The other days it was pirates and indians. Today they younger ones are pigs, G is a pig eating giant. I found the "pigs" tied up to a post outside, one in the "oven", while the giant ranted and raved and explained his dastardly plot. Even the 2 yr old was involved, as the giants accomplice. She was so cute to watch as she listened intently to her instructions, responded, and followed as best she could the villain's plan.

Sometimes they take out all of the scarves and a picnic blanket to create a pirate ship. Sometimes they steal all of the bandannas, find a bunch of chicken feathers and play indians. Sometimes, they march around the house with sticks for rifles, singing "soldiers of the old home guard", then pretend the picnic table is a magic flying bed. Some days they get out all of their costumes and create a zoo of regular and magical creatures. Other days they'll go crazy with Mom in the kitchen baking, mixing, melting, and cleaning up. Yup, they even like the cleaning up when we get in there and get to work.

Our children are book reading, puzzle solving, make believe, musical kids. Any story they act out they can and will put lyrics to and sing at the top of their lungs. They collapse on to the couch in giggles while the eldest reads aloud Junie B. Jones. They build tents, boats, cloud paradises in their bedrooms. They paint newspaper, make bookmarks, and other paper crafts on rainy days. They make up fantastical stories about anything their imaginations can come up with. They love to write them down into their own "books".

Sure, they get an hour or two a week of computer time. Sure, we watch a movie here and there. But there is no such thing at our house as Saturday morning cartoons, or Nintendo, or whatever game boy-like-thing is the latest and greatest right now. They have better things to do. They express themselves. The interact. They socialize. They PLAY! And I never hear them say they're "bored" except away from home, where they don't know what they CAN do yet.

Sometimes I think that if we didn't live "all the way out" here this wouldn't be possible. They would be pestered by neighbors, whose mold they won't fit. They'd be constantly trying to figure out where they stand with the kids in public school and why can't they afford all the stuff their friends have. The older ones would feel pressured to give up make believe prematurely. And like so many other children now, they would be looking for some source of entertainment instead of using their minds to entertain each other.

We live a pretty simple life out here with our goats, chickens, cows, and so on. But our children are really happy kids - Who get to enjoy their childhood in ways not available to most children nowadays. I am very grateful for this opportunity for them. I am very grateful for the challenges we face out here, because we reap great rewards when overcoming them. One of those rewards is this blissful childhood for our children.

Happiness...

Happiness is :

A Full Laundry Line, even though most of the dish clothes are threads slowly falling apart.

My Husband drilling a hole through the wall for a wood stove, showing off his progress.

Children giggling outside as they bang on rocks like "Daddy".

A 5 yr old daughter bringing in her 9th wooly bear (caterpillar) as her new pet.

Goats wandering in the yard, eating up brush, as the autumn breezes blow.

A clean Kitchen - FINALLY!

Apple Pie leftovers from company the night before.

Cheese "settin'" in the freeze.

Cheese cooking on the stove top.

Great mouser lapping up the leftover milk.

A calf fattening in the barn.

Our 6 yr old daughter learning the cheese making art.

A full vacuum cleaner bag - which is better than a dusty vacuum cleaner!

School papers waiting to be graded and filed.

Feeling a light kick to the ribs from our growing baby.

Our 5 yr old daughter bringing in her 10th wooly bear.

A Toddler's shoes laying in the yard as she runs barefoot.

Patterns and fabric waiting for me to cut them out for Christmas.

I have so many reasons for my happiness. Yeah, granted I could use some new dish clothes, maybe a longer laundry line *wink*, and our girls to grow up to help more. But I'm happy with the way things are right now. So is hubby, so he tells me when the kids are asleep in bed, as he drifts off to sleep.

I think Happiness is really the appreciation and gratitude we have for each moment, each day, each child, each laugh, each construction glued masterpiece on the fridge. I think Happiness is the joy we can find in every breathe we are blessed with. I do not trudge through life, ya'll. I skip. I run. I wonder aimlessly with tiny hands in mine. I am not merely content. I am joyful.