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Have you all been watching the WYD news coming out of Sydney these days? What else is new with you? What would you like to talk about today?
[tags]catholic family life, coffee talk, catholic moms[/tags]
Sharon,
thanks for this further info. I need to read this book. I just realized that my 5yo, who is going to probably go to a special ed preschool in the fall, will probably have to have certain vaccines and now is as good a time as any to research it all better again. But whatever I give him I will probably give my 2yo, 8yo and 10yo. All but the 2yo have had tetanus shots but that’s it. My 2yo hasn’t had that yet.
I didn’t mean in any way to suggest in my previous post to walk in and just tell a doctor what you are going to do — unless of course you have researched things and firmly believe in a certain course of action. Some doctors at that point will decline from treating your child in the future. Some, like the pediatrician I have now was appreciative that I have cared enough to research on my own and has just told me to let her know in the future what vaccines I want and when and even how. I do like the idea though of meeting ahead of time with a doctor to discuss things but I still recommend that you have read info before hand. My first doctor hadn’t even heard of some of the concerns and didn’t necessarily know what was or wasn’t in certain vaccines or that fetal tissue had been used.
Get informed and then pray to the Holy Spirit to guide your decisions. And then place your trust in Jesus. He’s the Divine physician that we can trust! There isn’t one right answer for everyone.
To Kamala in Canada:
You can homeschool and have babies simultaneously. Our 4th baby arrived Sept 2, 2005 – right after the school year started. I also teach online courses and the academic year had started for that job, too. Now I’m expecting #5 on Sept 1 of this year. I will be homeschooling 3 and will be into week 2 of my online job.
These tips work for me: start the school year early. We begin the first week in August so if we lose days around the arrival of the baby, I don’t worry too much. I take off a week or 2 from school once arriving back from the hospital. I also subscribe to the theory that sometimes you need to cut your losses. If you are having a bad school day, sometimes it is just best to stop and try again tomorrow if your newborn needs your attention.
It is smart to buy a full curriculum such as CHC during baby years so you know what you have to do each day. Then you don’t need to make many academic decisions. Go ahead and buy those books….I may outsource a subject or 2 for my husband to help with at night.
I try to be flexible with our school day. We school when the baby naps in the morning. I am not opposed to a video or two for the younger children while schooling the older during this transitional time. Your kids are still young in the realm of school years, so don’t feel pressured to spend hours schooling each day. Cover the basics and instill a love of learning.
You can do it! Blessings to you and thanks for your openness to life.
To Anon with Migraines:
This was mentioned once above, but it bears repeating. My husband suffered with migraines for years until one day we figured out a trigger (one of several):
MSG – monosodium glutamate
And MSG is in more foods that you would ever think. Just read a few labels.
MSG causes not only migraines, but Grand Mal seizures. MSG-like reactions can also occur to soy protein isolates and hydrolyzed soy and corn proteins.
Another trigger – is emotional. Stress – even Eustress (positive stress, like a much anticipated family event) can cause a migraine.
I endorse the others posters who recommended a holistic approach. A neurologist is great, but actually it was our family D.O. who helped us narrow down the MSG trigger. Hubby uses an Imitrix nasel inhaler. This reduces the impact of the migraine and allows him to function.
Ouch, that Barbie analogy was painfully familiar. It can be a real condition – here’s a link with everything you could want to know about it, and what you can do to help.
http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/pubicpain.html
In my case it’s varied with each pregnancy. I did find a chiropractor specializing in pregnancy treatment, which was helpful to me. It’s good to know that it isn’t “necessarily” worse each time. HTH!
To Anon whose husband has the M word:
M is a serious addiction and causes a lot of the same havoc that other problematic addictions cause in men. And it’s terribly prevalent and getting more so with easy access to materials that encourage the behavior. You’re right to feel like it’s doing terrible things to your marriage — addictions can and do destroy relationships, and one that strikes at such an integral part of sharing married love can really be devastating. Please, please, please get help for yourself and see if you can convince your husband, too. Gregory Popcak’s website has information about Christian counselors (http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/services.htm), and Steve Wood’s website has a lot of materials that address this issue (http://www.dads.org/strugglewithporn.asp).
I will be praying for you.
GROIN PAIN IN PREGNANCY: PUBIC SYMPHASIS SEPARATION, HAPPENED WITH ALL OF MY PREGNANCIES, LOOK IT UP AND YOU COULD FIND SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT MAY HELP. : )
I know this is late, but there has been discussion about using aborted fetal tissue in vaccines. As a Catholic, how do you deal with this? Do you feel it is a sin to use a vaccine containing this? So far, my son has been vaccinated on AAP schedule; I just bought the Dr. Sears book and plan to read it before his next round of shots. I want my son to be vaccinated for his safety and those around him, but I do not want to be sinning either.
Last Anon —
Personally, I’m not giving my children the Hep A or Chickenpox vaccines. (I’m hoping that they maybe catch chickenpox at some point and develop natural immunity.) I’ve given the MMR to all but my youngest, who is 2, since discovering that the “R” portion has been derived from aborted fetal cell lines. Since I homeschool, I don’t have to worry about “required” vaccinations so it makes it easier for me. After reading Dr. Sears’ book, I’m going to take his advice and have my children who haven’t contracted chickenpox take a blood test when they are over age 10. (He says sometimes a child will contract a mild case of the disease that you may not notice. If the test shows immunity, you don’t need the vaccination.)
The Children of God for Life website recently reported that an “R” vaccine not derived from fetal cell lines is going through the approval process. (So I’m praying this will happen soon.) I think the site also has a link to a Church document that discusses the moral implications of using fetal cell-derived vaccinations, which you might want to read.
Just FYI, there is an MM vaccine available (which has no moral problems for a Catholic), but most doctors do not offer this. After talking to my children’s pediatrician about getting just this shot for my 2-year-old, he was willing to do so. However, when he checked into it, he learned that he’d have to order 10 doses of the MM vaccine. This wasn’t cost effective for him since I’m the only person who wanted it … so that’s another reason I’ve put off the MMR. I keep hoping to find a solid, Catholic pediatrician who would split up these vaccines for me and other parents who feel like me. If anyone knows of such a doctor, let me know!!!!
Theresia-
I have 5 kids and we have always flown (great work benefits from my husband’s job) Here are some tips:
1. Bring empty water bottles to fill once you get through security. Saves tons of $$.
2. My kids love the treat of sprite (or other soft drinks) on the flight, so bring snacks that will go well with that.
3. I always get each of them a new “toy”… action figures, polly pockets, new books (long ones for the big kids), etc.
4. portable dvd players are priceless. (esp. when you don’t want your kids watching the in-flight movie!)
5. For your 2 year old, I suggest lots of activities. It’s so hard to keep them in their seat at that age. And some stewardesses are pretty strict.
~ those “water color” coloring books… the ones where you dip your paintbrush in water (I brought an empty cup and a paintbrush with us) and the color is already on the page… remember those?
~sticker books, coloring books, plain old mini pads of paper and neat pens
~picture books, esp lift-the-flap ones.
~little bags of snacks… fruit snacks, teddy grahams, chips, cookies.
Hope these ideas help! (and I’m not too late with this)
Blessings,
Megan
Well…. it’s Wednesday and I’m not sure any of you will check for any more posts, but since the commet thing is still available I thought I would try.
To the wife struggling with her hubby’s weight…. I do not want to make light of your struggle and I know what I am about to say won’t just “fix” how you feel, but I just want you to think on this and take it to prayer….
My hubby died suddenly, and VERY unexpectantly almost 3 weeks ago. My mind plays through so much of how I felt about him, things I’ve said to him or wished I would have said more of. WE had a WONDERFUL, blessed, and grace filled relationship and I have few regrets. I would just hate to see something like this be a regret that you would have to live with. We just never know what the future holds.
and…. for all of you with a husband you love…… tell him the very next chance you get (on thephone, in person, via email) Tell him you love him and appreciate him. Hug him when you can. Make your marriage a reflection of Christ’s relationship with His Bride. Our world needs those examples! We tried hard to make our marriage be just that…. but, our time is done. I want the world to see what marriage can truly be, what God had meant it to be. I had that from my hubby for almost 16 years (not long enough, but, I’m grateful for what I did have). Live with no regrets!
Kristina,
I did see your post today… I always end up reading coffee talk stuff on Wed. ;0
I am so sorry for your loss and will pray for you and your family… and thank you for reminding us to appreciate what we have. So often it’s easy to take the good stuff for granted–I know I often do. I will take the time today to tell my husband how much he means to me, how much I love him, how much I appreciate him.
You are an amazing woman to be ministering to others through your own pain and loss. God bless you!