Wisdom
wis·dom n. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.Great news!
If you have had a hard time finding Homemade Laundry Detergent Supplies, look no further. You can order from Lehmans and get the whole kit. Go here to go directly to the page to order every supply you need for the detergent.
Making your own Laundry Detergent is not only simple, but super cost effective. It only cost pennies in comparison to what you will pay in the stores for laundry soap. The homemade laundry detergent also does a great job at cleaning your clothes. Some have reported that when you make your own laundry soap, it actually cleans better!
For the recipe, go to my other blog entry: laundry detergent recipe. You will see the how-to’s and what simple ingredients you need.
Greek Yogurt is easy & cheap to make but pretty pricey in the store. I am familiar with two brands, Oikos Greek Yogurt and Fage Greek Yogurt. If you want to safe a bit of money and make your own Fage or Oikos style yogurt keep reading.
Here it the ‘how to’ and the mystery unveiled…
Greek Yogurt (yoghurt):
- Line a medium-large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth or a clean white dish towel.
- Dump a container of plain (unflavored), yogurt into the center of the cloth – homemade is best and least expensive. To make your own yogurt easily, click here.
- Bring the four corners of the cloth together and lift the yogurt.
- Over the bowl or sink, twist the corners to squeeze out the liquid (it will drain through the cloth). (use the liquid – whey- in other dishes)
- Continue squeezing, putting the yogurt under pressure, to force the liquid out.
- When the majority of the surface liquid has been drained, it will start to drip more slowly. Tie off the top of the cloth just above the mass of yogurt with string.
- Place the cloth containing the yogurt in a strainer or colander, and place the strainer or colander in a bowl where it doesn’t touch the bottom (so that the liquid can continue to drain).
- Place the bowl containing the strainer/colander in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 2-3 hours.
- After draining, take the cloth containing the yogurt and put it in the sink (do not remove the string).
- Place the palms of your hands on the bag and press down to force out any remaining liquid.
- Remove the string, open the cloth, and using a spatula, put the yogurt in a bowl for use.
- Note: How thick is thick? The yogurt should be at least as thick as sour cream.
Epidurals
I have been studying the side effects of epidurals and have always wondered if they were harmful for the mother or baby. Well, after some research, I have been rather surprised by my findings… the list side effects of epidurals is rather long and potentially frightening. Having some sort of complications with your epidural is very common.
I think I have come to the conclusion that if an epidural is used during labor, you essentially trade the pain or discomfort of labor for alot more potential pain and discomfort for hours, days, weeks or even years to come. Come to find out, some women never get any pain relief from their epidural during labor and then have terrible side effects from their epidural that didn’t work!
Here is a nice article from nursingcenter.com Learning the essentials of epidural anesthesia
“If the epidural needle or catheter enters the subarachnoid space….can cause high spinal anesthesia, increasing the loss of function in the respiratory muscles. The patient will have trouble breathing, leading to apnea, increasing numbness, or paralysis. This is an emergency. Immediately calm and reassure the patient. Call the emergency response team and the anesthesia provider. Have emergency airway equipment, emergency medications, and suction at hand to maintain the patient’s airway and cardiovascular status. Follow basic life support guidelines to protect and support the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
What Can Epidurals Can Do For You:
Epidurals can be the first step to other complications and interventions:
- Restricted mobility, IV, and EFM (all epidural patients)
- Increased likelihood of needing a catheter, oxytocin, AND/OR internal monitoring
- Increased likelihood of having a forceps, episiotomy AND/OR cesarean (c-section) delivery
Short Term Effects On Mother Who Have An Epidural:
- Dural puncture
- Hypotension (29%) (Low Blood Pressure) – MAJOR risk to baby and baby’s brain because of lack of blood flow to the placenta and baby.
- Nausea, vomiting, shivering (frequent)
- Uneven, incomplete OR non-existent pain relief
- Respiratory insufficiency or paralysis – (no breath!)
- Convulsions
- Slight to severe headaches
- Septic meningitis
- Cardiac arrest – heart attack (serious!)
- Maternal death
Long Term Side Effects Of The Epidural On The Mother:
- Neurological complications
- Backache (weeks to YEARS!) in 20% of women!
- Postpartum feelings of regret, loss of autonomy (click for definition)
- Fecal and urinary incontinence (inability to urinate)
- Loss of perineum sensation and sexual function
Epidural Side Effects On The Baby:
- Direct drug toxicity to baby
- Fetal distress, abnormal FHR – fetal heart rate (can lead to emergency cesarean)
- Drowsiness at birth, poor sucking reflex
- Maternal fever (inability to regulate body temperature from numb skin) leads to fetal hyperthermia and neonatal
NICU workup (spinal tap, etc.) - Neonatal jaundice
- Decreased maternal-infant bonding, behavioral problems
- Hyperactivity up to seven years (suspected)
And this is an incomplete list… Who would sign a consent if it included all the info above? The degree to which the facts about the risks of epidural anesthesia are hidden from women in labor is astonishing.
I hope that pregnant women will have a more informed explanation of the risks of epidural anesthesia than what is currently given, and I would suspect that many would make other choices if true informed consent was given (before labor, when the woman still has time to prepare to cope with the discomfort or pain of childbirth in other ways).
For more info on the pros and cons of epidurals, check out the following websites:
http://www.healing-arts.org/mehl-madrona/mmepidural.htm
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/episdrgs.html#CaseEpidural
Morning Sickness – Are There Remedies & Cures For Morning Sickness?
I found the following testimony on Milk Thistle on another website and thought I would share. It was pretty encouraging to read. I really believe that milk thistle makes a big difference. Please leave feed back if you have any info on milk thistle and if you have used it during or before pregnancy for the use of preventing morning sickness. Thanks!
Morning Sickness:
“I just wanted to let you know that I am at the beginning of my 7th pregnancy…the 6th one that has gotten a good start….and for the very first time have not experienced the horrible morning sickness and exhaustion that I have with all the others! I believe it is the mercy and blessing of God through the advice that you offer…
Entrox,
AbsorbAid
three times a day with meals along with a good prenatal and calcium.
I’m still in total amazement and awe! I only hoped it would really work, but was skeptical until now! I have a friend who tried this as well with her 5th pregnancy with the same astounding results!!! WOW! I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be able to be a “normal” mommy to my other children while carrying a new babe!! I had asked many months ago about a different source for the Milk Thistle Phytosome by Natural Factors as well as the Entrox…because I could not obtain those locally. I did find a source for Entrox by NOW that does not have any added Vitamin E. (just an FYI) Also, Enzymatic Therapy makes a Silybin Phytosome that I think is very similar if not the same as the milk thistle phytosome you recommend…and there are a few web sites that sell this brand. I bought mine from Vitamin Shoppe. The NOW Entrox I bought through BetterLife.com. Anyway, just thought I’d let you know so if you have opportunity to pass it along to other moms weary of morning sickness.
Pressure Cooker Refried Beans with Onion, Garlic, and Chiles
(Makes about 6 servings, original recipe created by Kalyn)
2 cups dried pinto beans (I used unsoaked beans, but if you want to soak the beans they will cook a bit more quickly)
1 T + 2 T olive oil, lard or bacon grease
1 cup chopped onion or 3 TB dried onion flakes
2 T minced garlic or 1 heaping teaspoon or dried garlic flake
1 T salt (or more to taste)
Put beans in pressure cooker with enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Add 1 T olive oil & 1 T of salt to cooker, then lock lid, bring to high pressure, and cook 30 minutes (probably only about 20 minutes for soaked beans.) After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let pressure release naturally. (I think you could also release the pressure quickly if you were in a hurry, since the beans will be mashed anyway.)
When pressure has released, add chopped onion, minced garlic. Lock lid again and pressure cook 10 minutes, then let pressure release naturally. (Again, I think you could release pressure quickly if you wanted to.)
When pressure has released the second time, remove lid and without draining, mash or puree beans to desired consistency. I like my beans rather creamy, so I used my immersion blender, being very careful not to overblend and liquefy the beans. At this point, beans may be more runny than you want, but I like the idea of keeping the flavor/nutrients that is in the cooking water.
When beans are as smooth or chunky as you prefer, heat 2 T oil in a heavy, nonstick pan. Add beans and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans have thickened to desired consistency. For me this took about 10 minutes. Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and thinly sliced green onions if desired.
Fun Fact About Pinto Beans:
Sensitive to Sulfites? Pinto Beans Can Help
Pinto beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars. Persons who are sensitive to sulfites in these foods may experience rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation if sulfites are unwittingly consumed. If you have ever reacted to sulfites, it may be because your molybdenum stores are insufficient to detoxify them. A cup of pinto beans supplies 128.3 mg of molybdenum–that’s 171.0% of the daily value for this trace mineral.
Child’s Fever – How High Is Too High?
Q. I have read in Dr. Mendelsohn’s book “How to raise a healthy child in spite of your Dr.” that it is best not to try to lower a fever caused by virus or bacteria, because the body is fighting the virus with the fever. Does this agree with what you have learned? I have Yummy Yarrow and Elderberry from Tri-Light herbs, which can be used for fevers. What does it do for fevers? And does the use of it counteract the body’s own mechanisms for fighting the virus?
A. Kendall, the information on fevers being a good thing is accurate. For every degree of raised temperature above normal body temp, we get an additional 20,000 white cells working to fight the “invader” germ. The Yummy Yarrow and Elderberry helps to increase the body’s immune response, along with the fever, and the yarrow works especially to increase perspiration, which naturally helps lower the fever, without interfering in the body’s disease-fighting mode. The Echinacea and elderberry both stimulate the immune system. It does not counteract the body’s mechanisms, rather, it actually supports the body’s own antibody actions during an illness.
-To read more on fevers or other topics, check out Naturally Healthy
(the following is from truestarhealth)
When Should You Call Your Doctor?
As a parent, you know your child best. If you have any concerns, it is always best to consult your healthcare professional. Consult a health care professional immediately in ANY of the following cases:
- If a child under the age of three months develops a fever
- If your child is convulsing or hallucinating
- If your child’s fever has not changed in over three days
- If your child is complaining of stiff neck
- If your child has repeated vomiting and/or diarrhea
- If your child’s fever is 104 F or over orally or 103 F in the armpit
How to do a Diaphragmatic Release
It is easy to recognize a persistent posterior baby. You cannot feel the
back on palpation, rather only little lumps and bumps of limbs. To do a
diaphragmatic release, it is best to have the mother lie on her back. If
she is in advanced pregnancy and this makes her very uncomfortable, you can
have her lie in a recliner or semi-sitting position. If you use that
position, place a small pillow or adequate support behind her lower back.
One hand will go horizontally across her lower back where the uterine
ligaments attach. This is where you would put lower back pressure during
labor. You do not need to press, as just the pressure of the mother lying
on your hand will be sufficient. (Be sure you take off any rings you may be
wearing, for your hand’s sake!)
The top hand will go on top of the abdomen, horizontally just above the
pubic bone with the thumb upward. Just rest it lightly on the abdomen, no
pressure. Then all you have to do is wait. Things may start right away or
it may take several minutes before you feel anything. What you will feel is
a motion beneath your hands. For the hand in back it will feel much like it
does when there is a contraction taking place during labor as you feel the
muscles tighten and contract beneath your hand and release. For the top
hand it will be either a waving motion or a circular motion under your
hand. At first you will think you are just imagining it, but you are not.
The best description I can give is that it feels as if the mother has a
tennis ball in her abdomen that is being bounced back and forth between
your hands. As it hits one hand it will roll across it or around underneath
it and then bounce back to the other hand. Sometimes the motion is so great
that it will actually make your hand wave on the abdomen. Sometimes the
mother will feel things inside, sometimes not. What she feels may not be
located where your hand is located. The movement under your top hand may
stay all in one place or move around. If it moves, try to gently follow it
with your top hand to keep it centrally located under your hand. Do not
move the back hand. Sometimes it will move around in a circle, sometimes
off to one side, or even clear down to a hip. It all depends on the muscles
that are involved and the type of injury that precipitated all the spasm of
abdominal muscles. Our muscles really only know how to contract and
shorten, not how to relax and lengthen. They depend on another counter
muscle to contract and pull the first one out of contraction. Abdominal
muscles do not have as many counter muscles, so this technique allows the
muscles to relax.
If you go back into the mother’s history, you will almost always find a
history of read more…
I find this particular topic rather fascinating, exhilarating and full of adrenaline… with maybe some fear of the unknown tucked in there somewhere…
Having your baby at home with nobody or just the father present is such a different experience than a traditional home birth or a hospital birth. An unassisted home birth is not really comparable. Actually all three are quite different. I think one of the biggest differences in the type of birth you decide to have is the amount of control you choose to give up or keep.
I have had two home births with a midwife and have loved both experiences. I must admit that even with both births being exceptional – no complaints, I still toy with the idea of having an unassisted childbirth in the future. I am surprised at my desire for a unassisted childbirth because my midwife is excellent, extremely inexpensive and a friend…
I never realized until recently that my brother was born unassisted and a good friend of mine’s husband was born unassisted (along with his 3 brothers). Some of these were planned and some unplanned – either way – they all were beautiful, healthy births. The mothers comment on them as being their favorites!
I think one of the best books I have read on pregnancy and labor -whether you choose to go with the full medical route or the unassisted route or somewhere between is a book called, “The Joy Of Natural Childbirth”. It is a bit hard to find, but Amazon sometimes will have a copy of it for sale. Enjoy this great read! (get the most recent version – copyright is 1993)
The Unassissted Childbirth community is growing rapidly for many reasons. Thankfully, if you choose this route, there are a ton of great resources available to educate yourself with pregnancy, labor, delivery and post-delivery. You will soon discover how the human body was designed to be pregnant, carry a baby full term and delivery natural and safely with little, to no assistance from the outside world. It is our fear that creates the majority of the problems. It would be amazing if one could find out how many problems are brought into existence simply because those problems were feared to begin with…
I would love to hear your comments on the topic of homebirth, unassisted or assisted! I especially would be interested as to why you think this community is growing so quickly and is getting such attention…
So, I just finished reading the book, “Teaching Your Baby To Read” and loved it!
I also ordered and read the books, “Teaching Your Baby Math” and “How To Teach Your Baby To Be Physically Superb“. They are all excellent and caused me to re-think the way I interact with my child.
After looking all over the internet for flash cards, reading cards, math cards, etc, all I came up with was the Doman reading cards on their website… but they are not cheap.
If you get the printed 6 x 22 flash card from the Glenn Doman website, you spend $75 for 134 different cards.
True, it is nice to have them printed, but you will need alot more than 134 cards. It’s amazing how many common words there are and how quickly you will go through them. Over time you will probably be close to going through 2,000 different words.
I had to find something option
because clearly what they offer on the Gentle Revolution website was not going to be enough. I then thought, surely I can make my own. Glenn Doman talks about making your own flash cards in his book.
I got one of those large red permanent markers and white card stock (110 lb, 150 sheets in a pkg) from walmart. I took the ream of cardstock to my local print shop and they cut through the whole package. By cutting the 9 1/2 x 11 card stock in half-length wise, you get a TON of 4 3/4 x 11 blank flash cards. That will give you 300 cheap flash cards!
You can’t beat that price! I think it was around $5.00 for all the cardstock. You’ll find it in section with printer/laser printer paper. (same aisle as file folders and office supply).
The next challenge…
Then my next challenge was to get longer flash cards for longer words, couplets and phrases. This was a challenge. You can find poster board many places, but then you need to cut it. Kinko’s charges $0.50 per cut. That would cost you around $2.00 to get one poster board cut into 6 inch strips. Doman recommends 6×22 inch strips. If you cut them by hand, your hand would tire out way before you had enough strips.
After brainstorming, I came up with a cost-effective solution. I cut my poster board with a rotary cutter and a mat (the kind you use to cut fabrics for quilt making). I have made my strips 6 x 22 inches. They are perfect. If you make the math cards, use a red bingo dauber for the circle dots 
As a side note, I would like to encourage all of you who are using the Doman method to enjoy the process, no matter how much or little you implement what you have read in his books. Better to do something than nothing at all Enjoy being a mother – they are only small once!
Mercury & Thimersol (thiomersal). Thimersol is another name for mercury. If your vaccine has an ingredient called thimerasol or thiomersal listed, this is mercury. Mercury is highly toxic to your cells.
Here is a news clip talking about the this very topic. It’s well worth your 10 minutes to watch. Watch this news clip on vaccines/mercury and then leave a comment about what you think.
Think twice before getting the flu vaccine… did you know that most people get flu like symptoms when they get the vaccination for the flu? Did you know that if you did actually catch the flu, you would have an immunity to that strain? I would personally prefer to have an immunity (if I actually caught it) than to be injected with a foreign substance, have flu like symptoms for a couple days and then not have a life time immunity to the flu…
If you are seriously concerned about getting the flu, look into taking elderberry. It comes in different forms. My favorite is the tincture. Elderberry is safe for pregnant, lactating (nursing) moms, and for babies & toddlers. It keeps the virus from multiplying in your system.
However, Tamiflu is NOT safe for pregnant or nursing mothers. Check out the Tamiflu website, they say on there very own website that they do not recommend for pregnant or nursing mothers to take Tamilflu. This is directly from the Tamiflu website:
TAMIFLU is normally not recommended for use during pregnancy or nursing, as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are unknown. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding while taking TAMIFLU, talk to your doctor before taking TAMIFLU.
