As part of the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop we are posting our school pictures for 2012. We’ve taken these head shots each year from age 1. Here are my cutie pies!
This post is linked up over at the iHomeschool Network – click below to link up your family’s 2012-2013 curriculum!
NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop on Brookie-Lee.com:
As part of Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop I am posting pictures of our “school room”. In our tiny bungalow in Kansas City each room of our house is multipurpose. My laundry room is laundry, pantry, tool shed. My bedroom is a bedroom, library, and office. And my dining room is also a school room. We do our lessons at the kitchen table the old fashion way. 😀 I hope you enjoy this sneak peak into our lives.
This is often what our table looks like during the day. Zavien is playing with legos, Jaxon was coloring with markers, and mom and dad’s laptops cover one end. You can see our Bible memory verses taped on the side on the bookcase and Jaxon’s guitar in the corner. You can also see our handy pencil sharpener on the wall to the left. It was under $20 and so worth it.
The first picture(on the left) is of the craft shelf. This is where crayons, markers, pencils, clay, glue, paper, scissors, beads, paint, and so much more are stored. The children have access to it whenever they want which is why it is always a disaster area. 😀 Creativity is never clean.
The second picture is the curriculum shelf. We call it mom’s school shelf. The kids are not allowed to mess with much on this bookcase. There is one shelf that has their reading books that they may get whenever they want.
The third picture has our number chart, weekly schedule, and the children’s daily check off lists. After last year I found that it really helps Zavien if he knows what is expected of him each day.
And the last picture(on the right) is of our new calendar. I love it! We’ve been doing this each morning and the kids take turns moving the days and updating the weather. It’s been a big hit and it only cost me $28.45!
We have limited space and so we make it all work. We will be building a house this fall and will have a dedicated school room. I’m super excited to get their desks(found at a school auction, so cool!) out of storage and give them their own dedicated space. I’m excited about posting our new school room pictures whenever we finish the house. 😀
This post is linked up over at the iHomeschool Network – click below to link up your family’s 2012-2013 curriculum!
NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop on Brookie-Lee.com:
Amber has been a natural source for traditional healing that has been passed on through the generations. This alternative medicine has proven health benefits and amazing properties that offer a drug-free alternative for relief of teething pain for infants. This homeopathic product has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that benefit children and adults alike.
Amber is a fossilized resin from trees from thousands of years ago. Resin is a natural antibiotic for trees, protecting it from infection or injury. Amber has been worn for centuries as a natural remedy for pain relief, it promotes fast healing and boosts the immune system. 
Amber is worn on the skin, and once warmed by the skin releases tiny amounts of healing oils which are adsorbed into the bloodstream. In war times doctors were known to slap tree resin on a wound as a disinfectant and saved lives that way. Scientists have also shown that amber produces organic, purely natural energy and is electromagnetically alive. It protects from negative influences of electrical equipment like computers, televisions, mobile phones 
and microwave ovens.
Baltic amber contains anywhere from 3-8% of succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex – the external layer of the stone. Nobel-prize winner Robert Koch (1886), the pioneer of modern bacteriology, proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human body. In the 1930’s and 40’s, European biochemists discovered that succinic acid is an amino acid created naturally in every cell of the body capable of aerobic respiration, participating in the citric acid – or Krebs cycle. This is how carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolized into energy.
Amber teething necklaces are sold in pharmacies in many countries including Switzerland, Germany and Austria where amber has been respected for its medicinal qualities for centuries. These necklaces are knotted by hand in between each and every bead, so that if the necklace breaks (which it should if necessary), the beads won’t scatter. It fastens with a breakaway screw clasp that will break if too much pressure is applied to prevent choking. Amber teething necklaces and bracelets are made to wear but not to chew! Teething necklaces and bracelets should be removed when child is sleeping or unattended!
We LOVE our amber! We didn’t know about the wonderful amber necklaces with our first child and we all suffered through teething. His poor swollen gums kept us up many a night and the drool was insane. We would change outfits because the drool would have him sopping wet. And occasionally we would try something like oral gel with no relief and baby Tylenol for temporary relief. And just so you know I am NOT a fan of using Tylenol for children, but he was miserable and we were desperate.
When I discovered amber teething necklaces my second child was 1 year old. We put it on him and didn’t notice a radical change. He still wanted to chew on everything and would whine a little here and there. I took it off a few days later to give him a bath and forgot to put the necklace back on him. The next morning I had a super drooly, extremely fussy, little terror on my hands. 
He was a totally different child from the day before and I was at a loss. What changed overnight? Why was my child so completely changed? I wanted my cheerful child back! I walked through our day and diet and discovered the only thing different was that I had taken the necklace off. I put the necklace back on and I never took it off again. My third and fourth children received their necklaces on their birth days and wear them until they take them off themselves(around age 3). We have never had a recap of teething like with my first son. Molars and canines with my second, third, and fourth child have been a breeze in comparison.
I love this product and I believe so strongly in it’s effectiveness. I’ve been recommending it to customers and giving it away as baby shower gifts for years. Each of my children has one, as do my husband and I. They are amazing and I highly recommend them for teething and other chronic pain in children and adults alike. It’s amazing, all natural, and safe.
I am giving away an amber teething necklace! This natural teething pain reliever is the best natural solution on the market. It is genuine Baltic amber jewelry using only AAA class, jewelry grade, raw amber material. These can also be purchased online and in Lee’s Summit, MO from Happybottomus for only $18.95(which is the most affordable I’ve ever seen it).
Share with us your teething pain stories and what you do to give relief to enter to win! A winner will be picked at random and announced September 1st. Thank you for participating and sharing with our community!
Also subscribe(top right on website) to receive emails when there is a new post on brookie-lee.com to enter to win another amber teething necklace in the month of August!
9/1/12 And the random winner of the amber teething necklace is… Jill! Thank you to everyone who contributed by sharing with us!
Also this month’s random subscriber winner is… Rodney! Congrats and thank you for subscribing to my blog!
Vaylee’s Toddler Curriculum
Tylea’s Preschool Curriculum
She will also have lots of craft time, puzzles, and playtime. Ballet class too!
Jaxon’s Kindergarten Curriculum
The rest of the time he will be invited to join his brother’s lessons but will have the option to opt out and go play. I suspect there will be a lot of creative time doing craft projects. He will also play soccer in the fall and attends DHA 1 day a week. Private piano lessons.
Zavien’s 2nd Grade Curriculum
He also will be doing soccer in the fall, private piano lessons, and DHA 1 day a week.
Homeschool Library Must Haves
Supplement Resources:
Weekly Enrichment Program
Discovery Homeschool Academy(DHA)- homeschool enrichment one day a week. All the fun classes that you liked in public school: PE, Art, Music, Spanish, Science, Social Studies. We have class parties, field day, grandparents day, field trips and other fun activities with the fellowship of other homeschool families. They also have homeschool 101 classes for parents that were great.
This post is linked up over at the iHomeschool Network – click below to link up your family’s 2012-2013 curriculum!
NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop on Brookie-Lee.com:
So there has been some controversy over aluminum in different products that we use on a regular basis. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s, attention deficit disorder, bone degeneration, kidney dysfunction, and even Parkinson’s disease. Most of these aluminum containing household products that we use have toxic levels of aluminum.
talking about the different recipes they use to make their own deodorant. Recipes and processes similar to this one. While the recipes sounded wonderful, I wasn’t interested in something time consuming. So looking at the ingredients I just cut the recipe down to one ingredient. Baking Soda! My husband and I LOVE how well it works. After we shower we will wet our fingers and get powder on the tips of our fingers and we will rub it into our armpits. It lasts all day and night, and sometimes into the next day. We no longer stink and it’s the shortest ingredient list we’ve ever tried! We have not had any burning but some people may have more sensitive skin. We use Arm & Hammer baking soda which does not have aluminum in it.
We have arrowroot powder on hand in place of cornstarch because we avoid GMO corn products. Arrowroot powder is all natural and works great in all recipes that call for cornstarch! And this baking powder recipe has worked great for us as well. I also love knowing exactly what’s in our food and keeps us on the path of a healthy lifestyle.
If you eat more prepared processed/boxed/frozen foods or eat at restaurants it’s highly likely that it contains baking powder with aluminum. Eating whole foods that you prepare yourself is the best way to protect yourself and your family from harmful ingredients and additives. Many personal care items like lotion and lip balm also contain aluminum. BUT don’t get overwhelmed. Take one step at a time as you are on this health journey. Today throw out your deodorant and put some baking soda in a container and put it in your bathroom. Next week order some arrowroot powder from Azure Standard Coop or pick some up at your health food store and mix your own baking powder. Next month try to switch out your lip balm for coconut oil. Just take it nice and steady. Don’t overwhelm yourself by changing everything in your house today. Just becoming more aware and putting it on your mental to do list is a huge step toward a healthier future.
When we started our homeschooling journey I was very overwhelmed with all the options out there. Thankfully my circles are like minded and I had access to homeschooling parents that I could ask questions. Through chatting online, reading lots of books, and listening to the needs of my children and our family I was able to figure out our homeschooling path. Here are some topics that I think you will find helpful.
De-school: For us coming out of a private Kindergarten my son needed some time to de-school. He hated learning and wanted nothing to do with anything that resembled his semester in the klink. So we did a lot of fun learning that was not labeled until the fall. When school time rolled around we took it little by little getting mom and son use to this new adventure. After de-schooling, my learning hungry child was back and thirsty for knowledge!
Prep: With my second child who will officially be starting kindergarten this fall we have done some prep work. When he’s interested we will do a math lesson but mostly we run through phonograms several times a week and we have been working on some basic readers. He also enjoys some free online educational programs. We move at his pace and interest. Kids naturally have a thirst for knowledge. It’s really quite awesome. Listening to them and introducing them to new concepts is fun. We also have a lot of craft supplies at our house that my children get into daily.
Method: There are lots of different ways to homeschool and in fact no two ways are the same. Cater your homeschool around your family’s needs and preferences. Learning about the different methodologies is a great place to start. Our homeschool has a foundation of Classical Education using a lot of literature with some computer supplementation. Once you figure out your method, the curriculum search is simplified.
Rigidity~Fluidity: Deciding what schedule and atmosphere you will teach in is a very fluid thing at our house. Sometimes we are on the couch, in mom’s bed, on the front porch, or at the dining room table. Some days we stick to the schedule but most of the time we adapt to what the child needs. Maybe we need more time in math and everyone is falling asleep reading about Williby’s. Or tomorrow math may be a breeze and we loved marsupials so much we wanted to spend extra time mapping out where they all live in the world. I’m okay with a fluid schedule since it means that my child will have a high retention rate for the lesson. (Picture of my two boys seeing the world with blue colored goggles.)
Law: Each state has a different homeschooling law and it’s in your best interest to become very familiar with it. Here is a website that details each state’s law.
Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.
Support: Finding other like minded homeschooling parents has been key in my confidence on this journey. One of my favorite online forums is found at The Well Trained Mind website. It’s very active and I’ve researched through those threads and after reading reviews confidentially made my curriculum choices. Plus I love to hear ideas that others are using and see into their homeschooling lives for inspiration. Google your city name and homeschool enrichment to find programs in your area. Below are some great options in the Kansas City area.
KC Circle– a parent run, parent involved learning coop. Each parent offers a class and signs their children up to participate in classes/field trips offered. Classes located all over the metro.
Discovery Homeschool Academy(DHA)– A Christian-based enrichment program for homeschooled children grades K-8th with a qualified, Christian faculty. Students will be creatively challenged with hands-on activities and experiments in their classes. The Academy meets on Tuesdays 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., September to May. Music, Art, PE, Spanish, Science, Social Studies, Computers. Located in Raytown, Missouri. (Picture of my son’s first day at DHA.)
KC Homeschool– A member supported, all-inclusive secular group of local homeschoolers. We offer a co-op that runs year round, regular field trips, clubs, a monthly parent’s night out and other activities. Online we offer a discussion forum, printable membership card, classified ads, a sortable field trip database and each family can build their own secure website to share with friends and family!
L.E.A.R.N.– Home Education Network provides secular support and resources to homeschooling families in Missouri and Kansas by providing regular meetings, social activities, membership cards, website, annual picnic & reunion, unprom, teen and pre-teen events, weekly gathering of coop classes, park days, graduation ceremony, information about homeschooling and legislative updates.
E.D.C.A.T.E.– Currently children between the ages of infancy all the way through high school are represented in our membership. We offer active teen and tween social groups as well as preschool activities and everything in between. Current activities include: Lego play groups, Pokemon club, history co-ops, park days, field trips, drama classes, literature and writing classes, educational activity days, mom’s night out, and many more! EDUCATE also hosts an annual recognition ceremony, talent show and other family socials such as the fall kick-off picnic, holiday parties, roundtables, and the spring social. Most activities occur in the Johnson County area of Kansas, but membership is not limited to that area.
Midwest Parent Educators(MPE)– serves homeschoolers by providing an annual Conference & Curriculum Fair(it’s amazing and a must go event!), networking through its large membership, listings of local events and opportunities for homeschoolers, and more. Our local office offers support for families researching homeschooling and a library of materials geared toward homeschooling families, available as benefits of membership. MPE’s regular events include a Women’s Retreat, Men’s Leadership Evening, How to Homeschool Workshop and a Used Curriculum Sale.
Lee’s Summit Home Educators (LSHE)– a Christian-based homeschool support group for families who choose to educate their pre-K through high school students. Our group is based on volunteers who desire to have a strong home school community for their children as well as themselves. We typically meet on the 2nd Mondays each month at 7pm, Sept.-May, at Christ Triumphant Church in Lee’s Summit, MO.
Raymore Home Educators– Throughout the school year RHE encourages participation in local as well as state-wide field trips, conferences, classes and lectures, sports teams, testing, community events, and community service projects. We organize holiday parties and family events as well as a boisterous field day, and members-only book and curriculum sale. The accomplishments of the school year are marked with the publication of the RHE yearbook. Meets monthly, September through May, on the first Thursday at 2:30 PM. We meet at the First Baptist Church of Raymore.
Lawrence Area Homeschoolers Network– a secular, inclusive homeschooling group to support families and encourage homeschooling in Lawrence, KS and surrounding areas. Meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. Time: 1:00pm – 3:30pm. Email list, monthly meetings, most of our meetings are social in nature, although members are encouraged to share their skills through classes, activities, and organized field trips.
Northland Families Learning Together– a secular support group for Home Educators in the Greater Kansas City area, with activities based mainly in the Northland. NFLT provides support and educational and social events to the Kansas City homeschooling community.
KC-Happenings– an informational list for homeschoolers and friends. We will be sending announcements regarding activities open to all homeschoolers. If your child is involved in activities that might require email updates, this is where you will find them.
Mardels– Big box store of homeschooling supplies with aisles and aisles of curriculum and so much more! I feel like a kid in a candy store and have spent hours in the store. Half the store is homeschooling supplies and half the store is a Christian book store. Locations all over the country including one in Independence and Overland Park.
Rainbow Resource– A complete online store that carries all the top homeschooling curriculum. They have the most competitive prices across the board. I love when they have a booth at our local home school conference and I don’t have to pay shipping!
Lakeshore Learning– I really love browsing this website. There are tons of manipulatives and great additions to homeschooling. When we move and have more space to store things I plan on ordering some fun things for our school.
This list of groups in Kansas City is by no means complete. There are many small groups supporting each other in our wonderful city. If you have a group that you participate in that I didn’t list please tell us about it. Even if I listed your group, we’d love to hear your experience!
Earlier this year my adrenal glands were fatigued and my immune system was shot. My chiropractor was very worried and I took a urine analysis and it came back extremely toxic and very acidic. I needed to make some changes and detox my body. While my diet mainly consisted of whole foods I would still go out to eat and I had stashes of sugary snacks for my midnight cravings. I needed to detox my body, change the contents of my midnight snacks, and provide my body with the ammunition it needed to protect itself. So I’ve been on a road to health and discovery beyond my comfort zone.
So through different research I’ve learned of this magical supplement- Chlorella! Chlorella is a single-cell green algae that is high in protein and essential nutrients. Earlier this year I was introduced to Chlorella through Dr. Schulze’s detox programs. It’s a main ingredient in his Super Foods Plus multi-vitamin. When I researched it a little bit farther I discovered Chlorella’s ability to keep breastmilk free of toxins. Doing a bowel detox at the time, with a nursing baby, I was able to test this out first hand. I did a dose of bowel detox formula and 12 hours later I saw the results in myself as well as in my nursing baby. I had avoided detoxing for year while being pregnant or nursing but after seeing my baby get sick as often as I was I knew that my high levels of toxicity needed to change for the both of us. After that first dose my large order of supplements arrived in the mail and I did the second bowel detox dose while also taking the Chlorella in the Super Foods Plus supplement. Guess what?! I saw the same results in myself as I saw the first time, BUT no changes in my baby! Meaning her stools stayed the same! She wasn’t detoxing with me and she wasn’t getting any extra toxins in my body in the breastmilk! I was so thrilled! I found something I could take while breastfeeding and pregnancy!
So now that I’ve been taking Chlorella on a daily basis to keep my breastmilk clean of toxins and to help heal my body. I suffer from short term memory loss. Some people call it mommy brain. I call it ridiculous! I had a cavity filling when I was a child, a few vaccines as a child, and 5 shots for being Rh- as an adult(mercury content questionable). I have a feeling that I have a build up of mercury in my system that may be effecting my ability to retain information. So in my search for a heavy metal detox I again came across information on Chlorella. Below is an excerpt from Dietrich Klinghardt M.D., Ph.D.
“Chlorella
Both C. pyreneidosa (better absorption of toxins, but harder to digest) and C. vulgaris (higher CGF content – see below, easier to digest, less metal-absorbing capability) are available. Chlorella has multiple health-inducing effects:
Dosage: start with 1 gram (= 4 tabl) 3-4 times/day. This is the standard maintenance dosage for grown-ups for the 6-24 months of active detox. During the more active phase of the detox (every 2-4 weeks for 1 week), whenever cilantro is given, the dose can be increased to 3 grams 3-4 times per day (1 week on, 2-4 weeks back down to the maintenance dosage). Take 30 minutes before the main meals and at bedtime. This way chlorella is exactly in that portion of the small intestine where the bile squirts into the gut at the beginning of the meal, carrying with it toxic metals and other toxic waste. These are bound by the chlorella cell wall and carried out via the digestive tract. When amalgam fillings are removed, the higher dose should be given for 2 days before and 2-5 days after the procedure (the more fillings are removed, the longer the higher dose should be given). No cilantro should be given around the time of dental work. During this time we do not want to mobilize deeply stored metals in addition to the expected new exposure. If you take Vitamin C during your detox program, take it as far away from Chlorella as possible (best after meals).
Side effects: most side effects reflect the toxic effect of the mobilized metals which are shuttled through the organism. This problem is instantly avoided by significantly increasing the chlorella dosage, not by reducing it, which would worsen the problem (small chlorella doses mobilize more metals than are bound in the gut, large chlorella doses bind more toxins than are mobilized). Some people have problems digesting the cell membrane of chlorella. The enzyme cellulase resolves this problem. Cellulase is available in many health food stores in digestive enzyme products. Taking chlorella together with food also helps in some cases, even though it is less effective that way. C. vulgaris has a thinner cell wall and is better tolerated by people with digestive problems.” –Source
My personal experience has been very positive with Chlorella in the Super Foods Plus supplement and I also have a powder version from my local health food store that I will put in smoothies. I will be looking into purchasing more to be able to do a metal detox in the near future and will share any memory improvement with you in the future!
Politics……oh what a slippery slope. Although this is controversial it’s been consuming my day. So let’s talk about health care…
I think that the mainstream health care system loves to put band-aids on diseases and treat symptoms. Mainstream health care is not invested in long term health. Quite the opposite in fact. The longer you are sick and require doctors visits and medication the more money they make. So insurance companies put their money into the health care system. They do not cover things like chiropractic, vitamins, or exercise. 3 things I find essential to good health. So I don’t see the new health care bill as being helpful to human health nor to the overwhelming financial issues our economy is currently facing.
I strongly believe in alternative care. I believe that expensive diseases like cancer can be cured with a healthy lifestyle. I know several people who have cured cancer by such means. I believe that allergies and asthma can be cured as well. By boosting the bodies immune system you can reverse these conditions. If I thought for a minute that the new government health care plan would help people long term I might reconsider it. But it won’t. Big government is wrong about what kind of health care actually helps. Now with the new law I’m being forced to pay for something I believe is detrimental to people’s health. When health insurance covers my organic veggies, chiropractic care, clean water system, vitamins, yoga classes, and a great mattress then we can talk about people getting healthy. Now I either have to spend a boat load on health insurance coverage that I don’t use, or get fined 1% of my income. Income which should go toward the vitamins that are expensive enough on their own. Big government stay out of my life and give me the freedom to make my own choices!
So the arguments that are out there on this topic have to do with people who currently are suffering and they are excited about not being denied care. I believe a healthy lifestyle will cure them and the healthcare system can’t help with a healthy lifestyle. What about catastrophes? Yes they happen. My brother got punched in the gut and it ruptured his pancreas and he almost died. It was awful. He was working for the Union and they covered him. BUT if they hadn’t I had created a facebook page and was ready to ask people for help. If my son broke his leg, we would pay out of pocket. Doctors allow payments on treatments which is so great. And catastrophe insurance wouldn’t be a bad idea but I still feel like I should have the choice to get it.
So what happens when poor people have a catastrophe and don’t pay? Well most poor people are on medicaid and actually are covered. So the middle class who make too much for medicaid but too little to afford full coverage insurance? They get a huge medical bill that they make payments on. Makes life harder BUT it was their choice not to get catastrophe insurance. And those who get overwhelmed with the bills? They file bankruptcy, which is their constitutional right. And their credit is destroyed for 5 years and their lives upset. I see cause and effect.
Many people see this as being heartless. It’s actually the opposite. I believe in the kindness of people. I believe that people will step up to help each other in need. And most of the people that think the way I do about less government also think the way I do about helping others. Government and insurance need to step back from health care. Allow practitioners who care about helping people do there jobs without the influences of pharmaceutical companies and insurance risks. The market will regulate itself and will be competitive.
So here is our 10 step health care plan. It’s been a work in progress for us since mainstream society doesn’t teach you much about alternative care. Thankfully I’ve learned a lot from friends and family. I hope I’m able to help someone learn about something new and encourage you on your natural health journey.
#1 Whole Foods- Eating foods closest to their natural state. No white sugar, white flour, or white rice. No processed dairy, we buy raw Guernsey milk straight from the farm. Free range meats, and eggs(getting a few from our backyard chickens). No high fructose corn syrup, reduced sugars, substituting with honey, or stevia, or powdered monk fruit, or palm sugar. We make our own butter, sour cream, buttermilk, kefir, and I’m working on cheese! Once I figure out how to flavor yogurt better I will make that on a regular basis too. We eat sprouted rice and use sprouted wheat in our baking. We also use homemade almond flour and coconut flour in a lot of our baking. And LOTS of fresh fruits and vegetables. I shop the KC River Market(only certain venders that I know to grow organically), and we order from Fresh Connect for our out of state fruit and spices. Natural sea salt(it should be gray and wet, all those minerals are so good for you!). Sprouts & wheat grass are so good for you too!
#2 Water- We need 8 glasses of water a day. It helps our bodies to function properly. It helps carry out toxins in your system and cleanse the body. Chlorinated, chemically polluted water doesn’t accomplish this and it is effecting may people’s quality of life without them even realizing it. Ideally having a reverse osmosis system along with a water softner would help immensely. We currently order alkalized water from Fresh Connect and bring along dLo water to sports events. When we can we will buy a whole house system.
#3 Vitamins- Reducing bloody noses, growing pains, and moodiness. Increasing concentration, energy, and health. We’ve seen some amazing results with our vitamins and we are huge believers. For example our son was having bloody noses several times a day and we gave him Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids and Rutin and they are now a rare occurrence. Recently I’ve been working on detoxing and that started with an amazing detox from Dr. Schulzes along with his Super Foods vitamin so that my nursing babe didn’t detox with me(yay for Spirulina keeping breastmilk toxin free!).
#4 Exercise!- My husband recently starting lifting weights with his good friend and cousin. He’s seen great results in his back pain and I’ve seen good results in his overall mood. I love yoga and it changes my whole outlook on my day. Everything becomes clearer and I can handle life struggles more easily. Studies show that exercise is one of the best ways to fight depression.
#5 Sunshine- Vitamin D greatly effects your body’s ability to function. Going out and getting some sunshine is essential to a healthy life. Whether it’s drinking your morning tea on the front porch or taking a walk after lunch, allowing those rays on your face means more than a cheery disposition.
#6 Sleep- Getting enough sleep doesn’t get enough credit. 8-9 hours of sleep can mean the difference between a grouchy, depressed, sluggish person and someone with the energy and spunk to make something of the day. Not to mention the years you add to your life by allowing your body to rest and heal itself while you sleep. Sleeping in complete darkness with as much silence as possible will increase the quality of your sleep and healing. Taking a nap during the day is also important and there are many countries that incorporate it into their culture.
#7 Chiropractic- from curing my son’s projectile vomiting, to helping my husband walk, and easing my pregnancy discomforts, I am a huge fan of the benefits of chiropractic care. My chiropractor was also the one to help me discover the necessity of changing our diets. I was toxic and was having adrenal gland overload. My physician didn’t say anything but my chiropractor knew I was “off” and he helped me to realize it too.
#8 Relationships- We are social creatures and creating an emotional support system has been essential for my mental health. My husband is my best friend and he’s an amazing companion. We talk and share with each other as often as we can in our day. I also reach out to women online, who live similar lives, for emotional support. Recently I’ve been connecting more in real life with friends, and my children have reaped the benefits of fabulous play time with friends! And I can’t say enough about having a strong family network when you need to talk about your problems and just have that person listen and love you.
#9 Check Ups- When we need to we will go in and make sure that everything is good. Well woman checks specifically. If the kids are really struggling with something I will call our practitioner and get advice. When my daughter broke out in hives and my baby had eczema all of a sudden we did go to both our MD as well as a Naturopathic Medical Doctor. Our MD told me my daughter would grow out of it while the NMD said it was allergies and started working on her glands to eliminate the allergy. My mother and mother-in-law mentioned our change in diet and our decrease in protein at the time may be causing the issue. Between increasing protein and the NMD treatments we cleared it up within 2 weeks and haven’t had a recurrence for 6 months!
#10 Educate Yourself- Study your own condition and look for natural ways to get healthy. Blindly following an MD’s advice often leads to years of superficial treatments and life long disease. I like to find out what my MD would recommend but I take it with a grain of salt, see what the side effects are, look into it’s long term effects and make an educated decision on how to proceed. When you take an active role in your own health you will often get better results. I strongly believe that their is no illness or disease that cannot be cured through natural means. I use the following as jumping off points for further research: Dr. Feder, Dr. Schulzes, Dr. Mercola, Dr. Sears.
Taking control of your health is worth your investment. Spending your time and energy in living a healthy life will have amazing results. The government forcing me to participate in a system that has been corrupted by large pharmaceutical companies and high insurance fees is not what I consider freedom. I should have the freedom to choose my health care and I take the responsibility for the results.
Our children’s ages are from 1 to 6 years this summer. So our activities are geared around things that would be appropriate for them to enjoy. Staying inside all summer is no fun, and when you live in the city like we do, sometimes you just need to get out where you can stretch and run. Below is a list of some of the things we will or have participated in over the summer.
Summer Reading Program– a program by our local library encouraging the kids to read over the summer and turn in there reading hours for prizes. The libraries also have different activities all summer long. Free!
Vacation Bible School– offered through our church. The children join their friends for 5 mornings of singing, praise, scripture, crafts, snacks, and games. They love it, talk about it for weeks, and look forward to it each year. We get the music CD that goes with the theme and the kids sing it out as we drive home and for the rest of the year. Free!
Swim Lessons– offered at our local pool. A 10 day intensive to help our kids learn basic swimming skills. Fun in the sun while learning something new! $ Lesson prices vary per pool.
T-ball/Baseball– nothing says summer like hotdogs and baseball! My kids love playing in the dirt, hitting the ball, and catching grounders. We’ve really enjoyed the Christian sports group we are a part of. $ Lesson prices vary per sports organization.
Summer Ballet Workshop– after two boys and their wonderful sports activities I’m so excited that my daughter is old enough for ballet! We are doing a once a week for four week workshop at the Kansas City Ballet! $ Lesson prices vary per class.
Family Camping Trip– our annual trip with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the grand kids. A time to fellowship with family, play all day with cousins, and have some relaxing fun! We camp out in tents at state parks, hopefully with a river to float on, eat s’mores and roast hot dogs. $ Park entrance, camping reservation, & food. Cheaper than camping alone as you split the cost of everything with the family.
Out on the Lake– there are some great lakes in this area. If you know someone with a boat a day on the water can be a fun time. Pack some drinks and snacks and head out on the waves. Free! unless you’re buying the gas. ;D
Kansas City Zoo– it wouldn’t be summer without lots of trips to the zoo. There’s lots of room to roam and expect this to be a day of walking. The discovery barn is fun with the playground right outside. We always trek to Africa to see our favorite animals. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, gorillas, baboons, hippos, and now the polar bear! Can’t wait until the penguins arrive! $ Tickets or season pass$ If you live in the county there is a reduced price.
Spray Park at Loose Park– we always have so much fun at this spray park and it’s free! The park is gorgeous and has an amazing playground on the North side too. We have our annual picnics and family pictures taken here. It’s home to the famous rose gardens and has nice walking trails and duck ponds. Free!
Deanna Rose Farmstead– The kids always love to see the animals, fish in the pond, ride the ponies, and splash in the water. Monday-Thursday is Free!
Park After Dark Movie Series– a fun family time to enjoy the big screen. Blockbusters played on big screens after sundown are another fun way to appreciate summer. Located all over the metro. Some theaters offer $1 movies during the day as well and it’s a great way to beat the heat. Free!
Park Days with Friends– scheduled throughout the summer. Facebook groups, parenting forums, Meet-up groups all get together around the Kansas City area at different parks year round. During the summer there are even more friends who come out to play. We will be participating in some weekly meetups to swing, slide, and picnic! Free! We also enjoy meeting up with family at parks for picnics, frisbee, cookouts, roller skating, bike riding, etc.
Family Swim with Friends– we have some good friends who have invited us to cool off on hot summer evenings. Pools often offer family swim time in the evening. It’s a great time to fellowship and cool off. $ Price will vary by location.
Worlds & Oceans of Fun– And of course we also have our local amusement park. Our kids have not been old enough to really enjoy these parks yet. We may drop in for a day and see how it goes. $ Day & season passes available.
Nature Hikes– We’ve been looking for land for a farm someday and so we’ve had some amazing nature hikes on property that is for sale. There are some awesome trials in local parks that are Free!
Please share with us fun things you like to do during the summer. I’d love to hear about other activities around the Kansas City metro or ideas that don’t have to be specific to a particular area.
Bubbles in the front yard. There’s just something magical about bubbles.
Sprinkler under the trampoline. (Which creates mud with our yard under construction, which means mud people!)
Watermelon in our swimsuits. Since it can be quite messy with little kids.
Homemade Popsicles- the kids love to eat these. It’s one of those fun summertime treats that drip everywhere. Recipe- blend strawberries, orange juice, kefir, and dates!
Kiddie pool in the yard. If it’s hot enough outside we will even put ice in the pool.
How do you enjoy summer at home? Do you have a creative activity that your kids love?
The world is filled with different styles of living, religion, schooling, etc. So it’s no surprise that there are a lot of different ways to parent. Even within each parenting style each family is going to interpret that style to fit their family. While there are no “rules” to how to be an Attachment Parent there are some great principles to follow. While most families will adapt the La Leche League philosophy of Take What Works For Your Family and leave the rest, others strive to live closely by the AP principles when raising their children. The goal of AP is to raise children with a deep connection to their parents, in a non-violent environment, using our interactions with them as an example to follow, that will nurture our children into empathetic adults.
Become emotionally and physically prepared for pregnancy and birth. Research available options for healthcare providers and birthing environments, and become informed about routine newborn care. Continuously educate yourself about developmental stages of childhood, setting realistic expectations and remaining flexible.
Breastfeeding is the optimal way to satisfy an infant’s nutritional and emotional needs. “Bottle Nursing” adapts breastfeeding behaviors to bottle-feeding to help initiate a secure attachment. Follow the feeding cues for both infants and children, encouraging them to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Offer healthy food choices and model healthy eating behavior.
Build the foundation of trust and empathy beginning in infancy. Tune in to what your child is communicating to you, then respond consistently and appropriately. Babies cannot be expected to self-soothe, they need calm, loving, empathetic parents to help them learn to regulate their emotions. Respond sensitively to a child who is hurting or expressing strong emotion, and share in their joy.
Touch meets a baby’s needs for physical contact, affection, security, stimulation, and movement. Skin-to-skin contact is especially effective, such as during breastfeeding, bathing, or massage. Carrying or babywearing also meets this need while on the go. Hugs, snuggling, back rubs, massage, and physical play help meet this need in older children.
Babies and children have needs at night just as they do during the day; from hunger, loneliness, and fear, to feeling too hot or too cold. They rely on parents to soothe them and help them regulate their intense emotions. Sleep training techniques can have detrimental physiological and psychological effects. Safe co-sleeping has benefits to both babies and parents.
Babies and young children have an intense need for the physical presence of a consistent, loving, responsive caregiver: ideally a parent. If it becomes necessary, choose an alternate caregiver who has formed a bond with the child and who cares for him in a way that strengthens the attachment relationship. Keep schedules flexible, and minimize stress and fear during short separations.
Positive discipline helps a child develop a conscience guided by his own internal discipline and compassion for others. Discipline that is empathetic, loving, and respectful strengthens the connection between parent and child. Rather than reacting to behavior, discover the needs leading to the behavior. Communicate and craft solutions together while keeping everyone’s dignity intact.
It is easier to be emotionally responsive when you feel in balance. Create a support network, set realistic goals, put people before things, and don’t be afraid to say “no”. Recognize individual needs within the family and meet them to the greatest extent possible without compromising your physical and emotional health. Be creative, have fun with parenting, and take time to care for yourself.
For sure parenting has been a step by step process in our family. While some things were automatic for us there were outside influences that had us try other things. Some things stuck and others didn’t. Our parenting is still constantly evolving. We are far from perfect but in striving for perfection we will always be improving. For me it all started when we discovered we were pregnant with our first child. I began my research journey that has become a passion. I have never liked hospitals and so birthing in a hospital just seemed wrong. I wasn’t sick and I believe that God created my body with the ability to give birth. So I started looking for alternatives to birthing in a hospital. At that time there was only one birth center in my area and it wasn’t close enough to me so I didn’t consider it. I found a homebirth midwife online and started my AP journey. Thankfully I met some wonderful parents in our childbirth education class and was introduced to a local online AP forum of mamas. From there I was introduced to so many aspects of AP that my journey has been a string of dominoes.
Principle 1: I did a lot of research on natural birth, eventually becoming a childbirth educator professionally. This research journey continues beyond the baby years, as I strive to raise children. Looking to the future and what information I will need in guiding my children.
Principle 2: We breastfed from the beginning but I didn’t have the self confidence with my first baby. I hid under blankets and in private rooms to nurse. I didn’t understand the nutritional value that breastmilk has or that my child could survive solely on breastmilk past 6 months old. I weaned my first child at 11 months when I became pregnant and supplemented with formula for a few more months. That is one of the things I regret most. I wish I had nursed him longer. But I learned. I joined La Leche League and started attending monthly meetings. I researched and became a La Leche League Leader by the time my third baby was born. I learned to ignore insecurities about my supply. I figured out that my supply had to do with demand and that nursing my baby as often as he/she pleased was key. I learned the medicinal value of breastmilk and that it’s one of the best things to give when baby is sick. It’s even great for pink eye and ear aches.
As we evolve past breastfeeding I am on a new adventure of eating organic whole foods in our household. We’ve been eating more healthfully each year but these changes have happened at a gradual pace for us. Currently I’m striving to make dairy products from scratch and grow our own organic vegetables. Someday I will be much better at natural eating but we are still in the learning phase. For now I’ve almost eliminated sugar from our house, reduced gluten, and introduced living foods. I’m watching the changes in my family(hopefully healthy), striving to find balance(choosing the right foods), and long term health.
Principle 3: I’ve learned through four children that an infant cries for a reason. If their needs are met they won’t cry. Being an intuitive parent meant that our fourth infant cried minimally. As our children grew we introduced sign language to help with the language barrier a 1 year old has. And now we are striving to continue that intuitive parenting with our children into their childhood. At each age we find ourselves in new territory, and we stumble and fall a lot, but other times we do okay. It’s a step by step learning process that requires our awareness, attention, and action.
Principle 4: When our children were born they were placed on mama’s bare chest. I held them skin to skin as we met them for the first time and then dad held them skin to skin soon after. We spend the first two weeks of their life in bed nursing with a lot of skin to skin contact. Breastfeeding gives babe a lot of skin to skin contact as well. We babywear our children too. Mostly in public but occasionally a fussy day will call for a sling around the house. My husbands favorite carrier is a Moby Wrap because it comfortably distributes the weigh all over his body and doesn’t strain his back. I love my Beco Gemini. It’s comfortable to wear for mom and baby can be forward facing or mama facing with a wide bottom support(important for their spine).
As the kids are getting older I’m finding that they need individualized cuddle time. My oldest son especially likes to be cuddled at bedtime prayers. My second son will come sit on my lap in the day periodically. My third child, daughter, still sleeps with us and gets her touch time all night. And of course the baby is held all day and closely snuggled between mama and daddy at night. When the kids get hurt or upset we hold them close. We like to give hugs throughout the day too. I want to start giving them massages as another way to incorporate individual touch. Oh we also playfully wrestle with them and they love that. Dog pile!
Principle 5: We co-sleep with our children from birth. Our sons both slept with us until my second son turned two and then the boys moved into their own bed to co-sleep together. For several months we laid down with them until they fell asleep. Often we still wake up with them in our bed. Both our girls are co-sleeping with us now. Dad’s on the edge, then baby, then mama, and our 3 year old is by the wall. We have a king size bed. The boys will come in and sleep at the foot of the bed, especially our 5 year old son. I wish I would have co-slept with him a little longer. But with a third baby arriving we didn’t have enough room and I didn’t want to put our oldest in a bed by himself. I remember being a kid and feeling lonely in my bed. Now the boys have a bedtime routine of bathroom, vitamins, story, prayers, and we sing to them. After that they are pretty good about going to sleep. Some nights we hear them talking to each other, and other times they goof off. But I’m glad they have each other. The girls cuddle close to mama and sleep soundly when I’m in bed with them. When I get up and take my laptop to the couch in the night it won’t be long until one of them wakes up.
Principle 6: I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job in this area. My husband and I are almost always with the children. When we are not they are either with one of their grandmothers or with my cousin who has been a nanny off and on for us for years. The children are very comfortable with her and love her dearly. She also parents them like we ask. We do our best not to interrupt the children’s day with our hectic work endeavors.
Principle 7: This has probably been the hardest principle to follow for us. All the voices from society have preached crying it out, spanking, time outs, etc. Society doesn’t teach you successful alternatives for gentle disciplining. While we did try crying it out with our first child, it was horrible for mom and baby and just didn’t make sense. It wasn’t for us and thankfully we knew that immediately. We have implemented time outs but it’s always in the room where we are and not separated. I can’t say that they are effective for disciplining. Usually they accomplish removing the child from the offense and giving mom time to clean up, calm down, soothe hurt sibling, etc. I find that I rarely use time outs anymore and will send the child to take a nap or burn energy jumping on the trampoline. Some days mom looses it and yells and no one is happy about that.
What I’ve found is that when a child is misbehaving at a younger age(well really any age, even adults) there is almost always an underlying issue. Usually the child is hungry, tired, or both. Once fed and rested they are usually back to their happy selves. They could also be sick or hurting. Teething is a trying time with a baby/toddler. With older children I’ve found the most effective thing is talking to them about the offense. We do count down from 5 with our kids. Usually we will ask them to do something or not do something. We give them a chance to follow instructions before we have a talk with them. For example if they are running around in a store I will ask them to come to me, if they continue to goof off running down the aisle I will count, usually they return to me. If not then I stop my shopping, go to them, and talk to them(on their level) about appropriate behavior in a store(again). Counting is effective but I sure wish they would just listen the first time I ask something.
I’ve been reading several books in an attempt to really understand my active boys and I will continue to research as I try to navigate this area. I will also be reaching out to some local mamas who are embracing an AP style of disciple so that I can get more perspective on this principle.
Principle 8: With owning two businesses along with all the things I’m involved with it has been a struggle to find balance. So that is a big part of what I am doing right now. I’m trying to finally balance our lives after years of chaos. For us adults more so than for the kids. I think we’ve done okay with the children having calm, dependable day to day. But especially for mama it has been chaos and I’m worn out. Also after having to close my store there are a lot of emotional things that I’m sifting through and trying to heal from. So in my search for a simple life I’m embracing the AP’s eighth principle. This search includes all areas of home life, parenting, social involvement, religion, profession, etc.
Most of attachment parenting comes naturally for us. It just makes the most sense. Moms are equipped to breastfeed, it’s convenient, easy to do in the middle of the night or out and about, soothes babies quickly, and it’s health benefits are exponential. Each area of AP seems to be this way, although sometimes society’s voice or the examples we’ve had can overcloud our natural instinct. This attachment parenting journey, for us, has been step by step. Some things we did by nature but over time we became aware of why we chose those things. We became more conscious of our parenting style and our convictions. Other parts of AP we are learning, becoming more aware, and finding that they work for us. We are Attachment Parents making conscious efforts to raise whole and complete children. Many people parent this way and most don’t even know that it has been classified as Attachment Parenting. With or without the title these principles help to improve us as parents, bring comfort & support to children, and create empathetic adults.