Bubbi and Boo: things moms need

Showing posts with label things moms need. Show all posts

Monday, March 28

Vaccinations: What I did...wrong

So as a parent I'm sure you have heard about all the controversy that surrounds immunizations/vaccinations. If you haven't, google it because you should! Read this after you are a little less dense on such an important issue for your child/ren.

Having worked with an autistic girl for several years in college, I became terrified of the slough of vaccinations the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends children get in the first few years of their lives. In the first two years of life, the CDC recommends three hepatitis B shots, three rotavirus shots, four DTaP shots (each one contains diphtheria, pertussis whooping cough and tetanus), four Hib shots, four pneumococcal/pneumonia shots, three polio shots, a flu shot, one MMR shot (contains measles, mumps and rubella), one varicella/chickenpox shot and two hepatitis A shots. That is TWENTY SIX SHOTS with a total of 36 viral/bacterial exposures (or whatever you would call it) to 14 different diseases.

Now let's look at the same CDC suggested schedule from the time many of us parents were getting immunized. In 1980, infants were vaccinated against four diseases -- diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10306). FOUR. That's it...four different immunizations in comparison to the 14 they recommend today.

Yes, science has advanced to allow these. Yes, tons of lives have been saved.

The rate of autism appears to have gone up significantly since the 1980s (this is a very debated topic in itself as there has also been large changes in diagnostic practices). There is also the fact that the United States has what appears to be the largest prevalence of autism in the world. Who knows why...I'm serious. The catch to this whole post is I don't know...no one really knows what causes it or I wouldn't even need to write this damn book!.

Insert ten pages of conspiracy theory stating all the studies that have found no correlation between the shots and autism are funded by the people who make the vaccines...plus the fact that if the CDC said there was a correlation no one would get their kids immunized and we would see mass explosions of all these diseases throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

Though there was little evidence at the time my kids were born that supported the belief that autism is caused by the mass amounts of vaccinations young children get, I opted to skip all vaccinations for the first two years of life and then slowly catch up with the vaccines required by the school system. The one study that did provide strong statistical evidence of a link between vaccines and autism was just recently discovered to be a fraud.

So, I waited until Boo was two to begin immunizations. Why wait until the magic age of two? It is widely accepted that a large majority (estimated 80%) of a humans brain is developed by two years of age (no quote here....google it and you'll find it everywhere). Makes sense not to beat the crap out of a little brain until it has some good development under its belt.

I waited to get any immunizations until my kids were two, AND I WAS WRONG! I am very lucky neither of my precious angels died of some preventable disease. What would I have done differently? I think I would have followed the 1980s schedule for the first two years and then catch up one several of the vaccines on the current one.

I have several friends who went with the current CDC recommendations. I commend those who did their research first and still decided to go with the slough of shots. I commend those who did their research and followed a different schedule (a popular one is Dr. Sears alternative schedule). I still commend those who do their research and decide to wait like I did, for they did some research.

My point: Do your research on the subject and make the best decision for your family and child. Don't expect to get all the answers from your pediatrician (many have to follow company policies and state CDC standard schedule). If you don't go with the current recommendations, don't expect a lot of support from the pediatrician. And keep updated on current info!

Too lazy to research for yourself? Well, probably best to go with the current CDC recommendations. This is NOT medical advice, just my thoughts on an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Love you Molly!

Saturday, March 26

Diary of neurotic mom: Alcoholism, please

Let me quickly start that I would like to call this section "Diary of a neurotic mommy", but Boo, Mr. J Cool himself, calls me mom more than mommy...so mom it is. Another note, I am neurotic. If you know me well, you will have thought "no shit". Thanks for the love.

Wikipedia defines Neurosis as a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. OMG I really am neurotic?!? Hard for me to believe most moms aren't to a certain extent, but that's just my opinion.

Ok, to the post.

Ever since I was pregnant with Bubbi, my second, I often found myself having to consciously choose to not be an alcoholic. Of course it wasn't an option when I was pregnant, but I did think several times a week, "thank god I'm pregnant because this would be the ideal time to become an alcoholic".

Now that my body is mine, the option to become an alcoholic is continually appealing. Especially after last night! Boo, my long-time champion sleeper, has been waking up at night and keeping me up for an hour plus (long story not meant for this post...this one is about the mommies dammit).

Wake up this morning at 8 am after being awake from 2:15 am to about 4:30 am. Grumpy and feel what I can only describe as hungover (no, I took no meds or drank no booze in the last 24 hours). First thought? Oh how wonderful it would be to pop a xanax and chase it down with a fish-bowl sized glass of red wine!

Now there would have been a time when I kept this desire (that's all it is...a desire that will never be acted upon because, well, I enjoy having custody of my kids...usually) to myself. However, a friend posted a jest on Facebook yesterday referring to stay-at-home moms taking valium. The responses were hilarious ranging from calling valium "mother's-little-helper" to stating "I'm on the wine train" and "choo choo"!

My point? If you wake up and find yourself ashamed that you want to start the day with a hardcore sedative and/or a bottle of tequila, don't! Not saying you should act on it...at least not every day.

Wednesday, March 23

Book Review: Skinny Bitch

Let me start by prefacing that I am NOT a reader and I sure as hell am not a dieter! I read a few books a year max as I much prefer the net and trash TV (I'm sure my IQ reflects it so I will not be testing it anytime soon).

So onto the book, Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous! by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin....two totally skinny bitches. Here's a pic.

This book is VERY easy to read and is packed with flipping hilarious snappy comments and ideas throughout. The overall idea is to go natural vegan. It is waaay too extreme of a lifestyle for me, but has some very intriguing ideas that makes sense to me and a few tips and trick I choose to follow.

Here are some of my fave experts...I could seriously quote the whole book!

"Cigarettes are for losers. They are so 1989 and totally uncool. Not only do they screw up your whole body chemistry, they also kill your taste buds. It's no wonder you eat shit and garbage. Smoking's out. Give it up."

"Soda is liquid Satan....high levels of phosphorous can increase calcium loss..., as can its sodium and caffeine...And last time we checked, sugar...does not make you skinny! Now don't go patting yourself on the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse. Aspartame...has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies, like arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body, it turns into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or preservative. They don't fucking drink it."

"Coffee is for pussies...If you can't wake up without it, it's because you are either addicted to caffeine, sleep deprived, or a generally unhealthy slob...[even decaf] is highly acidic. Acidic foods cause your body to produce fat cells."

“Whenever you see the words ‘fat-free’ or ‘low-fat’, think of the words ‘chemical shit storm’.”

"Sucralose (Spelnda) has been found to cause diarrhea; organ, genetic, immune system and reproductive damage; swelling of the liver and kidneys; and a decrease in fetal body weight."

Thursday, March 17

You're wasting your money

We all do it...we waste our money even when we think we're being shopper savvy overall. Here are some of the top ways mommies burn the bank!

~ You buy name brand baby meds. We have always bought the Target brand (up and up) of infant ibprofen (think infant advil), infant tylenol and infant gas drops (think mylicon). Not only are they usually more than 50% cheaper, they don't seem to be recalled nearly as often! Since Boo was born in 2008, Mylicon has been recalled once and Infant's Tylenol twice...and you guessed it, Target's brand has not been even once!

~ You buy the larger size always assuming you're saving by buying in bulk. This is not always the case! I have found several times that the smaller size (especially if the smaller size is on sale and the larger size isn't) can be almost half the price! Most grocery stores state how much you are paying per piece or ounce right on the shelf price tag. Take a minute to read the fine print!

~ Buying in bulk and stocking up when the price is right. Check the expiration dates! I recently threw away two bottles of ketchup I had bought in a three pack because the price was great...ketchup doesn't last nearly as long as I thought and I actually lit a few bucks on fire and crowed my pantry with that "deal". If there is a to-die-for-deal, go in with a friend or family member if you don't have a chance of using the goods before they rot.

~ Think you're being savvy by consigning, garage selling or even handing down those clothes your kids don't fit anymore? Well wait just a minute!!! I made two stupid, jumping the gun mistakes on this topic. Boo was a chub of a baby and since I knew I was having a girl next well before most even think about baby number two, I was eager to clear the clutter and get rid of clothes he outgrew. Well, like any child he started walking...and when he started walking he thinned out and went down a size! Wouldn't have been such a big deal except for those smaller waisted clothes were long gone. Soooo back to the store to replace what I had and waste some hard earned cash. Same concept with potty training. Underwear are a lot smaller than diapers and Boo lost a full pant size when we made the switch...you guessed it, back to the store to burn some money on new pants we just got rid of!

~ Buying full sized sheet paper towels. Sure, select-a-size rolls may cost more per roll or square foot or whatever, but they last almost twice as long in my house than a regular large sheet roll. Try it...I swear it is a universal fact!

~ Paying full price plus shipping online. There is always a coupon code online for free shipping or a hefty percent off somewhere out there on the web. I LOVE retailmenot.com...or just google "<store name> coupon code". There isn't? Wait a week and it will magically show up in your email. True story...wanted a $5 thing from disneystore.com, but I couldn't find a way to save on the price or get free shipping anywhere. Less than a week later I got an email from them with a code for free shipping! The trick? Sign in to the online store and put some items in your online cart, but don't buy them. Quite often you'll get an offer in your email (thus why you must sign in) to lure you back and finish your purchase!

~ Buying name brand vegetable/corn oil and cooking spray...instead of Mazola and Pam, but the Walmart brand! Again, you'll save nearly 50% on virtually the same product.

~ Don't buy new toys. Have toy swaps with friends or hit up garage sales, consignment stores and/or your local Goodwill. Ebay and craislist.org are great options as well. Not only are new toys a waste of money, they usually require a skilled professional to remove it from the packaging and an hour or more of skilled labor to assemble...or just figure out where the batteries go!

~ Buying children's vitamins isn't always neccessary. I buy the adult calcium chewable and cut them in half (the ones I buy are two in a serving). If you do the math (so for mine I divided the nutrition facts by four), it is almost exactly the same as one kids vitamin...and WAY cheaper.

~ Last but not least....don't buy a dishwasher safe cutting board that is too big for your dishwasher!!!