Mar. 13, 2008 - You should have seen his face...
So, what's a mom to do? After a fever for seven days straight, I gave in and made a Dr. appt. Not just for my sickest child, but for the other two who started exhibiting the same symptoms. Being in a new town, I was not an established patient anywhere and trying to get someone to see three children at once was, shall we say, not an easy task. Fortunately, I know someone with pull 
who made some calls and got us all in.
What she did not know, was that while I am not a full on granola girl, I do not immunize my children. As sick as they were, I decided to risk public flogging and go to the pediatric practice she was able to get us appts at. After a veeeerrryyy long wait in the waiting room, we were ushered back to the smaller waiting room...for another equally long wait. While my two year old daughter entertained herself by drawing all over the paper that is on the examining table (and herself...and her pants), I mentioned to my boys that this must be what hell was like...waiting, being shuffled from room to room with no resolution in sight. They were pretty lucid for fevered children and quickly corrected me. Hell would be much worse they assured me. "It's very hot and you burn up and die," said my younger one. The oldest quickly said, "Nope you don't die. You just burn up, forever." This lead to some interesting theological discussion which we had time for because we were, you know, w.a.i.t.i.n.g....
When the nice Doctor finally made time for us came into our little room, we had to do a history of each child since he had no records and we were not established patients. We started with my oldest and worked our way down. Because I was a young mom and did not know any different, my oldest received all his vaccinations at least through 18 months, maybe even to two years. My second son had some complications at birth (a 21 day hospital stay from meningitis caused by Strep B. We are very blessed that he is still with us and suffers no long term problems at all) , so his vaccination schedule was not as 'on date' and I suspect I did not keep his shots updated due to switching insurance carriers and a move during his first two years of life.
It was during this time that a friend recommended that I read
A Shot in the Dark.
Since I deeply respected her, I took the time to read it, but dismissed the books message at the time, because this book seemed inflammatory and centered on just one vaccination. There were many others that were helping families? Weren't there?
A seed had been planted. When our next son was born, we were in a new area and I had another friend who challenged me on vaccinating. When I pressed her for answers though, she blithely mentioned that her chiropractor told her not to, so she didn't.
Since I need an answer with substance, I decided to do some research on my own. First, I read The Virus and the Vaccine. This book reads like a medical thriller, but it is all true. (okay, a little slower, but a page turner none-the-less) This book convinced me that researching vaccinations further was worth it. My goodness, the very thought that there was evidence that suggested that some strains of the polio vaccine were contaminated and the government worked to cover it up made me wonder who was looking out for me and my kids? ! The answer, ME!
I read a great deal of other information when we found we were expecting baby number four. There are six years between boy three and baby four. These ideas had begun to take root. I read everything I could get my hands on...Since we were homeschooling I had never needed to get the boys booster shots and we never needed proof of immunizing for our co-op. So, I had kinda relaxed on the subject, but I was up for the challenge now.
There is a LOT of information out there. Much of it is mis-information disseminated to us 'en masse' by the Health Officials...or completely inflammatory anti-establishment rants by the dyed-in-the-wool hippies and granola folks. Since I try to stay balanced, I am not really in either camp...
Probably the BEST book I read, and one I would heartily recommend to you, is Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives
The author is balanced in her perspective (I liked that) and does not tell you what to do, rather educates the reader on the risks and challenges associated with vaccines as well as the history of the disease and what the options are if you choose NOT to vaccinate.
Which brings me back around to the title of this post...(if you are still reading we are probably already good friends or you are terribly bored. Either way, thanks for hanging out) Back in the Doctor's office yesterday, we got to the history of my daughter, who we have, after a lot of research and prayer, decided not to immunize. You should have seen that Doctor's face...it looked a little like this
. Seriously, he came just shy of covering his mouth in utter horror. I am grateful he treated them yesterday, but I am sure I was fodder for the water cooler today.
BTW~ they all have the flu. The real flu. Influenza, strain B. Oh joy.
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Feb. 15, 2008 - valentines ruminations...
So Valentines Day has come and gone. I woke up to a nice box of chocolates and a sweet card from my very wonderful husband. He was thoughtful enough to leave little valentines for the children as well. Isn't he just sooo sweet? I hope your day was pleasant as well.
I got to thinking about folks who valentines might now have been so sweet. Maybe they are single...maybe never married, perhaps widowed, or divorced. Or maybe they have had their hearts broken so many times they don't think it will ever be whole again. Maybe they have bought into the message of the culture around us that says you don't need to be married, if it feels good, just do it. And now, after doing...and being with so many partners, they realize just how empty that lifestyle really is and have a heart full of regrets.
And I thought about my own precious children and how very much I want them to have Happy Valentines Day's ahead..and happy and fulfilled marriages, too. And that that effort really, truly starts now, while they are still here at home.
As parents, we have the opportunity to turn the tide and shape the thinkers and leaders of tomorrow, today. Eric and I have thought a lot about this and it is part of the reason that we are homeschooling. But this effort is more than academic or spiritual, it is moral as well. In order to insure that they will stay pure in body and mind, we have to put effort into what we do and how we communicate items of a 'delicate' nature to them. With this in mind, Eric has put a great deal of planning into our oldest son's "Rite of Passage" year.
They have been meeting on a semi-regular basis for almost a year now and in those meetings they talk about the stuff of transitioning from being a boy to becoming a man. They have covered a lot of different subject material, everything from good hygeine (Praise the Lord, he showers every day without being asked,...his little brothers are still a bit Dennis the Menace-y) to good character and having a good work-ethic. The mystery that is girls...and how to honor them. Future relationships with them and safeguarding his heart in the meantime.
It has been wonderful to see Nick basking in the special attention from his father and blossoming into a truly thoughtful and articulate young person. While he has already turned thirteen, Eric has scheduled a big Rite of Passage weekend ceremony in the spring (when it's warmer, Nick is a January baby) and I anticipate that it will be a highlight of our son's life.
Rather than have our son caught up cultural current of empty relationships and broken promises, I pray that he will guard both his eyes and heart in the pursuit of purity. By doing so, he should have many Happy Valentine's Days ahead.
This post was inspired by a) what was already rolling around in my head =) b) Pastor Rob Singleton's blog. He is a pastor in Charlotte, NC who is doing a series on s*x and encouraging parents to (gulp) talk
to their kids about it. What a revolutionary idea! He is having a contest to give away a date night to bloggers who blog about what they are doing to help stem the cultural tide in their own families and communities (ie, mentoring, etc). You must have a blog and link to his post. He won't draw any names unless at least 20 of us enter so go write...now. One of us needs a date night. (Her blog is pink and has flowers all over it).
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Oct. 1, 2007 - Have you said any of these things?
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Aug. 9, 2006 - Little Itty bitty boy toys
Legos...I have a love/hate relationship with them. Admittedly, they are a wonderful educational toy. BUT THERE ARE SO MANY TINY PIECES EVERYWHERE!!
Truly, they are the only toy with many teeny tiny parts that I tolerate much longer than 30 seconds. I detest junk toys. Prizes from Kid's Church and VBS meet the garbage man soon after crossing the threshhold of our home. But Legos, well...
Over the years, we have amassed quite a collection of them. We have been the recipient of large bins of them...we have even purchased them on occasion. I now have a baby in the house and a bit of a dilemma. So here is question for the cosmic void...do any of you have any great ideas on how to keep a lego collection from taking over your home?
The boys like to build creations, but are generally upset by the mere suggestion of tearing it apart and putting it back into the bin. I have also indulged their lego compulsions on occasion and purchased "Lego kits." Heaven help us if these kits were ever to be absorbed into the larger collection! SO...any ideas on how to organize, keep tidy, keep "sets" together, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
