Controversial parenting tag

Yup I'm joining in, maybe if I put it all out there I can just refer people to my blog. These are my views, I am not calling any one a bad mom just something's I feel more attached to. If you read this and have a blog I invite you to do this too.

The Topics: 
Pro-life Vs. Pro-choice
Baby Wearing
Circumcision
Adoption
Baby Piercing
Breast Milk Vs. Formula
Spanking
Co-sleeping
Home Vs. Public Vs. Private Vs. Charter Schooling 
Vaccinations
Medicating Children
Cloth Vs. Disposable diapers 
CIO

My add-ons:
ERF
Feeding (BLW, etc.)

Pro-life vs. pro-choice: this is a no brainer. I am whole heartedley pro-life! Life begins at conception and deserves to live. No woman has the right to decide to end a life.

Baby Wearing: I wish I had done more of this with Shiana. I LOVED wearing Keylan was the only way to get grocery shopping done and cleaning the house. It made my life easier especially with having Shiana to take care of too. I have learned that there are thins that should not be done. Crotch danglers are especially dangerous to a baby's hips.

Circumcision: Oh where can I start with this. I am absolutely 100% AGAINST infant circumcision. I have been and always will be. A newborn boy deserves to be able to decide for himself when he is old enough to make that decision. 80% of the males in the world are intact. Circumcision is cosmetic surgery to make what you think a penis should look like, this involves ripping thousands upon thousands of nerves away from the head. Keylan is intact and has never had any issues in the two and a half years that he has been alive. If you want more information on it I am honestly open to discuss it.

Adoption: I personally could not give my baby up for adoption, it takes strong and loving parents to do it. I would though LOVE to adopt one day. 

Baby Piercing: This is a new one mostly for me. I pierced Shiana's ears at 1 and wish I never had done it. She fell at about 20 months old and busted her ear. I had to take her earring out because of how infected it got. I decided then that I would wait till she was old enough to tell me she wanted it done. After all that I believe that a girl should be able to say if she wants it done or not. There are press on earrings for special occasions; plus as they learn to crawl and walk as toddlers they will fall many times and why risk a serious injury to a pierced ear?

Breast milk Vs. Formula: Breast is best. I wish that I had stuck with it longer with both kids. I can't believe that I missed out on that special bond. With Shiana I started school and it was really hard to keep up and then she was on formula. With Keylan we made it roughly a month and he had so many issues that he needed to be gaining more weight steadily.

Spanking: I personally hate spanking! I may do a pop on the butt, but that is it. I want to be more peaceful and show my kids that they can make good decisions without having to resort to spanking them.

Co-sleeping: I love co-sleeping. Keylan has been in our room/bed every night of his life. I love the cuddling and snuggling (cuggling as Keylan calls it). There are nights that Shiana sleeps in the bed and I do let her. 

Home Vs. Public Vs. Private Vs. Charter Schooling: Shiana is in public school and we love her school and teacher. It has helped start the growing and learning process. But we have decided that we are going to Homeschool them. We had it decided while I was pregnant with her and she is really excited about it. She has so many things that she wants to learn about that she won't get to learn about in school.

Vaccinations: I will honestly say that at this point both kids are fully vaccinated, but I have been giving it serious thought to discontinue getting them. There are so many that are not needed and they are so full of junk that who honestly knows what is in them and ultimately into our kids?

Medicating Children: I think this means giving unnecessary amounts of medicines? I am not sure. I give my kids benadryl for their allergies and when absolutely needed they get tylenol. I do use herbal supplements to help boost their immune system, etc...

cloth vs disposables: I used disposables on Shiana. And for a while cloth on Keylan, till we moved home and were sharing washer and dryer with my parents and what not. I loved my cloth diapers!!! So cute and fluffy and a thousand times better for the environment  I am still using sposies on Keylan and hoping though that we can have him semi-potty trained by his birthday.

CIO: I am 100% against Cry It Out. It can cause issues in kids. And I just can't see how a person can just leave their screaming, crying upset baby in a room by themselves. I do not have the heart to do that to my kids; I brought them into the world to love and take care over, not just to stick in a room to cry when i see fit.

ERF: extended rear facing; this is another one of my heart felt passions. I do NOT see how in the hell a person can think it is okay to turn their baby around at 6 months old. I learned from my mistakes with Shiana and thank god that nothing ever happened to her. ERF is 500 times safer and is the easiest thing in the world to do. Know how easy it is? Just don't turn the seat around, be lazy leave it where it is. But turning is not the only thing in keeping your kid safe, no coats in the seat (use in backward or a blanket), Keep the straps tight and the chest plate at hmm where? the chest. 

Feeding: Rice cereal should be skipped all together. Jar food is crap. Baby led weaning is awesome as is homemade purees. With both you know what is going into your kids foods. Purees take maybe an hour or two a month and fresh fruits and vegetables. BLW is feeding baby what you eat. The best time is when they have met all "requirements" that you know they are ready. 2-3 months old is not the right age for any baby, they still need only nourishment from breastmilk/formula.

I made this because I am honestly tired of saying that I shove things down people's throats. I have never done such a thing, I have never once told a mom that she is a bad mom because she does things differently. I expect the same respect from other moms just the same. These are all basic things that affect every single mom and baby and should always always be researched. 

Organic-ish and Schools and Birthdays

So I have decided that once we get moved into our own place I would love to go organic. There are so many additives to the processed foods that we eat and organic food is a little more expensive but it is overall a better and healthier choice. I also hope that I can start making more homemade things: laundry detergent and cleaners, etc... I want to live healthier and essentially cheaper. I also know that my children's health will benefit from it more. 


I was accepted into Jeff State Community College and I am withdrawing from Kaplan, so I can have full coverage at JSCC. I register for classes on July 23rd, I have a few more things to turn in (documentation to get in state tuition). Then I have to get books and supplies and I am hitting up the thrift store for "new" clothes. Looking for another pair of pants (maybe and hopefully I can find some bell bottoms) and t-shirts and a pair of canvas like shoes. Shiana will be getting registered for school August 1st. Then parent night is Aug 14th, orientation is Aug 16th and she will start Aug 20th. I also have a few outfits to get and school supplies and come closer to time I have to get lunch stuff. 


Birthdays! Umm can I say that I can't believe that my little girl is about to turn 5? Where in the world did the time go? Our plan for her birthday are: her spending her birthday with my mom and Barb, probably movie, lunch and then shopping ( new toy and outfit), then on Saturday I am hoping I can take her to Oak Mountain to go horseback riding, then that night we will have choice of dinner and her pony cake and open presents. Also hard to believe that my step daughter will be 12 at the end of this month too. I have known her since she was a little thing and have been blessed to be able to see her grow. 

New happenings

So Jeremy has been working a few days now. He works Thursday-Sunday, 6-6, and then off Monday-Wednesday. We are finally going to be able to save some money and finally get out on our own and in our own place again!! YAY!!! I am starting "back" to school in August. I am retaking some classes so that I can get into the nursing program at Jeff State Community College. I know come August when everyone has things going on I am going to be exhausted. I get up at 4:30 with Jeremy on the days he works, at the moment I go back to bed, but when school starts that will be the start to my day. Once he is off to work then I will get Shiana breakfast ready and her off to school and then add me getting ready for school at the same time. I know I can do it, I am working on some organization things for all of us. I just hope it goes as smoothly as it does in my head. The only issue that I am seeing right now is the car...

Life Goes On

So we have been living with my parents for roughly a month and a half now. It has had its ups and downs, but for the most part it is going well. Jeremy finally got a job at Boatright. He is suppose to start sometime next week, they are waiting for equipment to come in. I am so excited because he will finally have a steady paycheck coming in and we can actually save up some money and get a place of our own. It will be nice to have our own home again, lol. I started volunteering for Brookwood hospital. I am making blankets and hats for the NICU, hopefully once I get a routine going I can add in Shelby Baptist NICU in and then maybe blankets for Children's Hospital. We are now at the two month mark till Shiana starts school. I still cannot believe that my little girl is starting school. She is so grown up in a lot of ways, but still little (which I do have to remind myself about) and she still wants mommy snuggles. Keylan I think is ready for his sister to be back in school too. They were so much better together when they spend the day apart. I cannot believe how much he is growing up everyday. I need to make an appointment for him though to have his clotting factors checked because he may have a touch of free bleeding. He is also a mess, his pinkie nail on his left foot was coming off and he ended up getting it ripped off some how. With it he took a huge chunk of skin with it and the poor baby is in pain from it. Hopefully it heals soon and won't cause him any more pain.

New Things

So life is still going. Jeremy still has not found a job yet, but he continues to put out applications and call around. Just need August to get here so he can take the tests that he needs to. We have lived with my parents for a month now, and it is definitely time to have our own place again. It will be weird to be on our own again, living in Alabama, but we are looking forward to it greatly. I am very appreciative of my mom and dad for letting us stay here though. 


So the new things in my life are I have decided that I would love to be a midwife. That is going to be hard here in Alabama though because it is actually illegal here, which is really depressing. I am going to still continue with my nursing degree and pray that by time I get out it will be legal and I can be a certified nurse-midwife. I want to bring babies into the world, without the medical intervention that this country has made into the norm. I am also starting down the homeopathic route and when we have extra money I am getting Ben Feingold's book: " Feingold Cookbook For Hyperactive Children. And will also have biofeedback done on both of them. I know the way that they eat is not beneficial to their body at all, but like the saying " when we know better we do better" 

Parenting

Yes this is going to be a touchy post but I think that it is time to write about it. My parenting styles are my own; but I have a wonderful group of ladies that believe the same things that I do. I am a co-sleeping, cloth diapering, use to baby wear, extended rear-facing, and intactivist! I am proud of everything that I am. Yes, my son is 2 years old and co sleeps, he starts in his bed and ends up in ours and I love that he is there. I love the snuggling and waking up to my handsome little boy next to me. Cloth diapers save me money and they are cute, granted we use disposables at night because he is a heavy wetter. I loved to wear Keylan and wish that he was not so independent that he would let me wear him more but I did it because he felt secure and he knew that his momma was right there no matter where he went. Rear-facing, I made it 26 months and wish it was longer. I made a compromise; I do intend on extended harnessing Keylan though. And I love my whole son! There is nothing wrong with the natural anatomy of the male body! The circumcision rates are dropping so when he is old enough to be changing in the locker room there will be more boys that are intact then circumcised. It is an unnecessary procedure that the American Academy of Pediatrics is against it. I have never shoved my opinions down anyone's throat nor will I. But when I see a post that I am adamant about I will speak up and say something; whether it be through experience or research. 

Update on life

So we are now living back home in Alabama!!! YAY!!! It is so weird to look outside and see trees and grass and know that we are not ever going back to the desert. We have been home a week now and have been mostly relaxing and adjusting. Jeremy has decided what he is going to do for a job, just need to wait till August to take the tests. He is testing to become a corrections officer or sheriff's deputy. He is going to focus more on the corrections officer and work his way up, but with that pay I will be able to stay home or work just a few hours a week for our "fun money". But with that we will probably be living with my parents till at least then. The kids are LOVING it! They play outside all day everyday and have to have a bath every night (secretly that depresses me though because I loved being able to skip baths every now and then lol). I am slowly getting into going down to the park to walk at least every other night. I have classes starting tomorrow and look forward to another term and hopefully more good grades. I am also starting to plan for Shiana's Kindergarten year; outfits with hair bows, homemade lunches (thinking about making a new blog for this topic), and everything that comes with having a school age child. I still cannot believe that my little girl is getting ready to start real school and I am not ready for all the drama the many years are going to bring. Next week though we are headed to Disney World and I am really excited and cannot wait to see the kids reactions.