Good morning/afternoon everyone.  I was wondering if anyone had any recipes for non-toxic cleaners of any kind.  I have been buying the “green” cleaners from the store, but I think I could save money if I made my own.  Thanks!

I have a question about vaccinations made from aborted fetuses.  Does anyone know the official Church stance on this?  I feel as though I want to get this vaccination for my child, but I do not want to be going against the Church.  My priest has told me that it is okay to vaccinate, so that makes me feel better.  But it seems that a lot of people choose not to vaccinate.  This particular vaccination is required for school.  I would appreciate any advice or thoughts.  Thanks!

To RSL: I ran out of all-purpose cleaner and found this recipe somewhere online. We’ve been using it for a couple of months now in the kitchen and it’s worked great.  In a spray bottle mix 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. borax, 1/2 tsp. liquid soap (I use Palmolive), and 2 cups hot water. Shake it up to mix. Hope this helps.

Anon,
I’d ask your pediatrician as I was under the impression that there were alternatives not made that way.

In regards to vaccinations, there is a website that provides all the information you may need to make an informed decision.  Check out the Children of God for life website at http://www.cogforlife.org/.
Hope this helps.

Anon,  You should & could definitely check into your “real” state requirements b/c w/our last baby, we are NOT vaccinating at all and although many will tell you that these are “required”...it’s not necessarily true at all.  All we have to do (when she goes to school…we homeschool so it won’t be an issue for awhile) is sign a waiver form & that’s it.  My sil has 3 in school, has stopped all vaccinations & signed a paper.  Done.  And they are in school w/no issues whatsoever.  HTH (ps.  I also love the COGforLife site!)

Does anyone have any suggestions for simple, nature inspired Advent/Christmas decorations for the house? I am already starting to feel overwhelmed about the Christmas season and I want to focus on the true meaning of the season and not be stressed out about a perfectly decorated house. I have bins and bins of decorations in the attic and no desire to bring them down. I have 4 small children, and we homeschool, so I want to create a warm atmosphere in our house and a specialness to the season. Please help!

Good morning everyone!
Just curious if anyone out there could share in my experience here—-
our family just got back from a road trip and on the way to our destination(12 hour drive) our youngest who is 11 months and nursing still, up and decided to stop. Okay that would be fine with me if he did it like the other five children. Here is my confusion. All the other kids gradually stopped—-usually by 13 months, as I let them go as long as they wanted, and since we tend to have our children 14 -15 months apart that always was a blessing they decided they didn’t want to nurse anymore. But here’s what’s goofy about our sixth. He was still loving nursing and nursed once in the middle of the night during our trip, then hasn’t wanted anything to do with nursing since. Just like that—he has stopped. I thought maybe since we drove in the night so the kids could sleep most of the trip(nice and quiet for mom and dad:)) that maybe his schedule was goofy and he would nurse when we were in a quiet home, but no go!
He wants nothing to do with me-yet still wants the milk, so here I am trying to get a breast pump 1000 miles from home. Didn’t think that I would need that on our trip at this late age!
Anyway, after being gone a week, and now home it’s still the same. He obviously doesn’t want to nurse anymore. Soooo, I was just curious if anyone has had, or heard of a child just up and deciding they were done so abruptly with no dwindling down—-crazy!
Of course you moms out there know it’s more that he doesn’t want that closeness anymore with nursing that I am mourning not having the chance to let it go slowly. I have tried to figure out if there was anything that was wrong with him, or my milk, but as he still wants it in the morning and at night, I know the taste hasn’t changed—he just wants it in a sippy cup instead—-he even taunts me with the cup of milk—little stinker! Do I have an independent little man on my hands here or what? Help!
Okay, sorry to ramble, but if anyone has had an infant stop cold turkey before let me know so I don’t feel so odd. So far all my friends and family never heard of such a thing.
Thanks for reading folks.

Good morning all you hard working women!
I need a recomendation for hand lotion. It’s only November and my hands feel like sand paper. Thanks!

Nature inspired decorations:

Roll pine cones in glue and then in glitter.  The white glitter looks gorgeous.  Hot glue a ribbon and you have a beautiful ornament!  Kids love making these. 

This really isn’t nature inspired but, it’s pretty.  Using a glue/water mixture and a paint brush, affix squares of tissue paper to a glass jar.  When the jar is covered with tissue paper and dried, cover with a layer of modgepodge.  Now you have “stained glass” candle holders!

I have a friend who decorates a tree for the birds with oranges, pinecones with peanutbutter and birdseed.

I’d love to hear more ideas!!

hello morningmoma!
Here’s two I like—
one pricey, one reasonable—you pick

For regular drugstore/grocery store we love Eucerin original moisturizing creme (this is non-irritating, fragrance free so it doesn’t interfere with any other fragrances you may wear

Now for scent and I simply just love this stuff and it does last a long time—only need a little of it—

Sephora’s Super Supreme Body Butter—yummy smell and works great!—get the big tub!

Hope these help!

Janelle!  Your son is definitely pulling a “nursing strike”.  While it’s OK for an 11 month old to wean, weaning happens gradually.  Suddenness is not weaning, it’s a strike!  Frequently babies will strike during a vacation, or other times that may set them off emotionally.  So it’s emotional.  There’s a lot of great suggestions on the La Leche League website, just go to the faq section and look up nursing strike.  You can either avail yourself of the opportunity to stop nursing, or coax him back, and work your way out of it in a more mutual, gradual way.  Your feelings are valid and your instinct that something is up with him is probably correct!  Another great site for information is kellymom.  Hope that helps!

Morning Mama, I would recommend Bag Balm. My mom used to work in a school cafeteria and her hands would get sooo rough; she used Bag Balm, which is what they use on cows’ udders and she loved it! I believe you can either buy it online or at CVS.  I use Cetaphil lotion for my son’s sensitive skin in the winter.
As for VACCINES, I also recommend Children of God’s website.  Although I believe there is no official Church ‘stance’, a Council on it wrote a letter to the owner of this website, listing all the different vaccines, if fetal cells were used in the making of it, and if there were any alternatives.  I do use vaccines BUT did not recently get the chicken pox one as it is very debate and connected to aborted fetuses..excuse me, babies…and it is an alternative.  Then, though,you have to make sure your kids get the chicken pox so they don’t get it later in life!
As for nature decorations, I would use pine, depending on your geographic location, which is free if you have a lot of pinetrees.  I would also recommend just hanging stockings simply (we are doing that this year as we are in the middle of a move and can’t really use our decorations.) or maybe some garland.  I would still do a tree but maybe you could just do bulbs or one kind of ornament on the tree…simple and stylish.

Hi Everybody - I would just like to ask your prayers if you don’t mind.  I’ve just had my second miscarriage (I had one back in May also) and I feel very badly.  I am trying to offer it up, but I just feel so sad.  I know that it is nothing compared to Jesus’ agony.  My husband is very good, but I think your prayers would be a comfort.  I know that I am very blessed and maybe I’m just getting too old (39).  So thanks everyone - and I’m sorry if my post brings anyone down. 

Thanks so much

Morning Mama - In the winter my husband suffers from terribly dry hands - especially his cuticles and the tips of his thumbs.  He uses a heavy moisturizing lotion (like those suggested above) - but what has helped the most is taking (drinking) 1 tsp to 1.5 tsp of cod liver oil daily.  Our entire family takes a daily dose for other health benefits - but it definitely helps with dry skin.  Our pediatrician mentioned that it also moisturizes (internally) children skin that tend to dry out in the winter too.  I use Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil.  It’s pricey, but it has a lemon flavor and it is mercury free.

Regarding vaccinations:
Here’s a quote from The National Catholic Register archives:  “The St. Louis Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office says using a hepatitis vaccine derived from cell lines developed from an aborted fetus is morally acceptable because it is the only available alternative to the spread of the disease.”  Also check out the Children of God for Life website, as mentioned earlier.  It has a quote from the Catechism the says that as parents we have a moral obligation to protect our children (click on Historical and Moral Perspectives).  But then, it goes on to say that some of the diseases that we immunize against aren’t very serious.
Our pediatrician is Catholic and didn’t know about this issue until I brought it up.  We are now partnering with a Catholic pharmacist to seek out others who would like to share in the cost of alternative vaccines (apparently they are only available in multiple doses and can be expensive…).  We haven’t had any success in finding others who share our concern.  I think it is important for us to get the word out to others.

To MorningMama - My DH & I love Avon’s Moisture Therapy Hand Cream & have used it for years.  It’s fragrance-free & has a great, thick formula for dryness - a little bit goes a long way.  It doesn’t wash off when you wash your hands, if fact it works w/ the water to hold in moisture.

Hi Janelle—it could even just be teeth causing the strike.  I had one strike at 9 months and we couldn’t coax him back.

Aileen—Praying for you but its not too late! Take time to recover.

Please,
Pray for all with depression. I’m back on the edge of it just from an overscheduled Fall and a very stressed husband. I’m taking this week off from Homeschooling which is helping, cut the caffeine etc. Of course some could be the Peri Menopause kicking back in—oh joy!
And pray for my sister who just had baby 10! He looks so cute and I can’t travel down to see them.

Thanks!

Oh Advent:
First on Thanksgiving weekend everyone gives away some things to charity.

1st Sunday we give each child something warm they need for the season and set up the Advent wreath.

Next I pack up at least one nick nac for every Christmas decoration that comes out! This eliminates the cluttered crowed feeling I used to get.

Aileen,
  I’m so very sorry to hear about your pain. A miscarriage is such a sad thing that the pain can last for a long time. Please don’t have expectations about how soon you should get past the grief. Also, maybe it is not your age. Women have babies in their forties (I did) and wiomen both young and old have miscarriages. I wish I could do something to comfort you; I will pray.

Aileen, I’m so sorry for your loss.  I miscarried our first baby when I was 38.  During our grieving process, my husband said that we worked with God in creating another soul for heaven.  We think of our baby sitting our Jesus’ lap praying for us.  I’m now 42 and pregnant with our 3rd child.  There is hope.  One of my favorite scripture verses is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know well the plans I have for you, plans for a future full of hope.”  I’ll pray for you and your husband.

RSL, I highly recommend a book called “Green Clean” by Linda Mason Hunter.  It has recipes for all sorts of cleaners and they all use some combination of washing soda, borax, castile soap, and/or vinegar.  I haven’t bought store-bought cleaners in ages & can’t believe how much I save.  Also, my house is just as clean as it always was; you really can’t tell the difference.

RSL, I’ve been making my own cleaners for a while. I started by browsing a bookstore for green cleaning books and buying one with lots of recipes. (I picked Green Clean by Hunter and Halpin, but there are lots of them out there.) You can also find great recipes online. I just found a new stain remover here: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/10/guest-post-maki.html. It’s better than any of the natural ones I’ve bought. Once you get started making your own, you won’t go back!

Re: Vaccinations.  I agree that it is a good thing to be informed about pro-life alternatives.  Also, there are no vaccinations out there that are prohibited for use by Catholics. 

With that in mind, may I suggest that a decision to not vaccinate is an extreme measure and not one to be done without serious medical and research-related information.  I would say this means even more than reading a few dozen websites.

Also, bear in mind that you are making a temporary choice for your child.  No matter how long you homeschool, there will come a day when your child might want to go to college.  And that means that they will have to enter into outside-your-home opportunities, in the community at large, and that most likely will require some kind of immunizations. Be it an after school job, volunteering or college itself, it would be a rare scenario to be able to go through a normal adulthood without the basic immunizations.

(What I’m also trying to say is: we need more devout Catholics in the public square, not less.  Don’t do anything that would prevent that from happening)

Aileen:

I am so sorry.  I have also lost two children to miscarriage, and realize how great the pain can be.  Here are a couple of places you can remember your children at that may help:

http://www.innocents.com/shrine.asp

http://marian.org/give/memorials/sothi.php

Thanks Regina-
I thought that too, but now that it’s been two weeks, I think a strike would be over—we have tried everything, and he just pushes away every time—-so I am slowly letting go and realizing he just doesn’t want to nurse anymore—-boo hoo
So goofy it happened this way—thanks for the advice
Also Mary, thanks. He has had teeth since he was four months, so I don’t think that’s it—well, I need to just move on, mourn, and quit trying to figure it out. I always want answers for everything and just wandered if I did something wrong—
thanks

Re:  Moisturizers
I second Eucerin.  I have been using this for at least 25 years.  I have highly sensitive skin and it is the only product I can use that   doesn’t make my hands break out in hives.  I did use the “store brand” of this once or twice, and as long as it has the EXACT same ingredients it works just as well. Just be careful of fragrances.

MorningMama
Extra strength Gold Bond in the green bottle,  is the best. My husband’s surgeon recommended this one after hubby’s carpel tunnel surgery.( to keep his skin from drying while he healed) That was a few years ago and we are hooked. It is a little more expensive than dollar store brands but you use less than you do those. A fourteen oz. pump container lasts us ( a family of five) all year though we don’t use it much in the summer. My daughter is a nursing student who works as a nurses aid and she will not use anything else as only this keeps her hands nice and soft with all of the hand washing, sanitizing gel, and irritation from exam gloves.

Aileen

I am so sorry.  I know how painful this must be.  I had my last misacrriage when I was 44, but I was undergoing cancer therapy that I discontinued for the sake of the pregnancy.  I knew it was a longshot, but it still hurt.  A priest friend of mine had some very comforting words.  He said that I had to remember the reason we are born in to this world is to gain eternal life.  My husband and I did not lose a baby…We had helped God create a soul who already reached the final destination.  I know it seems of little comfort, but try to remember that you have already given your baby the best…eternal life.

Good day all, I would like to ask for prayer for my husband.In October he was in an auto accident and is going tonight for his second MRI.One bulging disk ( C 5-6)is confirmed and there may be another in his lower back. After tonight’s MRI we will have a surgical consult.  I hate the thought of surgery but he is only 41 and in constant pain .

Does anyone know the name and/or author of the Christmas book about a husband and wife—the husband sells his pocketwatch to buy his wife a barrette and the wife cuts her hair to buy her husband a gift?  Thank you!

Aileen,

I’m so sorry for your loss! I had two miscarriages within 6 mos. in 2006 but went on to have a beautiful baby girl in January of 2008 (at 37). Take time to mourn your little ones. I can echo what others posted - it’s soothing to concentrate on their eternal souls and your eventual reunion in heaven! I’ll be praying for you.

I’d also ask for prayers for my five-year old son. He is going to have an MRI (under anesthesia) on Monday to help diagnose Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. His name is Michael.

Thank you.

Re:  vaccinations.  With respect to Kitty’s comments,  my 13 year old ds has attended sleepaway sports camps for the past few years and he would not have been able to attend without proof of up to date immunizations.

Also, keep in mind that Rubella may be considered a silly, outdated disease to some, but I did contact it a few years ago.  Thankfully, I was not pregnant.  I was very ill for two weeks and would not wish that upon my worst enemy.  So when you choose not to vaccinate, other people are affected.

The gift of the Magi, by O. Henry
Barbara

Name the book

It’s a short story
“The gift of the magi”  by O. Henry.

Thanks for all of the advice/comments on vaccinations.  I also agree that vaccinations are very important and I plan to continue to vaccinate.  I just didn’t quite know if there was an official Church teaching about this.  Thanks again, it really helps to be able to talk with other Catholic moms out there.

My husband and I have gradually been tryint to distance ourselves from the commercialism associated with Santa Claus and have finally decided to make St. Nicholas Day our gift giving day and make Christmas Day a day to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, with no “santa” gifts.  We have seven children ranging from 15 to 8 months and the older ones seem very willing to do this.  I was just wondering if there are any other families who do this and how it has worked out for them.  Thanks for your input!

The story you are thinking of is “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry.

RE: the Gift of the Magi… I was at B/N over the weekend and they had a beautifully illustrated hardback copy in the children’s section.  I didn’t look at the price, but it was lovely.

Rachel on gifts on Christmas vs Saint Nicholas Day;

Early on we gave gifts to our children on Epiphany rather than Christmas.  Santa always left a little something in their stockings on Saint Nicholas Day.  As our older three began having more friends outside of our home and our family continued to grow, it became more difficult to stick with this tradition and we went back to giving gifts on Christmas. 

Two years ago we were inundated with gifts from family and Christmas was extremely overwhelming and IMHO the True message was lost.  After a long discussion with my DH, we went back to filling the children’s stockings with little trinkets on Saint Nicholas Day, giving each child one nice gift from my husband and I on Christmas, and giving a family gift (ie family game or movie) on Epiphany. 

Last year we also had the children earn money by doing extra chores around the house.  They pooled their earnings and purchased chickens, a goat and a bag of rice from Feed the Poor.

We had our most spiritually meaningful Christmas last year and I plan on making these things our continuing family tradition.

O Thank you for all of the kind responses for the O Henry story!  I just found a few little copies on Amazon.  Many thanks to all!

Ok - I know this is probably very silly - but I got on change.gov - Pres. Obama’s website. There is a little section there that asks me what my vision for America is? Ah - it was cathartic at least to post my thoughts:

Dear President Obama,
Please consider something dear to my heart. I have heard the argument that embryos and fetus cells don’t have souls - but how can this be proven? Maybe they don’t have souls - BUT WHAT IF THEY DO? This type of killing would be worse than any war or poverty or epidemic. Unless you are 100% convinced that these cells ABSOLUTELY DO NOT have souls - shouldn’t we err on the side of caution and assume there are souls?

And if we allow ourselves to think that there is even a chance there is a soul in there - how can we condone and encourage over 1 million souls a year to be killed. Help mothers make the right decision, a decision that supports a culture of life for all.  A culture where all souls have a chance and hope for a future. That is my vision for this country. Then any policies and programs to help our economy, health care, schools, businesses - will make much more sense in my eyes.

Sincerely,
‘Jen the Mommy’
Mom of 4 (and hopefully more!)

to Rachel”

we too have made St. Nicholas Day our family “gift giving” holiday.  We live on the opposite coast as our family, and because we knew we would often be traveling, and didn’t want to schlep gifts back and forth, decided to make that our little family tradition.  i make st. nicholas day bread with a recipe i think i got from danielle bean’s site, and we try to go to an eastern rite divine liturgy, because it is a big deal feast in the east.

this is our first year doing it with children (little one will be 10 mo!), and are eagerly anticipating it!  we know that the kids will always have gifts from grandparents, etc to open on Christmas, so it simplifies Christmas Day by having our gifts on St. Nicholas.  Plus, it helps our family to cultivate a devotion to St. Nicholas (who is a patron of children) and makes Advent lots of fun!

we also follow the “gift of three” philosophy (which i know fits more with epiphany gift giving), for both financial and simplicity reasons.  we do gold (Christ the King) for a nice, fancy gift of some kind, frankincense (with is for Christ the Priest) for a religious gift, and myrrh (with is for Christ’s death, for the body) as something to wear or something to “put on.”

we love it!

Jen the mommy-You have inspired me to do the same and take it one step further to send this idea to those on my e-mail list. It is easy to feel helpless at this time but we can use this as an opportunity to pray and act by letting our elected officials know that we are out there and want to be heard.  Maybe by our pray and actions God can use us as instruments to bring about CHANGE.

Tracy

Jen the Mommy,

Good work!

Vaccinations: We don’t. I don’t want to weigh in for yay or nay, really, just wanted to throw one more line of thought into the mix…
Vaccinations have saved so many lives. I believe they are good for this reason, but I also believe they are ‘young’ relatively speaking and we don’t know all the long-term effects. They may be compromising our immune systems. Many have had very negative reactions or died as a result of being vaccinated. I know this is a relatively small number, but not insignificant to those affected. My decision to not vaccinate may change if the threat of these diseases becomes more imminent.
Also, my husband is not vaccinated and has never had trouble with school or jobs and has always been honest and up-front about this. It is more of a health choice than a moral issue for him/us.

DH and I are thinking about looking for a house next spring.  We’d like to be in the country,with enough space for a reallygood vegetable garden and maybe some chickens.  But it looks like the only way we’re going to be able to afford that is if we buy a (probably older) manufactured home.  What are the challenges with those?  Is it madness if you’re not experienced in repairs?

Another word of support on the vaccine issue.
For reasons beyond moral reasons we have chosen to not vaccinate, and it’s always nice to find support. Children of God for Life is a good site, and Thinktwice.com is helpful in finding state-by-state exemption laws.

Now I’d like to ask a question NOT about vaccines.
My oldest is 4 1/2 and in preschool for the first time. He LOVES school and wished he could go every day (his words:). I’m not sure if it’s that change, or just a normal part of development at this age.
Our son has started lying. Not about “big” things, but he has lied. He lied to his teacher about taking a puzzle piece, and he has lied in similar ways around home with my dh and I.
I’m concerned, but I also know this can be regarded as a normal part of development.
Is this typical for a 4 year old?
He IS a good kid, and I want it to stay that way.

About vaccinations,

All of my children have been vaccinated with every vaccine that our family doctor ( a personal friend) has recommended. However we did have a run in a few years ago with the schools in our area when her office burnt and records destroyed. ( I always relied on her to keep records and never did so myself)  We moved to another school district and they required the records. I was given three days to produce them, take my children to a clinic for documented injections, or have my children removed from the school system. Obviously some schools are not as strict as other commenter’s have attested to but I would personally question a school that lets vaccinations slide as one infected child can spread diseases to many.

Sharon,
As the mom of teens I say that small lies turn into big lies. My advise is to teach your child that lying is wrong and teach him now !

Diane-
From what we’ve learned (and I’m extremely passionate about this topic, so I tend to read up on it as much as possible), it’s not so much up to the schools themselves regarding vaccines or exemptions, but the schools have to abide by STATE LAWS. States can offer at least 1 of 3 exemptions-medical, philosophical, or religious.

The school can say you HAVE to do so and so, but you are within your legal right to choose which vaccine to give to your children, if any.
As for schools letting it slide, I have yet to come across that (thinking back to when I taught prior to having kids), but I have seen schools accepting (w/o question) the proper exemption forms when submitted.

The only “exception” I have seen is that if a non-vaxed student is in a school where a vax-disease is going around, the non-vaxed student could be asked to stay home from school for up to 2 weeks.

Oops, sorry I didn’t see your other comment about lying. Thank you!

We have been explaining to him that lying is wrong and hurts people, and it especially hurts Jesus. It’s an immediate time-out and/or loss of a toy or other type punishment.

I guess I was concerned with whether or not all kids DO go though a point developmentally where they start to lie. Any takers?