If your little one goes down easily for a nap, I’d fly around nap time.  If you think nap time might be meltdown-moment, I’d do you chil’d “best” or “favorite” time of day.  For my daughter (at that age), it was important to all-day happiness that she be free to move in the morning, so we flew later in the day when she didn’t ming being stapped in a car seat as much.  Anyway, those are the kind of things I’d think about when planning a flight time.  I also recommend buying you child his/her own seat if you can.  It allows for your own car seat (which is familiar to them) and the option of sitting in your lap or not depending on where they are happiest.  You know your child best when it comes to sitting on your lap, though; for your sake I hope your child loves it; mine always needed her own seat to be happy…

As far as hotels go, we whenever we can, we look for a place with a pool as a very fun activitiy after being confined to the car seat all day.  Alternatively, stairwells are fun and so are hotel dinng areas (provided they are closed) and lobbies.  Even hotel room floors.  I recommend paying more for your peace of mind and getting a hotel room where you will not be grossed out if your child crawls, rolls, or otherwise encounters the floor on a regular basis. 

When it comes to sleep, we put our daughter between us in a king bed, drag the couch so that its facing the foot of the bed (so if she rolls off the foot of the bed, she “falls” on the to couch and is “locked in” by the back of the couch.  If there’s no couch, we use the ottoman with a suitcase on top, or a big chair facing the bed to serve the same purpose.  When all else fails, we pop a suitcase at the foot of the bed in the middle (where she’s sleeping) so she can’t roll that way.

Finally, new toys!  For planes and cars I recommend those doddle sketch thingies that are plastic and work with a stylus that “draws” by attracting magnetic bits up to it (can anyone help me out here and let Flying With A Toddler know what these are called?  I have no idea…)  And maybe a scratch-and-sniff book or a touch-and-feel book.  For hotel rooms, a new chunky puzzle might be good at that age. (Your little one can play with it on the bed, for instance.)  Also, we had *lots* of fun with Mr. Potato head at that age, and all his parts fit inside so he’s pretty easy to travel.  He can fit in the diaper bag!  

Finally, we allowed food-treats we knew our daughter would love when we traveled at that age.  For her it was chocolate milkshakes, so she got one at critical moments when happiness was particularly desireable.  Because lets face it, flying and travel is tiring for us adults… little ones are experiencing even *more* new & unusual changes!  They deserve an extra treat.  

We traveled several times with my daughter around this age

They’re called Magnadoodles.

I only flew once with my daughter when she about 15 months.  I really liked having her own seat and we strapped her in her car seat.  We flew on jet blue which was nice because of the TV screen for each seat (she enjoyed watching animal planet).  We also took our stroller which was difficult to get through security, but worth it to be able to keep her secure as we moved through the busy airport and it also helped to be able to load stuff on it.  We handed over the stroller as we were boarding and it was waiting for us when we got off the plane.  When you book your hotel, see if they have portable cribs available.  Some offer them at no cost, but you’ll just want to bring your own sheet and be sure that the crib is sturdy.  Good luck!

I did a lot of cross country flights when my children were young.  I did some by myself.  What I found after trial and error was that for us, it was best to get on the earliest flight of the day, buy a seat for the baby/toddler and use their carseat, and have some extra clothes and food for you and baby on hand.  I’ve had some horror shows on flights, but thankfully once the plane lands, the plane lands.  Then you put it all out of your mind.

Would you recommend the first flight of the day if it’s at 6:15 AM? Our son’s not even up by that time nOrmally.

I agree that having an extra seat is best, but that also adds a lot of extra money to the trip. Another option is to try to schedule your flight during an off time. If there are extra seats on the flight, most airlines will let you use a seat free of charge. (Obviously, paying customers get top priority!) If you’re flying between two cities that might be used by business travelers, flights in the middle of the day might be less crowded. If you do decide to have your toddler on your lap, it’s not the end of the world. My advice is to take your child’s shoes off because he or she will want to climb all over you, and it’s more comfortable (for you) without shoes. At the hotel, we’ve always reserved a pack-and-play and put it in the corner of the room.

We took our daughter on a long car trip when she was 2. I made and/or put together a LOT of stuff to keep her entertained, and i posted about them plus what worked and what didn’t here: http://nettacow.blogspot.com/2009/07/keeping-toddlers-occupied-in-car.html

Rebecca Teti wrote a series of posts on the Catholic teachings on marriage and why marriage between a man and a woman is not only morally good, but good for our society too.  You can do a search on this site under her posts with the keyword “marriage”.  Rebecca has a gift for explaining the truth with love.

I would also recommend the site “Catholic Answers” and there are probably other good apologetics sites out there- Patrick Madrid comes to mind too.

You don’t need a theology degree or a Masters in Religion to defend the Catholic Church.  It so important to not only to live your faith, but to know your faith too.  I left the Catholic Church when I was in college, but came back because of the Eucharist.  During my “reversion” to the faith I had a lot of questions and did a lot of reading which not only helped me understand the “whys” of what the Church teaches, but deepened my faith and relationship with Christ too.  I found out the Church says “yes” more than “no”! My faith became my faith, and not just something my parents passed on to me, and my relationship to Christ became much more personal.  I am not done learning and growing, and feel like I still have so much to learn.

You can read the Pope’s letters and writings too.  Pope Benedict XVI is a wonderful teacher and has a beautiful way of explaining the faith in terms that are easy to understand.  I loved listening to Pope John Paul II, but find his writings difficult to read sometime- although they are also full of useful information.  It’s funny I have a difficult time understanding Pope Benedict when he speaks, but love to read his speeches and writings, but I can understand Pope John Paul II better when I heard his speeches than I did when I read his writing.

I pray this Lent is a journey of understanding and a time of deepening your faith!

Hi there! It’s wishy-washy me! I think, honestly, you don’t have to worry about defending your beliefs to anyone but yourself. People don’t generally experience “insight” on these issues from the arguments of other people, but from thoughtful prayer and reflection within themselves. All the explanations in the world haven’t changed my mind, but my own prayer has. Make sense?

I too think the best example is a life lived close to the heart of God.  I don’t evanglize by explaining church doctrine to people when the subject comes up.  I have spent years reading Scott Hahn, Peter Kreeft and all the other big names in conservative Catholic theology so I do know the theology.  But even so with NFP I find I can’t articulate it in a way that would win a debate and that is because after all of my studying I still have not been completely convinced myself.

I remember my own conversion and it was because people loved me and were living a life close to God.  That is was drew me in.  They had something I wanted.  In the process of that I did do studying on my own.

I think it’s good to have a knowledge of doctrine in case people ask questions (and also for our own benefit), but I wouldn’t initiate those discussions unsolicited.  For example, I have a Christian (not Catholic) friend who is pretty open about the fact that her twins were conceived via IVF.  (I just pray that she didn’t end up with any surplus embryos that ended up being destroyed.)  I don’t plan on sharing my feelings about IVF unless she asks me.  For example, if she asks whether I did IVF (she knows that my son is adopted and that we went through infertility and miscarriage), I would say no, and I probably wouldn’t elaborate on that unless she questioned me further.  There are some topics of Catholic theology that I am very well able to articulate;  others that I have a good understanding of but that are too complex for me to feel comfortable articulating.  I haven’t found a Church teaching that I disagree with (well, I did in the past, but not since developing an understanding of the theology), which certainly helps.  But in any case, as anon said, I think the witness of our relationship with Christ is the best starting point.  If that leads to people asking us questions, I guess the best we can do is to continue to study the faith and then trust the Holy Spirit to give us the words when and if the time comes.

I’m 5 mos. post-partum using Creighton. Days of fertility: the menstrual flow; from beginnning of mucus until 3 full days past Peak; 1 or 2 days of non-Peak mucus pre-Peak; 3 or more days of non-Peak mucus pre-Peak-plus count of 3; any single day of Peak mucus - plus count of 3; any unusual bleeding plus count of 3.

So, I think, unfortunately, that count of 3 with the isolated peak-type mucus is right.

That said, I’m seeing strange observations, too. With my first two, I was infertile for 15 mos. and 12 mos. With this baby, only 3 or 4 - and all three children were exclusively nursed on-demand around the clock. No bottles. No pacifiers with the first two and just a wee little bit with a pacifier for a short time with this one.

Anyway, my body goes from dry to non-peak mucus to peak to dry to non-peak and back again in what appears to be one cycle. It’s definitely more of a challenge! And I’m certain not all of that peak-type mucus, esp. those short bursts of it, is tied to any real ovulation. So, I guess it depends on how committed you are to avoiding as to how rigorously you are going to follow the rules.

Hmm, i think I have three on her life, ect. The Letters to my Husband was beautiful, as well as the biography that includes much of her husband’s story, is fantastic.

Have you been to the shrine’s website?
http://saintgianna.org
If you look under “store” it takes you right to books & books & books…
“Links” will take you to lots of other writings.
She’s a good friend to have!

The best way to show your family and friends the truth is to love them deeply.  The best way to change the world it to keep your own heart deeply rooted in God.  When I find my self thinking about how everyone else needs to change I remember this.  Now there are times where it may be important to speak up.  It is important to be able to listen to the Holy Spirit and know those times.

I find when I listen and respect people they do not drop me like a hot potato even when we disagree.  I see how some Catholics are with their approach and it does not surprise me that people don’t want to be near them.  (I am not saying this is you…)  There is a careful balance to living and speaking the truth and loving those around you and recognizing that the Holy Spirit is patient and works over time in people’s hearts.  The culture wars are not your battle to fight—It is God’s battle and we just need to be open and attentive each day to the working of the Holy Spirit.

Feeling the same way, kg!  I’m grateful that my husband and I are on the same page on these things, but we both feel stuck not knowing what to do about it.  We feel that speaking out could cost us in our careers as well as in relationships with family and friends.  (But really, how bad is the loss of a career opportunity compared to the loss of innocent life?)  I’m looking to focus on prayer during Lent to try to discern what actions I should take.  I truly feel sad and powerless and welcome suggestions from others too.

KG, I totally relate.  My entire family is pro-abortion, and it pains me beyond belief that people I’m related to believe that it’s okay for babies to be killed in the womb.  And I too am scared for my son to grow up in a world where this is okay.  I’m not so sure that staying silent is the answer.  Thank God people spoke out during slavery and the holocaust.  But by the same token, we have to interact with people civilly, so as always, balance is the key.  How to achieve it is another story…

nystatin has been shown to be effective in less than 30% of cases, however you are right that you need something to treat baby at the same time.  even if you can’t see it, passing it back and forth is certainly highly likely.  keep boiling the things that touch - nipple shields, pacis, etc

in addition, lots of air time and sunlight for your breasts.  try to be topless in the house as much as you can, b/c the air/light helps kill the yeast.  hang in there mama, it will get better soon!

http://members.ll.net/naturalmothering/thrush.html Here’s a link that I hope will help you. I never had thrush on my breast but my sister in-law did (does with each child) and she swears by the gentian violet. You can buy it at Wal-Mart through the pharmacy without a prescription but you need the pharmacist to get it for you. Good luck! The link looked like it had lots of good tips. Hope you see improvement soon!

I had a problem with thrush with my first two kids. Gentian violet works great. It will turn lots of stuff blue, such as your nipples and your baby’s mouth but it works. Just ask for it at the drug store. You make a solution with water and put it on your nipples. Also, go to the health food store and get yourself a high quality some acidopholus. I use Megadophilus by Healthy Trinity. It was recommended to me by a lactation consultant. You need some strong stuff. Eating yoghurt is not enough. I also temporarily gave up caffeine, alcohol, sweets, etc. Good luck. I know how painful it is.

I am sooo glad you asked this - and so glad for the advice.  We are in the same boat with a 10 week old, except my dd was finally but on diflucan by her ped. and I was still doing nystatin (been dealing with this almost since birth).  She looks better but I don’t feel better.  I do know you should treat for a few days beyond when you think you are in the clear. I’m taking that Gentian Violet advice.  I don’t care if we turn purple/blue.  This is getting old.

Starve the yeast. In addition to the remedies cut put sugars and refined flours for the next few weeks.

GENTIAN VIOLET!!
Both myself and my son were on Nystatin for SIX painful weeks before I gave this homeopathic remedy and it cleared the thrush up within a few days. It was ugly- my nipples and bras and several tee shirts were stained purple, not to mention baby’s mouth. But it was so worth it!! (as anyone who has suffered through the burning pain of thrush will testify to).....Hang in there. FYI I had thrush really bad with #1 but not at all with #2,3,4. I remember vowing never to nurse again if I had to suffer through this….

I had to do a huge multi-part undertaking to get rid of it. For my daughter, it showed up as diaper rash, not in her mouth. I wrote a huge post with links to everything i did, you can find it here: http://nettacow.blogspot.com/2010/03/yeast-elimination-diet.html

Could it be that he can get them on but not good enough to feel good?  My 4 yr can’t get them on to his satisfaction so I do them everyday right now for him.  My 4 yr old neice has no problem.  Right now I just have my ds get dressed while I’m changing/dressing our infant, then he climbs on the bed with his socks to make it easy for me and I slip them right on in seconds.  Not sure when the rest of my brood figured it out, guessing somewhere between 3-5.  It’s been a long time since I was pregnant with just 2 others, I felt like my head was spinning.  It gets easier   Hopefully someone will have a solution, but if not, rest assured, this too shall pass.

I agree he might be trying to tell you that his socks are more comfortable when you put them on, especially since he gets dressed the rest of the way by himself. I know it’s hard when you’re really pregnant to get down and do stuff so maybe setting him up high on the bed or dresser would be good compromise for the time being. I think I was still helping my preschooler boys with socks, at least some of the time, until after they turned 4. I know my now 4 almost 5 yo was willing on some day and not others. They all have May birthdays and by the time fall rolled around again after that 4th birthday they probably had it down.

What you are describing is the reason that I changed the venue of my “homeschool” class to the parish center.  I found that it was too distracting to hold it in my home.  The doorbell or phone would ring, someone would wander off, the baby would start crying.  My suggestion is to try and find a different place - perhaps the public library?  Homes are informal places, you may have better luck in a more institutional setting.

I really don’t enjoy teaching CCD at all.  I do it because I feel a sense of obligation to pass on the faith and to help out where I can.  The books we use (Faith First series) are disorganized, somewhat confusing and boring. I just pray that the Holy Spirit will fill in the gaps if I try my best to pass on the faith in my own inadequate way.  The only thing I’ve learned about myself in the past 7 years of teaching CCD is that I have a tremendous respect for good teachers - that it’s not enough to love the subject, you need to have training in class room management and teaching styles as well.

So evidently that’s Ephesians, not the Old Testament.

That’s one thing the Fundamentalists have going for them . . . a photographic memory of the Bible.

The Duggar’s are fundamentalists involved in the homeschooling movements associated with vision forum, advanced training institute, doug philips etc.  Those groups have very rigid fundamentalist believes and also believe in SAHD (stay at home daughters).  Daughters are under their father’s authority until they marry.  Do some gooling to read up on these movements.  The Duggar’s are not the ones you want to look to for an understanding of a Catholic sacramental marriage.

It seems christians generally feel that everything is sweet and lovely with the Duggar’s.  I personally think the theology rooted in what they believe is not good and is unhealthy.  It looks good on tv.

A close friend has lived in a marriage where she submitted and trusted her husband’s decision in everything.  She thought this was the way it was suppose to be based on what was taught to them at the ultra conservative Catholic college they attended.  It is very difficult when you come to a point where you realized this was not right and try to have a voice in the marriage and even know what it is you think and feel about things.

Marriage should be mutual respect and mutual understanding.  Any marriage where submission is at the top of the list of duties is a red flag to me.  If I remember correctly this article said something like. “never bring up his faults”  “look loving at him when he talks”  and does it say anything about the man’s role?  He doesn’t bring up faults either?  Or it is ok for him to bring up his wife’s faults?  That is silly.  Spouses should be able to communicate in love to each other their faults.

I would read come good Catholic books on marriage.  If the title of the book is “submission” or Debi Pearl’s book “created to be his helpmeet” I would run the other way.  Don’t go to the extreme fundamentalists for a book on marriage.  Maybe someone else can recommend a good book.

I LOVED the way our marriage prep class addressed this issue. It was that when St. Paul said this he was addressing the particular weaknesses of men and women.
Wives, BE SUBMISSIVE to your husbands
Husbands, LOVE your wives….
Our weakness as women tends to be in accepting the authority of our husband as head of the family.

That “article” on MSNBC is less than a paragraph.  I would rather see Michelle Duggar’s comments in context before making a judgment on them.  I personally think there is a lot of wisdom in not bringing up a husband’s past failures (or anyone’s past failures) in most circumstances. 

If the Duggars believe in stay-at-home daughters, I can’t understand why they let their daughters fly alone to a metropolitan city to meet some friends there, or why they let their daughters go on mission trips to third-world countries.  Again, let’s look at the whole picture, rather than taking things out of context.

Gregory Popkak I believe has written some good books on marriage from a Catholic perspective.

I believe Familiaris consortio touches on this. No offense to the Duggars, but Fundamentalists tend to fixate on one verse of Scripture without noticing what surrounds it. If you read Ephesians 5, you will notice that verse 21 tells every person to submit to every other person. The next verse tells wives to be submissive to their husbands. After that husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. If you read the whole chapter, you tend to get a VERY different picture of marriage than that which Fundamentalists paint.

Alice, I think you’re right that a lot of protestant denominations take scripture out of context.  But unless we know the bigger context of what Michelle Duggar was trying to say (the article really just had a couple of soundbytes),  we can’t automatically assume that’s what she’s doing. 

The interesting thing about this section of Ephesians is that some fundamentalists use it to justify male-dominated marriages, while some liberal Christians (I hate that term liberal, but can’t think of a better word) use it to justify ignoring parts of the Bible that they consider outdated and patriarchal.  When the real intent, as you pointed out, is for husbands and wives to honor each other.

First and foremost- I am single, so I am NOT speaking from experience on this! However, I have been pondering marital roles lately as my boyfriend and I discuss marriage and our future. I got some really good advice from a friend, who says that the way she and her husband live this Scripture is that when they make decisions, they discuss together, but the husband is the decision-maker. She can and does share her thoughts and feelings and she contributes to the discussion, and part of her husband’s role is to take these contributions seriously and prayerfully. But when the choice has to be made and they have talked and they still don’t agree, his decision is final, and she respects and trusts him. While I can see how this would sometimes be hard (because don’t we all think we’re right, all the time? ) I also like how it emphasizes working together and, as Claire said,  honoring each other. No theology here, just a little food for thought

My heart is breaking for you.  I had to work fulltime when my son was a baby, so I know what you’re going through.  The good news is that I was able to quit my fulltime job when my son was 18 months old (I now work part-time, opposite my husband’s schedule, which eliminates daycare costs).  So there is always hope.  You might want to look at websites like Money Saving Mom and Mommysavers;  I’m sure one of them will have links to legitimate work-at-home options.  None of them are probably very high paying, but if it saves you the cost of daycare, it might be worth it.

I have never been able to stop working—I know the ache you are feeling.

One thing I did for a while was working as a “mail decoy” for a company called Hauser.  It was tedious but not difficult.  You get all kinds of mail addressed with weird code names and then you have to enter information about the mailings into their website.  They paid you to do this; not a lot, and it took months before you got really established.  And then you had to store all the mailings for 6 months, because sometimes they would ask about something that came some time earlier.  I finally quit because I lost interest and couldn’t keep up.  The best thing about it was that I got Time and People magazines for a while! 

Anyway, it won’t generate much income, but it might work for you:
http://www.hausernet.com/opportunities.html

Good luck, I hope you can find a way to make it work.  I think there are a lot of us out here who still mourn the missed time at home with our children.