Peek A Hoo

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Confession of an overwhelmed, tired, & cranky mom

I was not going to blog today. I just filled your heads with my soapbox speech and thought you could use the break. BUT....I am feeling guilty and I feel the need to confess.

Rewind to this morning. The sun was out. It was 77 wonderful degrees. I was sitting out on my back deck with my water, my Real Simple magazine, and iPhone. The girls were building forts with my entire stock of clean, freshly folded towels, but were getting along. The world was peaceful.

Fast forward to after lunch.

Everything. Fell. Apart.

The natives got restless and irritable. The clouds rolled in. The dog found a mud hole to dig in & left muddy footprints all over the house. My energy level went kaput.

Confession: I let the kids watch Spongebob (tho I pretended that I didn't know) just so they would leave me alone.

Terrible? Yes. But it gave me a few moments to figure out what I was ordering for dinner. No. I am not making dinner. You are nuts if you even thought I would. Please, Papa John's get here fast so that I can quit rocking in this corner praying that I am not found!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

American Rally for Personal Rights

Ahem...(tap, tap)...is this thing on?? Yes. Ok. Please forgive me as I am not used to standing on the soapbox. But, after attending the "American Rally for Personal Rights" today, I feel obligated to share some of the material that I have learned. So, grab a glass of wine, sit back & relax, and learn something!! ;-)

Topic: The Right to Parental Consent on Vaccinations

Did you know?? The United States has the highest number of mandated vaccines for children under 5 in the world! (36 vaccinations by the age of 5 which is DOUBLE that of the Western world average of 18) Oh, and another tidbit: in 1983, children were given only 10 vaccinations (I don't know about you, but I had never really heard of or experienced being around Autistic Spectrum Disorders when I was growing up. But ask any kid on the street now, and they can tell you exactly what Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are! Could there be a correlation of the increase in vaccines to the increase in these disorders?)

Did you know?? The United States has the highest Autism rate in the world (1 in every 150 children)! (With, FYI, New Jersey topping the 50 states as the state with the HIGHEST Autism percent!)

Did you know?? The United States only places 34th in the world for its children under 5 mortality rate (with only 1 country having a higher infant/toddler mortality rate)!!

Now, Autism and death in a child are "explained away" by both the medical world and the government as being a "genetic" issue. Well, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that we are ALL genetically different, right? Kids from both gated communities & kids from poor homes are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorders and are dying. Kids who are athletic and kids who are couch potatoes are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorders and are dying. Kids of all different shapes and sizes are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorders and are dying. The ONE thing that ALL of these kids have in common?? The vaccines that they have been forced to have injected into their bodies! How can you rule this out?? YOU CAN'T! You simply can't.

With that being said, why would you get your child vaccinated?? Well, because the US Government mandates it, that's why!! YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!! There are only 19 states that give parents the freedom to choose what is right for their child when concerning vaccinations. (I happen to live in NJ, where it is NOT a choice for parents, but rather thrown in our faces that our children will be promptly kicked out of school if they do not have the mandated vaccinations.)

But wait!! If you qualify for a "religious exemption" you can refuse these demanded shots!! (But, you must have sincere religious beliefs that prohibit vaccination. A valid religious exemption letter is also required to legally exempt a child from mandated vaccines. A parent/guardian must write the letter and should include the NJ state law that defines the right to a religious exemption and include an explanation as to why the practice of vaccination conflicts with your religious beliefs/ tenets. You are not obligated to disclose your religion to obtain a religious exemption. In the recent past, school officials have erroneously requested letters from clergy or they have questioned a parents religion, as well as other discriminatory practices.) Do you qualify?

Green Our Vaccines!!
What do you think vaccines are made of? Seriously. What comes to mind when you think of an immunization shot? For me, it was always a very small amount of clear liquid that must have some strain (dead or alive) of the virus/bacteria that you were trying to ward off. Ok. Not bad. Here is the bad news: that "clear liquid" that you assume is safe, is not safe. Think of these chemicals being injected into your newly born angel or your sweet toddler: Mercury, Aluminum, Formaldehyde, Ether, Antifreeze. ALL are HIGHLY toxic to the body. They simply DO NOT belong inside the human body! Every single vaccination has a toxin in it. There is no wonder why our poor little babies are sick, have rash, fever, and are cranky (or worse) after not ONE, but SEVERAL shots in one sitting!! Its almost enough to make you ill.

A few personal stories that I would like to share with you.

Zeda Pingel
( Hammond, Indiana )
My now 14yr old Daughter has always been a healthy, active and straight A student. On 11/5/08 during a routine physical, she received her 1st dose of Gardasil. The following week she complained of headaches & felt tired. On 11/29/08 she had a headache and stayed in bed all day. She got up that afternoon & had 2 seizures. She was rushed to the ER. Her condition became critical after she lost all motor skills & became unresponsive. She was life flight to Riley’s Hospital in Indianapolis. She spent 4 months in the PICU. Her condition remained critical. She was put on a ventilator & feeding tube. She also had uncontrollable movements, extremely high heart rate (up to180 bpm), high fevers including 1 that was 108.7 degrees, she remained in a medical induced coma. She was given extensive testing and the ONLY result we do have is that she has Encephalitis. That is a viral infection with a shadow on the left side of the brain. All of the testing that has been done show negative for any illness or diseases. We are still unsure if she will come out of this. This has been completely devastating to our family. We have no answers from doctors. Even though we know in our hearts that this was a side effects from Gardasil. I don’t know if the doctors will ever fully admit it. We are left to watch and wait.
I now care for her at home with help from home health nursing. She is now able to move a few fingers. She can NOW turn her head when you are talking to her. She was taken off the ventilator on 8/28/08. She is still bedridden. We can not find a doctor that is willing to help my daughter. They have said that they’ve done all they can do. So 9 months later we are no closer to having a prognosis for her.
I am more than willing to discuss this & get the word out. No family should have to go through what mine has been through. Parents MUST know the risk BEFORE they CHOOSE to give their daughters this vaccine.



A couple of QUICK FACTS about Gardasil that you may find interesting:
1) Upwards of 18,000 Girls have had INJURY or ILLNESS from this particular vaccine
2) The number of DEATHS related to this vaccine are closing in on 100!!
3) Parents!! The government is now talking about giving this vaccine to BOYS too!!!
PLEASE READ MORE ABOUT GARDASIL HERE


ANDY
My son, Andy, was born June 16. He was healthy and full term. He had his first shot on August 18. He started screaming right away and continued to cry. He screamed and cried for the next few days, except when he fell into a deep sleep. Also, when he was awake, he now had a glassy, odd look in his eyes, as though he was looking right past us. He just wasn't right.

I took him to the Emergency Room where I was told he was having 'a bad day.' I asked if the shot had anything to do with his behavior. I was told 'no.' I brought him home and knew something was wrong. I know now he suffered from encephalopathy and convulsions.

I did not know that Andy had a reaction to his first shot. After his second shot he screamed, and when we got home he went to sleep. I checked him and he was stiff as a board with glaring eyes. He had no expression on his face and I got no response. However, when I picked him up, his head was floppy. I held him for 30 or 40 minutes. Then, as if nothing happened, he sat up. After this episode I noticed a lot of jerking movements. I now know these were seizures.

About a week later I was holding Andy on my lap and his legs went out, and his tongue hung out; he had his first grand mal seizure. I took him to the doctor's office the next day, but before I got him ready to go he had several more grand mal seizures. The doctor told me it seemed like epilepsy to him and ordered EEGs and blood work. The next day, back home in his high chair, we thought he was choking on baby food. He was having another grand mal and we rushed him to the doctor. They took Andy to Buffalo Children's Hospital by ambulance. That is where we were confronted with what was wrong. The doctor asked when he had the shot. I told her and she said don't get another.

From that day on our lives were changed dramatically. We went from hospital to hospital hoping we could find something to help our son. He has been on every medication available and some that are experimental, all to no avail. When Andy was six months old we noticed an uncommon type of reaction. He would look at our kitchen floor and have a seizure. He could not look at screens or anything with a weave, including grass, cement, jeans, and sweaters, to name a few. As he got older I tried dark glasses on him; it seemed to help this type of seizure to some degree.

The medications and diets he has been on in his last eight years have been to no avail. A few years ago, he had brain surgery that helped with the patterned seizures. He continues to have grand mal clusters every two weeks. These last 12 to 15 hours he had about 30 seizures in this time period.

Andy is mentally retarded and has symptoms of cerebral palsy. He wears leg braces and sometimes a seizure helmet. His behavior is not good. Although he is 8 years old, he is a 1 year old in many ways. He can't dress himself or color or write or print. He goes to a special class.

We are with Andy 24 hours a day. He cannot be alone for 10 seconds. He is a danger to himself. For 5 years Andy could not look at a TV screen because it was an instant grand mal. As I write this, Andy is unconscious from a bout of seizures. I have a lot more I could tell you and show you.

Our relatives have been pretty good, but our friends are few. Our whole life is Andy. Our daughter has been showing signs of unhappiness. She misses out on a lot, but we feel she'll be a better adult for this.

We did go through the compensation program four years ago. However, this has caused some problems for us, as Andy got his insurance canceled and cannot get Social Security Insurance. But that is another story. Our situation has gotten a lot worse as Andy's condition has worsened. Thank you for listening.


These are just 2 out of 100's of 1000's of cases documented. If your interested in more, google it! You will find more than you can read!! Its sad, that these little children have to "take one for the team" so to speak...and yet we STILL haven't learned, as a country, a DAMN THING. Not only do we still vaccinate, we have INCREASED more than 3 fold the number of vaccines our children are to get. As parents, it is time NOW to step up and let your state governor know that you will not stand for this! That your child is precious and is NOT a guinea pig! YOU are your child's BEST representative!! Don't take that lightly! Do your research. Open your mind. Take a stand.

And if you think that you or your child is a victim of vaccine related illness/injury/death, PLEASE READ:
NATIONAL CHILDHOOD VACCINE INJURY ACT


Ahem....thank you for listening and being patient while I throw facts around and try to make sense at the same time. I am sure...absolutely positive...there will be more to follow in the days ahead as I read and educate myself. (Tripping as I ungracefully step off the soapbox.)

Monday, May 24, 2010

Just a few of my favorite kid photos...

Bug - 2010 Easter
Cricket - 2010 Easter
Cricket - 2009 Summer
Gidget - 2010 Easter
Bug - 2010 Easter
Gidget Hayride - 2010 Easter
Gidget - Summer 2008

**All taken by me, just a mom with a love of photography**

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Cricket: "Mom, bakers cook, right?"

Me: "Yes, they make breads and cakes and other foods that you would bake in the oven."

Cricket: "Can bakers get married?"

Me: "Mmhmm, they sure can if they want to!"

Cricket: "Well, I decided I am going to marry a baker, because you always tell me to marry someone that loves to cook!"


--------------------------------------------------

And, this was just too good to NOT tell this story on here!! My friend has 4 kiddos! (yes, FOUR!!) The two youngest are 3 year old twin boys. (Cutest little boys!) Anyhow, she had them out at the park, enjoying the gorgeous weather. She said that the boys were pretending to have cameras and "taking pictures" of things all over the park. Such a sweet game! Then she heard them making the clicking camera noise whenever then took a picture...except it wasn't "Click, Click" coming from their little mouths...but instead "CLIT! CLIT!" She was dying of laughter! (And so was I when she told me!!)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Moms for Peace & Quiet!!

Only 2 more days...only 2 more days...only 2 more days...oh, hi! LOL Just reminding myself that Flyboy will be back home in 2 more days! (Or rather he is SUPPOSE to be home in 2 more days. You never can tell with the military & the reliability of their jets!)
So, I learned 2 things since my last blog. Well, I am sure it is more than 2...maybe.
1. The OFFICIAL COUNT of hair washings that it takes to remove "Beauty Rush Lip Balm" (purchased at Victoria's Secret over the holidays) from a 2 year old's hair is 4. Good to know.
2. Because I learned number 1, I also learned that it is time to put my lip balms and other beauty products in a less accessible spot!
Yep, those are the two big lessons that I learned in the last few days. (Not that I have any "Beauty Rush Lip Balm" left to relive this experience, but I think the outcome may be similar with other lip products.
I took the kids out letterboxing this weekend. It was at the Liberty Hall in NJ. Should have been WAY MORE FUN that it was. These kids were ridiculous. I was ready to sign them all up for military school before it was over. Personally, I thought it was a fun activity and had as much fun as you can between potty breaks and chasing a 2 year old around a Revolutionary aged mansion. (Oh, a note on the potty breaks...they weren't actually IN the bathroom. No. We went through a total of 3 outfits for just Cricket.) Note to self : Bring a wardrobe of clothing next time. -- Hey! Does this qualify for the THIRD thing I learned?? Sweet!
It is currently 4:35pm and I am officially on strike tonight. It is "Mommy Time"...which does not mean that I am off duty, but it does mean that I can half-ass my chores and responsibilities for the rest of the night. It does mean that I can have a glass of wine, or a bottle maybe. It does mean that I can put my comfy clothes on. It does mean that I get to order dinner for delivery tonight. Yep, I am on strike. I don't want to hear any fussing, crying, or whining unless there is blood. (hahahah...yeah right...like that'll happen)
I think I may even make a sign "ON STRIKE! Moms for Peace & Quiet"


Quote from Cricket:
"Mommy, I'm so sick I have to talk in funny voices." - she was losing her voice from a cold that we had been passing back and forth all week.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Here We Go Again...

So, this is more of a test blog...as I can't promise that I can commit to it, again. LOL Who knew that I had a fear of committing to a blog?? I just need to commit to it as I commit to my nightly glass of wine! :-)
So, let me start by saying that I am on my own for awhile. Flyboy is in Japan, has been for nearly 3 weeks, and we have about 10 more days to go. So, I'm playing "single mom" for the time being. I have all the respect in the world for the single Moms of the world. Its not an easy road, and I am only doing it for a short period of time!

With all of that being said, let me just start. Today. It was not the best of times, it was not the worst of times. Bug was definitely in good spirits today. (Why not? I let him sleep until 9AM and took him to school late because he was up for the majority of the night.)
-- Oh, did I tell you that Bug is now attending public school? Yep, he is in the regular school, but in a discipline "challenged" class with 12 other kids. (more on that another time tho?)
The girls...well, they were another story. Cricket is almost 5 now and she is smart as a whip! Baby Blue (aka GIDGET) is 2 1/2 now! Can you believe it? Time flies when you are having fun, I guess! Cricket was full of P&V as usual...correcting me, telling me why she didn't need to follow directions, trying to boss the rest of the family around (which goes over wonderfully...even the dog (oh yes, I said DOG) is irritated by the bossiness). Gidget is now forming her own thoughts and opinions on things and due to her advanced speaking capabilities, feels the need to tell me every thought and opinion that comes to her mind. (Like yelling "DAMMIT!" when she is frustrated with whatever she is toying with...whoops.) So, me, being on a war path today in general, put on a movie for the girls and got busy attempting to clean in between "MOM!" and poop duty. I got a decent amount done...even found a great recipe for dinner (which is getting complaints and they don't even know what is in it)....feeling better about the house and my situation tonight. (Yes, the glass of wine helps, I won't lie.) After MY trip to Target, I think even the cashier needed a glass of wine tonight. Gidget refused to keep her clothes on and was screaming at the top of her lungs with big ol' tears running down her cheeks because I (God forbid) made her sit in the cart so she wouldn't fall out (again). And Cricket was yelling "Can I have...." to everything that she saw and when I said "no" she would collapse into a puddle of crocodile tears. I walked thru the store smiling at everyone. Thier looks were not as nice. I got everything from the "oh honey, I'm so sorry" and "I understand your pain" to the "OMG, did you beat them" and "shhh...if you stand very still maybe they will go away" looks. Sad. And I just continued to shop.
Fast Forward to now...