Life from Willowtopia Acres....

What is happening?

2009-07-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

Where do I start....

I have just decided to take my life in a new direction and follow a career path that has been my passion for the past 12 years or so. I am not doing this to make money but just so I have the accreditation that people might listen to what I say because right now I am just a mom.

I am just astounded again at the way our world is moving towards. Recently I have read articles where a doctor wants to ban husbands from the delivery room. On some levels maybe this would be a good thing because of some of the self-centered, egotistical, paranoid, non-helpful dads...lol But I really don’t like blanket statements. If we teach our children that birth, pregnancy, breastfeeding and women’s vaginas are bad then that is what they will take into birth. Educating our children that this is a normal part of life would make a huge difference. Coddling the attitude that men are bad in the labour room just adds to the stereotype that men will follow.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25804208-36398,00.html

Then I was reading another article where a professor had declared that breastfeeding isn’t really all that good anyways. I mean like WTF... So feeding our children HUMAN milk isn't really best? Saying that formula (which by the way is legal to contain melamine) is just as good. I guess at one point the man who did the study has also done research for Nestle. Nestle is one of the worst offenders for breaking the WHO code of ethics for breast milk substitutes. Do you think that the research will be somewhat biased? I haven’t read the whole study and it could be a typical media thing to skew his findings to suit their purpose. This has happened many times in the past, and unfortunately people don’t ever question it.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25818342-36398,00.html

Then in Australia they are in effect trying to make it illegal for a midwife to attend a homebirth, even though homebirths have been proven to be no less of a risk than a hospital birth. Homebirths have been proven to have less likelihood of a C-section and interventions overall. Of course as a woman who has had 5 homebirths I am a little biased towards this anyways. It just makes me wonder why countries, people and whatever else feel so threatened by homebirths? I mean let’s take a look at some logic... The percentage of women who choose to have a homebirth is relatively small. It has been growing over the years and maybe that is why officials are getting a little bit scared. In fact they should be asking why women are choosing to have babies born at home instead of the hospital.... Could it be because we are NOT SICK? Why wouldn’t they be more concerned with people who are druggies, drunk drivers, even women who smoke while pregnant or in a fricking car with an infant and the windows rolled up? My theory is that governments tend to only get really concerned when people choose something that is healthy.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2501831.htm

If you think about all the issues that are going on right now concerning a natural lifestyle you can see this type of lifestyle is under fire. They don’t want a healthy population. I mean why should a woman nurse her child? Why should birth not be treated like a disease and full of interventions and medications? Why make birth nice and calming for the mother? Why make birth healthier for the infant? Most people don’t question the information they read, it is on the news it must be true. What happens when you research the news article and find out that what they reported is like reading every 10th word in a study? I mean it was information that was written in the study but it is all taken out of context.

What is happening in the world right now really needs to concern everyone. Your freedom is slowly being taken away and most people aren’t even realizing it. You just plod along in your life and go with whatever “The Man” deems necessary. Why?????????

Pretty hectic farm life!

2009-04-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well the past 2 months have been a bit crazy for me....

I sprained my ankle almost 2 months ago and it is still tough to bear weight at times. Then a week after that the flu hit our household and has been meandering around for the past 6 weeks as everyone slowly got it. Then at the beginning of April my cat had kittens. Then 10 days later I needed to rush her into an Emergency Vet Clinic because she had mastitis and milk fever.... I ended up taking her out of there a day and $1200 later because they wanted another $2000 to do a mastectomy on her. So I brought her home and much to their surprise she survived and lived and went on to get a mastectomy done at my regular vet clinic for a quarter of the price. Then a few days after that I lost one of her kittens I think due to aspiration pneumonia.... then someone close to me needed to have fluid from her heart drained....yikes... what an emotional past couple of months.

We are now entering lambing season. I have had 7 ewes lamb and I am waiting on 9 more. Yesterday was a tough day. I thought I was going to lose one of my ewes. She is a small breed, a Shetland, and I think the ram that bred her was not the Shetland ram. She seemed to be stuck labouring and pushing for hours. I finally intervened and could feel the baby was stuck. Her pelvic bone was just small and her cervix was swollen. My husband and I tried for an hour to get the lamb out. We resigned ourselves to the fact that it was probably dead and her life was worth more than the lamb. So I phoned our vet to come out and help. She said if the lamb was dead she would probably have to cut off its head to help get it out... It was big...

So I told my husband we will just let the ewe be for the next hour until the vet arrived. She was looking a little peckish so I got one of my kids to bring me out the Bach's rescue remedy. I gave her some and left to go to the house to get some warm water and molasses. When I got back low and behold there was a little nose, mouth and the 2 front feet visible. So I phoned the vet back because now we had something to grab onto. She said the help her with the birth. So I watched and waited. Not much more movement. I knew this was a big lamb just by the thickness of its legs.

So I reached in and helped stretch her vagina over the head of the lamb. She strained a few more times and nothing. So I gently grabbed the feet and the scruff of the neck and pulled every time she contracted. It was tough.... but out came a living ram lamb. He was huge!

So then I noticed her straining again. I was sure she was going to deliver the placenta when all of a sudden out pops a nose! I am like holy crap... At least this baby looked smaller than the first one. Since she just birthed a huge lamb we thought this one would be a breeze. So we leave the lean-to to find another ewe had just had a little ram lamb. That is how I like lambing season...

So we take some pics and go back in to check on my small ewe. Not much has changed. So my husband then holds her so I can check what is going on. One of the front legs are bent back by the body... That is not good and usually causes problems. So I had to pull on her too. Out came a beautiful small ewe lamb!

Later on in the night both ewes passed their placentas and all 3 lambs are nursing well. Then I wake up this morning to another set of twins that were born during the night. That is how it should be...

Here are some pictures of the latest addition to Willowtopia Acres...

Breastfeeding and being sick

2009-02-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

Well my poor little tot is sick. He has a cold and is just not feeling well. We have been eating some foods that we aren't used to and I can tell that it had an impact on his immune system. I knew he was getting sick because he started to nurse lots again.

I am not a big believer in using OTC drugs for such things as colds or much of anything. At night time he is getting really wheezy and coughing. He always asks for booby. Within 5 minutes of him nursing his wheeziness is gone and he isn't coughing anymore. Isn't that awesome. Also my body should be producing antibodies for his illness. What an amazing process and to think it is free and healthy. No worrying about him getting an overdose either.

Some days my body just puts me in awe.... I really wish more women would be as concerned with what their body can do in ways to nurture and keep their children healthy instead of being worried about what society thinks.

Positivity and the things it can do.

2009-02-17T05:41:00.000-08:00

I plan on being a stuck record from now on about being positive. Oh what comes from reading….lol… Seriously though I am learning so much about myself and my life and I am coming to the realization that I am the reason as to what has happened both positive and negative in my life. Firstly I will say that I do not like playing victim. Dwelling in negativity is like having poison spreading all over your system. The more you think negative thoughts the more it pollutes your mind and body. Being positive is healthier for us as people and a society.

When I look back on what has ever happened to me, I can usually find somewhere along the line a thought that had popped into my mind and became reality. Even as far as what is happening in my personal life right now. That is pretty powerful isn’t it but kind of scary. To think that good and bad, what has happened to me has been a thought that I have thought. Most people will not want to believe that because it puts the responsibility for their life squarely on their shoulders. I guess it is a good thing I have pretty broad shoulders.

It is hard to change our thought process especially if we are surrounded by lots of negativity. I am really going to try and get out of that rut and into a better path, one that will be healthier for me, my family and the world. I can just see all the eyes rolling…. But honestly it doesn’t matter, I can’t make someone else change I can only change myself. It took me a long time to realize that and it is an eye-opener.

Some of the books I am reading right now are The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking, The Four Agreements and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The common theme amongst these books is that you are in control of your destiny. If you think you will succeed you will, plain and simple.

Feeling good about you is also a big part of the whole process. Surround yourself with positive people. Positivity is contagious and is so much healthier for you. Start off with something simple like waking up in the morning saying it will be a good day and believing it. It is like a small seed that can grow into a beautiful tree… omg… what a cliché…lol.. It is true though.

There are more books on this out there and if anyone has some good ones to suggest let me know. As some of you know I like or love books and am a bit of a collector….

What I love.....

2009-02-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

Due to recent comments I thought it only fitting that I post to my blog the things that I love.

I love my husband and my children unconditionally.
I love that my children are all unique and special.
I love that I do not feel the need to fix my children as they are not broken.
I love my life, really I do.
I love the fact that people can leave comments about my children so that my kids can read them and learn how people really feel about them.
I love the fact that I have the most awesomest friends who are concerned about me and my family.
I love the fact that I can read comments left to me from said friends and it makes me cry and my heart swell to know that some people do really care.
I love the fact that I am willing to stand up for what I believe in even though it might alienate me from others in my life whom I wish would just be as kind to me as they are to strangers or acquaintances.
I love the fact that my husband is my number one fan and is there to hug me when I am feeling down due to my heart grieving over how inconsiderate certain people can be.
I love my children who have inherited my passion for reading.
I love writing my feelings down because it helps get things off of my chest instead of letting it fester like a bad zit.

I am trying to be a positive person. It is hard and it takes work. I am trying to change how I think things.

Give it a rest.

2009-02-14T09:22:00.001-08:00

What do those words imply? The context in which it was said to me was because I am standing up for what I believe in. I was told to give it a rest. I should not do anything if I feel something isn’t right. I should just sit back and go with the flow even if every cell in my body is screaming that it is wrong. I should just be like everyone else and never try and make a change. I guess change is threatening and it makes people actually think… Holy crap! What a concept actually thinking instead of just going with the flow and not trying to make a difference.

I think that women should be able to breastfeed without being ogled or told to cover up. I think that the way media and our lovely western culture portrays breasts is unhealthy and unnatural. I am going to post pictures of me nursing my children. Why posting pictures of me nursing my children is offensive but yet people can send pictures of women with their boobs flopped out in all sorts of positions and think that’s okay…. Oh right…. Breasts are for sexual gratification and nothing else…. Also why should I try and normalize and question breastfeeding…. I forgot… that is right don’t rock the boat. Everything in our society is awesome… give me a break…

Another thing I get told to give it a break on are my thoughts on circumcising. That is something you don’t discuss. It is a natural thing and normal and shouldn’t be questioned… much less call attention to. Why should I try and educate people. It is all done behind closed doors… Nobody gets hurt… I mean most of the male population is cut… What kind of person am I who wants to stand up for the rights of an infant and say it is a stupid, barbaric, painful and unnecessary procedure? I should just go back into my hole and complain but not try and do anything to change it.

What about my ideas on birth…. That is the one I am most constantly told to give it a rest…. How dare I think that birth is something normal and not some medical procedure? I shouldn’t be telling anyone of my experiences. I should just let women think that doctors are gods and that it is only because of the fact that they were in the hospital that all these problems were dealt with…. When they tell me of their problems and I say that I never had them in my homebirths all I get is you were lucky…. Lucky… maybe I was but could it be because I didn’t have 50 different hands up my vagina? Maybe it was because they didn’t pop my water sac or pull on the cord to try and get the placenta out. Maybe it was because my kids were placed at my breast immediately after birth and got to smell their mom. Also the fact that their cord was left attached so they were still getting oxygen and all the blood from the placenta… What am I thinking… Putting my babies in danger…. How come I have 6 healthy babies and the only one who ever had any issues after birth that needed to be in the NICU was my baby that was born in the hospital???? Weird…

I guess I should be like the rest of the masses out their and sit on my ass complaining how bad things are and where is the world going. I can run my mouth off and talk about what needs to happen but how dare I actually do anything about it. What do you teach your kids then? I love the fact that my kids can think. I love the fact that I can talk to them about so many different subjects like circumcision, breastfeeding and birth. Also politics and war are topics that we discuss as well. Am I going to be mad that my children learn how to think for themselves and act upon what they think is right? No way… I will be proud that I raised some kids who will try to make a difference in the world instead of sitting back and accepting something as normal even though they know it isn’t. I want kids who won’t be scared to stand up for what they believe in and are willing to do, not just give it a rest.

Our country and our world would be such a different place if people never stood up for what they believed in and chose instead to give it a rest.

Breastfeeding and my take on it.

2009-02-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

As I sit here typing this I am currently nursing my 26 month old son. If you would have asked me 11 years ago if I would be nursing a toddler I would have said hell no. This is all the conditioning on the part of my generation. We are taught that breasts are for men and that to feed any child past 6 months old is just gross. At least that is what I learned growing up in the 80's and 90's.

I was not breastfed as a baby. Back then nursing wasn't the "in" thing. I mean even though it makes sense to feed your child human milk, formula was a big thing back then. I had a dairy allergy as well so I was told I grew up on Apricot Nectar with calcium drops. I was told that propping the bottle for feeding was the best thing as well because there was too much to do.

I didn't have much experience with breastfeeding as I grew up either. My one cousin nursed her babies and I thought that was the neatest thing. She also had these breast cups that would catch all the milk in her bra when she would get let down and she wasn't nursing. I also remember seeing someone in the hospital who was a first time mom and what happened when a lactation consultant came in. It was quite stressful to me because there seemed to be so many rules to nursing. I thought that wouldn't you just stick the baby to your breast and they should know what to do.

When I had my first son things didn’t go as well as I had expected. I had to go get a drip for not going into active labour and my water had been broke for 24 hours. He was whisked off to the NICU where they gave him a bottle of formula. This caused many problems with nursing. I had scabs on my nipples for 6 weeks. I needed to take pain medication before I could nurse him. He had severe nipple confusion from getting that bottle before getting my breast. Finally the pain went away and our breastfeeding relationship was established. Of course then you get the comments about how he needs to have water too and you need to give him pablum to get him to sleep through the night. All these well-meaning comments simply undermine the process of breastfeeding.

It saddens me that most women don’t know anything about breastfeeding. They give up to easily because they have no support. Some women I know look at me nursing and say well it wasn’t as easy for me as it is for you. I will tell them what I also had to endure. That it wasn’t easy for me either. Also chances are if they had a hospital birth their baby was given formula. Giving formula when you are nursing a newborn is awful. They get something called nipple confusion. When a baby sucks on your breast the action of their tongue is what stimulates the letdown. When a baby sucks on a bottle they are sucking like you would a straw. So when a baby first gets a bottle and not mom’s breast they get confused. So then when they get put on the breast after finally figuring out how to suck the milk out of a bottle now the confusion is greater.

Also when a baby is first breastfed the amount of colostrum they get isn’t very much. That is how it is meant to be. The colostrum is like the supermilk. So when a baby gets a lot of formula instead of colostrum they get doubly confused, not just from the bottle but from the taste of the formula.

As I went on to have more kids nursing got easier. I learned a few things just from watching my kids and listening to my body. A few points I will give are based on my personal experience.

When someone tells you that you are doing it wrong it undermines your whole nursing experience. It makes you feel like a failure. It affects your milk supply and how you hold your baby because you are getting stressed that you are doing it wrong.

All 6 of my kids would be considered lazy latchers, every single one of them. They never opened their mouth so flipping wide to take in my whole areola. They liked to just have my nipple and a little bit of my areola in their mouth. This stimulated my letdown, my kids gained weight and were happy. Do any of these experts think that all babies are different and moms are different and boobies are different? Nope they don’t… what works for one must work for all. I know why women give up… it can be frustrating being told that you don’t know what you are doing.

Another thing is that having a baby suck on your breast is like having a commercial vacuum cleaner attached to it. I remember the first time and I really wasn’t prepared. Now your nipples will be sensitive and it may hurt. I like to compare nursing a newborn if you haven’t done it for a while to not wearing shoes on gravel. It will feel odd the first few times. Eventually you get used to it and eventually the skin toughens up so it isn’t painful. With all of my other kids the first week my nipples were sore but so what. We are women and we are tough. I know that they say nursing shouldn’t be painful but tell that to some of my animals…. They get scabs on their nipples too… I guess we need some ewe experts to teach them how to nurse “properly”.

Now some people like to talk about how animals don’t have problems nursing and it is easy for them…. Well have these people actually ever seen animals nursing right from scratch. I know with our livestock it varies from one mom to the next. It also varies from one baby to another. So if it is different for animals why do humans think they are so special and there is only one way that fits all?

I think that our society needs to help moms with breastfeeding. I think it needs to be seen as something normal and not obscene. I think it needs to be supported and not managed like everything else today. I think that women shouldn’t be made to feel bad because baby hasn’t read the breastfeeding book and isn’t an expert. I think that encouragement and not condemnation should be the norm. I think that be able to talk to someone who had to work at breastfeeding is also a good thing. There are no prizes for being a super-mommy.

I have successfully nursed my children for a combined total of 102 months or 8.5 years. I wish I would have been more educated with my first two and tried to let them nurse past 9 months. All I can do right now is let people know that breastfeeding is normal and if they can’t get over the sexuality of breasts then maybe that is their problem.

Why do people still circumcise?

2009-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is one of those questions that plague me. Seriously it is.

When I was pregnant with my first son our midwife asked me if we were going to circumcise. I was like yeah, not really even thinking about it. I mean my husband is and pretty much all of the guys I had ever seen were done. I never really thought about it. Then she says maybe I just want to research it. I talked to a friend at work and she said her son wasn't and neither was her husband. I asked her all the typical bullshit that us "westerners" are taught. I asked about infections, keeping it clean and "problems" that were said to come about because of not being circumcised.

My husband and I talked about it and looked at some information and came to the decision that if our child was a boy he would be able to decide when he is old enough if he wants it done. Thankfully my husband is pretty secure in his masculinity to not want to force his son to be mutilated just so that they can be alike. So when our son was born the dr. came in and asked us if we were getting him circumcised and we said no. He was thankful and told us he would have tried to talk us out of it.

Anyways... I have heard all of the excuses out there as to why women chose this to be done on their son. They are all stupid... Every last fricking one of them. I personally hate the whole look like daddy comment. Who the fuck cares... really.. I mean is the child going to look exactly like daddy as an adult. Are they going to go around comparing penis sizes and shapes? What if the son has a bigger penis than the dad? Is the dad going to have a problem with that and force his son to get corrective surgery? I mean you can't have your child look different than daddy... What about if the son is shorter or taller than their dad? Would you force your son into having major surgery to lengthen or shorten their bones? This is about forcing too.... This sweet little innocent child is forced to have a good chunk of his penis removed. It is not pretty, it is not cute, it is mutilation....

I also have a problem with the religious aspect of it as well... I am not particularly religious, whole other rant, but I just can't understand why people would think their God would want them to mutilate their child. I mean if we are supposedly created in God's image does that mean he cut off part of his own penis? Do you think that maybe this was thought up by someone who had some freaky fetish and it has just been perpetuated through the years? I mean wouldn't that really suck if you die and go to heaven and find out that God is severely pissed that you cut off your child's foreskin in "his" name... Talk about oops...

I just wonder if parents who circumcise ever wonder why there is such a thing as a foreskin. I had asked a mom once and she said oh she heard that it helped with their sex life but why would she want to think of her son’s sex life ewwwww. Really mature…. Wouldn’t you say? I mean if having a foreskin was so bad than why is most of the world uncircumcised. Why are the men from other places not dropping dead from the massive infections they get from having an uncirc’ed penis? How come these men seem to still be able to walk, pee or have sex?

The comments people said to me about my son were as following:

- you are going to pull it back and clean it with a q-tip
- he is going to get more urinary tract infections
- he is going to need it cut off when he is older because I know of someone whose child needed that done.
- you need to pull it back to make sure it can be retracted
- it is unclean and he is going to get lots of infections
- what about when he is an old person and someone is going to have to change his crappy diapers and they are going to have to pull back on it.
- it doesn’t hurt to have it done.
- he will thank you for it when he is older
- he won’t look like his daddy
- kids will make fun of him

Guess what…. It is all a load of shit.

You never ever pull back on a infant’s foreskin. You want to cause problems then go ahead and do that. The foreskin is still attached to the head of the penis so when you pull back on it you RIP it. Well then you will cause scar tissue and then yes your boy could have problems later on in life. Whose fault is that though, not the child’s.

So the urinary tract infection bit… Well none of my boys have had one yet. I used to get them when I was a young GIRL, thankfully female circumcision is illegal in Canada or else maybe they would start doing that as routine because girls might get an UTI.

The cutting off when older I am sure happens, but I will be willing to bet that in most cases the parents were told and taught that they have to rip the foreskin away when the child is an infant. Scar tissue causes problems.

A child’s foreskin will retract when the child is ready. All of my boys have varied in ages and they have all learned how to retract it themselves. They know when it hurts and they stop. My oldest child was 10 before he could fully retract his. So when “experts” say that it needs to be by a certain age what criteria are they basing it on.

I like the unclean one personally…. I mean we don’t pull our girls labia apart and clean in there with a q-tip so why should we do that with our sons. As I said before my boys haven’t had infections before so….

When he is an older person and someone is going to have to change his crappy diapers, oh well.. I mean if a person is going to mutilate some infant based on what could happen 90 years later… it is just a stupid argument.

It doesn’t hurt to have it done…. Let me strap you down without any anaesthetic and see if cutting most of the skin off your penis hurts… What another stupid comment. I think that if a woman wants this to be done to their child then they should hold their baby while someone cuts off a part of the most sensitive area on his body. You tell me then if it hurt your child.

Do boys really go up to their parents as adults and say “Oh thank you for cutting off a good chunk of my penis. It has made my erections very painful and as I get older it is getting harder to get an erection because of the loss of sensitivity to the head of my penis. Thank you for thinking of my future when you mutilated my sex organ.” If this is also the case then why are men suing the Dr’s and their parents for this? Also why is there a need for the drug Viagra?

The looking like daddy comment is the one I hear the most. My husband is pretty confident in his abilities as a man and as a father and doesn’t feel the need to push for his sons to be mutilated like he was. I think it takes a bigger man to not get his sons circumcised even if he was.

Who cares if kids make fun of him? What about as the dynamics change and more parents are not choosing to circumcise their kids. So what about the kids will make fun of the kid whose penis is cut? Anyways I am trying to raise my kids not make fun of other kids and that everyone is different anyways. Also as parents who use this argument you are just making it worse. What are you teaching your children, that they are inadequate and you didn’t like how they looked so you decided to give them cosmetic surgery after birth?

A foreskin is part of the child’s immune system. It is there for a reason and the reason is not to be chopped off. I just wish people would stop justifying it. There have been so many studies on this and every one of them proves that there is no benefit to it but yet why do people still choose to brutalize their sons. It is also one of those “taboo” subjects. How can anyone learn anything different if no one wants to talk about it.

Personally I am of the opinion not my body so not my choice. If my boys as adults choose to get circumcised that is fine. It is their choice to remove a part of their body. Is giving your newborn a nose job absurd? I mean maybe you don’t like how the nose looks and you want to change it… Why is cutting off part of your son’s penis any less absurd. Oh right… to look like daddy, or because you think it looks better or because it is part of your religion. If you took a 12 yo boy and strapped him down and cut off his penis without an anaesthetic it would be a chargeable offence. Why is it any different when it is a newborn? I know why… because they can’t say “Get your hands off my penis!” Ever think that is why they cry so hard… it is their version of fuck off it is my body and get that scalpel away from it.

Fertility, Octuplets and God

2009-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

After reading more articles about the birth of the latest Octuplets I am just disgusted. Disgusted at how our society thinks. Disgusted that people have actually celebrated the birth of these children as miracles. A miracle would have been if she had naturally conceived these babies. Not been implanted with them, that is not natural. I also hate when people talk about fetal reduction as being a choice God should make.... As far as I am concerned God should not be included in this argument. God never made the decision that eight babies should be implanted. So why now should it be left up to God to decide.... also if they truly were letting God decide then these babies should have been born at home vaginally and what happens after the birth would really be a true test on God's decision. Guess what.... God only comes in to it as an excuse for the greediness of people. I truly believe that people who let 6 to 10 babies be implanted do so in the hopes that they will get the big prizes... Like the free vans, diapers, formula, scholarships...etc... The only people I would ever say who aren't greedy would be the families that you never hear about who have mega multiples. Obviously they aren't interested in the fame because you don't hear about them... do they exist... I have no clue.

I read an article on the family of these latest Octuplets. A quote from it was this.
In 2008, Angela Suleman filed for bankruptcy, claiming nearly $1 million in liabilities mostly due to a bad housing investment, her bankruptcy attorney said. Suleman said Friday that she had withdrawn the filing and paid her debts. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-octuplets31-2009jan31,0,6246659.story

So how could she come from owing a million dollars to now being debt free? Makes you wonder the real reason for these babies..

I Hate Cat Piss!!!!!!!

2009-01-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

I know I try to be all informational and a wealth of knowledge in my posts..ha ha not.. but this one I have to write about. I really hate the smell of cat pee.

We live on a farm and have a plethora of critters. In our house we have 1 wife, 1 husband, 6 children, 3 dogs, 4 cats and as of last night 2 bunnies. Out of our cats we have 3 females and 1 male cat in the house. Only 1 female cat is not fixed, the other cats are. Now we had kicked out all of our male cats last summer because I got tired of the pee... They would piss everywhere. I was so happy because I knew that my precious books would be safe from being contaminated with that smell. So fast forward to this winter. We have had 2 males cats escaping into the house because the kids would open the door and just let them in. Now when it is -40C I don't mind them coming in the house but I will usually lock them up in the bathroom so they don't piss everywhere.

Well these 2 male cats have been having a major piss fest in the house. One of them has been shoved outside again and the other I have let stay in the house but I think his time in here is limited since all I smell is pee. Laying in my bed trying to sleep the smell just permeates the air. We end up going on a cat piss safari armed with our black light. In case you didn't know urine fluoresces, maybe you didn't want to know that. It is really quite disgusting to see where they have all sprayed. At least when they spray clothes you can usually get the smell out. I hate when they pee on my bookshelves. I have around 5000 books here and it drives me around the bend to find a nice wet puddle underneath some of my books. I have actually had to throw out some books as they weren't salvageable. Now for me that is a feat since I am a packrat clutterbug.

We also have hot water heating running through our house. The baseboard heaters seem to be a favourite piss spot. I think it is because once it heats up the scent of eau de male kitty really disperses well. Now if you also add in that I have candida overgrowth which makes my sense of smell really heightened. So in other words I can really smell the cat pee, I can even "smell" it with my mouth.... gag..

I just wanted to impart to you all how much I hate cat pee.... and if anyone can tell me of a good way to get rid of the smell I would be that much happier...

Trying to remember what I wanted to blog about.

2009-01-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Last night or more accurately in the middle of the night I had some really profound thoughts running through my head... They were really good and helped me resolve some issues.

Do you think I can remember anything? I don't even remember what I was thinking about. I only remember thinking I should be writing this in my blog and then thinking nah I will just fall asleep and I will remember and write it tomorrow...

I think some of it had to do with a discussion I had with my mom last night. It was really good in as far as neither I nor she hung up the phone in a huff... We discussed about how government won't change regulations on food or stuff like cigarettes even if it meant healthier people because it is part of the "machine". By this I mean that if people eat food that is known to make you sick, lower your immune system, cause cancer, etc... it all helps our economy. How you might ask? Well think about all the jobs that are created when you have a society that is always sick. You need medical staff, hospital builders - carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc... , medical equipment companies, hospital clothing companies, food for the hospital, etc... You see my point. So for whatever government is shelling out in medical funding it is more than made up for by the income that is generated through taxes these other businesses. So do you think it really would be in the best interest of the country to regulate how much companies can add into their food? Obviously not...

I know that wasn't what I was thinking about... Tonight if I have one of my insights while I am trying to sleep I will be sure to come write it down.

My first UC - the birth of my 6th child

2009-01-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

This was written the day of his birth.

Well my water broke on a day in December at around 5:45 in the morning. So I knew that something was going to happen. I had the feeling earlier that I wanted my DH to stay home but I never said anything because we have had false alarms in the past with other babies….So fast forward to that evening. Once the kids were asleep, things really picked up as I knew they probably would. The contractions were really hard to deal with, I think I had a lot of fear which made them tough. I had to give my self a good heart to heart at around midnight in the shower. Once I thought through things that were bugging me I was able to deal with them and vocalize through them the shower and swaying was so helpful. I couldn’t sit or lay down at all. At around 2:45 they changed again. It was so hard to deal with them, I realized that I was probably in transition and knew that the birth was forthcoming.

I had this hang-up on what if I have to push and I am only 6 cm….. So I had some fear on that front as well. Also this was the first time it was only me, not some midwife telling me what and when to do it. Just before 3:30 DH tried to check and see if I was fully dilated…. He couldn’t figure out what he was feeling but said that he felt baby’s head. So he phoned a doula we know just to ask her about checking for cervix dilation. During this time I am starting to yell that I can’t do it, it hurts too much and no I am done. I knew that I was in transition but it didn’t make it easier. She gave my DH encouragement and said that it wouldn’t be long before baby was born.

I tried giving a few little pushes and they felt so much better. Then I really got into pushing, I put my hand up in to feel if I could feel baby and I felt something really odd and I was trying to figure out what it was. I was still pushing and I could feel myself pooping…. I did with every other baby so I guess why should this one be different. I felt baby’s head come into my hand, my husband said that we had baby’s head right there. I kind of knew that. He told me I had to move my bottom up a bit as I was squatting on the floor at the end of our bed. I lifted my one leg and pushed and out slid baby. It felt so good. His cord was around his neck once and it wasn’t really long.

He pinked up and cried right away, all of the kids came running in to meet their new brother. I didn’t have them in for the actual birth as my 2 year old was up almost all night and I so didn’t need the distraction of him right at that moment. I bled a bit and I pushed out the placenta about 20 minutes later. I think I may have pieces still inside as the after pains are really nasty and remind me a bit of contractions. The placenta didn’t look like it was all intact so I am keeping an eye on fever and stuff. I am taking some homeopathic remedies right now and we will see if they help. We left the cord and placenta attached but I think that we will cut it soon as it is a little bit awkward to handle.

Baby has only nursed a few times and has been sleeping really well. His heart sounds great, and he is quite alert when he is awake. Now we just need to find him a name. So I will be searching this afternoon to see what I can come up with. He has a bit of haemorrhaging in his one eye but I have had several of my kids have that from how fast they came out. I still don’t know if I tore or anything. To me if I did it is minor compared to having him here. I am so happy to be holding my newest little baby and I am glad that it is over. My husband was so awesome. Never once did he question me or yell at me or panic. He was so encouraging and he was the best support I could have ever had. I am so glad to have him….

So now it has been over 2 years since I had him. If I was to get pregnant again I would probably have another UC. It was so empowering. It is really hard to explain how this has made me feel, I guess womanly would probably be the best explanation. I love the fact that my son was born in the room where he was created with only the 2 people who created him there. I love the fact that I trusted my body and myself. I love the fact that I overcame the fear that holds so many women back in birth.

Some people see UC as being irresponsible and foolish. I wonder why is it wrong to trust your body to do something that it was created to do.....

Whatever happened to instincts?

2009-01-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

Instincts and common sense are really suffering in this day and age. I find it sad that so much is happening and people aren't even aware of it.

Why -

do people not question anything

is so much blindly accepted as fact

are people persecuted when they make choices that aren't accepted as the norm

do people feel so threatened by those who think outside of the box

do they all make so many choices that are the same if people are unique

would one solution fit all people if everyone is different

do people not choose to educate themselves before making decisions that will impact themselves and their family for the rest of their life

do people blame everyone else when something does go bad based on their decision

My first post.....

2009-01-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Some of you who may read this already know me from various other forums.... I am an outspoken mom of 6.

I believe in homebirth, unassisted birth, no-circ, EC'ing, no-vax, extended breastfeeding and homeschooling just to name a few. I live on a farm with lots of animals that are mostly for our own consumption with a few pets thrown in. Yes I do butcher my own animals and yes we write the names of the animals we butchered on the packages and yes my kids know which animal we are eating.

I learned how to do most things on my own. I do not like the words you can't, you shouldn't or you will fail. If someone tells me that you can bet I will try my hardest so that I can, I should or I will succeed.

I am an educated woman. I think that too much is placed on formal education and not enough is placed on common sense or instincts. I don't like when people say that everyone is entitled to their opinion when they are really saying you can have your opinion as long as it is the same as mine. I do not like when people refuse to take responsibility for the choices they have made in their life. I do not like when people think I do not try and make informed decisions. Most of my decisions I have researched until I had so much information I would dream about it. I do not like when people call my choices ridiculous, uneducated, weird or off the wall. Just because I choose to do something does not mean I am saying everyone needs to do it. If that is how they choose to see it then maybe they have underlying issues.

I am not perfect at all. I have my moments. I yell at my kids, my house is a mess, I like books way too much and I actually like spending time with my family (husband and children). I am trying to change my outlook on many things to be more positive. I realize I have made many mistakes but I try not to dwell on them too much. I am too hard on myself, my husband and my kids at times. When a situation arises in a split second I have already gone through as many different solutions I can think of which is usually more than 10 until I find one that would work the best. I was a computer programmer in my former life and my logic teacher thought I was great since I didn't think like everyone else in the class.

My life is always busy and noisy...