HappyMama

SarahC. shared with me the link to Wei’s blog - several of you know who he is.  His latest big news is in the most recent post.  I’ll add the link to my blogroll, also.

 *Wei’s mother passed away.  Eternal Rest grant upon her, O Lord.

http://www.pickyourown.org/index.htm

Well now here’s something very interesting, if you ask me. The mind of man (in the sense meaning male!) is so foreign to me - even after several years of marriage - that I’m very pleased to present this list of blogs written by DADS. I haven’t looked into these yet, haven’t screened them, so venture into the minds of these men with caution… And Enjoy!

A Father’s Academy

Living Priorities

Scorpion Stalking Duck

Left of the Dial

Let’s Go

Bruggie Tales

Catholic Dads

Civis

Within the Garden

A while back I told Amy L. that I’d show her a link to a list of blogs - almost exclusively Catholic home schooling moms.  Here it is.  Click on this blog, and scroll down the sidebar on the right until you see “4 Real Learning Bloggers”.  There are about 70 blogs in the list.  Enjoy!

PS My brother made it back home safely!  He’s happy to be back, although they are putting him right back to work tomorrow bright & early!

I just used this site to identify the gorgeous male & female team building a nest on top of our gutter, right outside our dining room window.  The website was exactly what I needed.  You select the information you know, one thing at a time, and it gradually narrows down the possibilities.  We’ve got two common barn sparrows nesting near us!  Watching them today, I was very impressed by their teamwork & persistence.  One twig at a time…

Just today I was seriously lamenting the rows of pagan & pointless books on the shelves of our libraries.  I need to learn more about who chooses the books, who pays for them, and why there are so many crappy books on the shelves.

I do know that if you request a particular book, many libraries will purchase it for you.  Amy J shared this Yahoo chat group which emails you periodically with solid Catholic book suggestions, which you can then request from your local library (possibly on-line).  This is a great way to help Catholic publishing companies and evangelize the library-goers of our towns.  Thanks for sharing, Amy!

Wow, do I have just a million things to do this week.  I will not be posting again until after Easter, so here’s to a joyful celebration!!  Boy am I glad we get to celebrate for 50 days instead of 1!

I wanted to share again this website with immunization info.  I took my son in for his first shots yesterday.  He kept flashing big, beautiful smiles at the nurse, right up until that first poke.  And then he had his first dose of smack-in-the-face pain.  I wanted to cry, too. 

The ethics behind using tainted vaccinations - the ones which were developed using aborted human tissue - is probably the single most complicated issue there is right now in the church.   You will find theologians all over the board on this one.  I’ve spent a lot of time reading through the slush and really trying to discern this matter, and without a doubt, it is one that the average layperson can’t be (and isn’t) expected to decide on.  I have a medical background and a BS in biology and I still struggle with all the fine print.  Feel free to comment any questions on my opinions, but here’s where I currently stand:

• The drug company, Merck, is guilty without doubt of using evil methods of scientific research.  As much as possible, we should boycott this company and let them know our opinions.
• If possible, you purchase alternatives to the tainted vaccines.  This is not as simple a solution as you may think, because Merck makes untainted ones, too - but purchasing them still puts research money in their pockets.  Also, the alternatives are quite expensive.  For example, the MMRII vaccine is tainted.  I’m of the opinion that my boys don’t need the rubella vaccine, but I do want them to have measles & mumps.  I called Merck, which sells these two vaccines separately, but they will only sell a minimum of 10 at a time, at $20-$30 each.  It was going to cost over $500 to order what I needed for just the first shots in this series.  Ideally, your pediatrician would be willing to purchase these vaccines and use them for all concerned parties.
• You should only use the tainted vaccines for a very serious disease.  Therefore, we have chosen to not vaccinate against chickenpox.  The odds of getting it are minute, and the odds of getting a serious case are even smaller.  Plus there are concerns about the safety and longevity of this vaccine.  Plus many people think that the rise in autism is directly related to our vaccines.
• I wouldn’t choose to vaccinate against Hep.B.  My sons have all gotten it because it was combined with others that I wanted, but I chose to not get the HepB vaccine when they were in the hospital after birth.  I realize that there are many women out there who have HepB and therefore their babies do need it, but that isn’t the case for me.  HepB is an STD.  If my sons choose to live promiscuously in the future, then they can go buy themselves the vaccination.  (Okay, that’s a bit dramatic - if they are going to have an occupation that involves contact with other people’s blood they can get it too.)
• When schools require a vaccine, there are always “moral exceptions”.  A simple written statement that you object to them on moral grounds is all it takes to jump this hurdle.
• The younger a child is when he gets his vaccines, the more serious the consequences will be if he does have a reaction.  I am choosing to delay vaccines at least 6 months beyond what our dear federal government currently recommends.  I do this with complete confidence.  My children spend 95% of their time at home with me, and we aren’t traveling anywhere now or going to any big airports or crowded places.  I’m more concerned about the effects of the vaccines on their tiny bodies.

Aha, we’re reaping the benefits of sharing our favorite Montessori resources.  Angie just shared these sites for purchasing new materials:

• Montessori Equipment.com
• Caliber Montessori.com

Angie is getting ready to start a formal training program for Montessori educators through the North American Montessori Center.  Read about it here.

Lastly, she shared this Yahoo chat group: Montessori Material Makers.  An excellent resource!  Thanks, Angie!