To do or not to do? March 26, 2008

Immunizations.

I don’t know a single parent who enjoys “immunization day”.  I certainly don’t.  In fact, every time I took Abby to get a shot I was so sick to my stomach.  I once even left the clinic with sympathy pains in my arm, in the spot where she got her shot.  A little dramatic, I know.   But I hated it. 

Josie is 6 months old and I haven’t taken her for any shots yet.  I made an appointment just before Christmas and cancelled it because I was pretty sure I might have heard her cough once.  Ya.  I search for excuses not to go. After I cancelled that appointment I decided to delay her shots until she was alteast 6 months. 

I’ve read websites like this one and I want to puke.  I don’t want my girls injected with “human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue” or this list of chemicals/metals found in ONE shot “formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80″.  Yikes. That is information from an American site and I’ve heard that Canadian immunizations are a bit cleaner but again I will say YIKES!

Then there’s that whole ‘immunizations cause autism’ debate.  I never used to believe there was much truth to that but the CDC just ruled that an immunization did definitely cause austim in a girl from the U.S.  Watch the news clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV2WVbXEFWY

Anyway- I believe in trusting your intution and definitely don’t regret putting off Josie’s immunizations for now.  I plan to start them in the next few months after I talk with my naturopath.

I’ve tried researching it online and everything I’ve read is so biased. Written by a doctor who thinks immunizations are crucial or by a parent who believes their little boy got autism after his last set of shots.  I’ve yet to find anything that I feel is trustworthy out there.

What is your opinion/feeling on immunizations? Are your children immunized?  I’m interested in hearing everyone’s viewpoints.

Losing It March 14, 2008

I haven’t had much to write lately because after feeling a tad defeated I decided to take a break from it all.  Not stop doing what I’ve been doing, of course.  But just stopping the flow of information in to my head.  I took Ecoholic back to the library and haven’t checked out any new books about any topic other than Vegetarian Cooking for awhile.  It kinda feels good.  Trying to find new meatless recipes and carry on with the things I have been doing is keeping me busy enough for now.  Thanks for all you words of encouragement on that last post!

Here’s an update for you.  Since I started this blog I have lost 13.5 pounds! And (don’t hate me) it’s been effortless.  It’s been coming off really quickly, especially in these past few weeks since we’ve given meat the boot.  Only 8 more pounds to go until I reach my target weight.  From there I will decide if I want to drop a few more or stay where I’m at.

So that’s really all I have to say right now.  Like I said, I’ve kind of been taking it easy and getting used to the changes we’ve already made.

But stay tuned because I’m trying to gather my thoughts and opinions and write up a post about immunizations.  I’ll be looking for your input so be ready to share!

This is the road that never ends March 3, 2008

sigh …

 I write today feeling a little bit defeated.

If you’ve been following this blog at all you know that I’ve been trying to make some changes around our house, with our health, our diets, becoming more environmentally conscious, etc.

I picked up a book from the library called Ecoholic.  It is so full of information.  After I read it my head is full of information.  Too much information.  So much information that I know that I’ll never be able to do it all.  Make the house as healthy as I would like.  Buy clothes that are made from organic materials and made by people getting paid decent wages.  Eat food that has been grown locally and without pesticides.  Ensure that my kids’ toys don’t contain PVC or lead paint.  That the wood we use to build a new deck isn’t destroying some ecosystem. That the soap I wash my body with isn’t full of chemicals that have proven links to cancer. 

So much to know. So much to do.  Where does one draw the line? Am I doing enough? Not enough? 

I wish there was a big store you could go to where in everything was safe and healthy to purchase.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Really though- this book is FANTASTIC. It’s also Canadian so it will speak of brands and stores you’ve heard of, list internet sites where you can order great products that will actually ship to Canada and so on.  I want to own it!

http://www.amazon.ca/Ecoholic-Environmentally-Friendly-Information-Products/dp/0679314849/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204575497&sr=8-1

But be warned. You will be overwhelmed.