For all you parents that get a little frazzled at times, here is a little stress buster! There are many studies out reporting that stress manifests itself in our bodies and leads to dis-ease. Laugh every day (and eat an apple!) to help avoid the doctors office.... this is SO much more fun!
Here's to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com
"Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
There are a couple great blog posts on parenting about children and their health by Dr. Maria Smalley in the "Growing Healthy Kids" BHW community.
Maria talks first about how this is the first generation in the history of the U.S. that is predicted to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Maria discusses if we are able to change this trend and will be discussing what you can do to keep your children from being part of that statistic.
Maria then talks about the frustration of wading through the information overload. She encourages parents to realize the importance of buckling sown and wading through the sea of information... and misinformation. Your children's health is important enough to commit to 'doing what it takes'. We can support each other and share in the process! I look forward to taking this journey with you!
You can check out some information I have already shared on my Passion Parent blog in the past year. Click here to visit Their Health atPassionParent.com
Have you ever wondered if the over-the-counter medicine or prescription your pediatrician prescribed is safe for your child. Have you ever thought to do an internet search on Tylenol? Here is a quote from the Institute for Safe Medical Practices, "an average of 27,000 accidental childhood acetaminophen overdoses have been reported annually over the last few years." There are many stories about overdoses while trying to reduce a fever from something as minor as a cold/flu. When parenting about side effects of both over-the-counter medicine as well as prescriptions, I feel blessed to have found a pediatrician that prefers 'alternative medicine' before resorting to a prescription. I love not having to second guess what health plan she is suggesting. Don't get me wrong! I feel blessed to be in this country that has the best crisis medicine in the world! I believe crisis medicine should not be used for prevention.
Just before my daughter, McKenna's first birthday party, my daughter fell on my friend's coffee table. She immediately had a huge bump on her cheek and it was instantaneously black and blue! Lori ran and got her arnica montana 200c and gave it to McKenna. Right before our eyes, the swelling and the discoloration went away. I had another friend with me, Lisa, who commented that had she not seen that with her own eys, she would not have believed it! The stuff really works!
Stock your medicine cabinet and first aid kit with these useful remedies and be prepared for life's little bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes, toothaches, bad days at the office, burns, and general boo-boos. These multi-purpose remedies have been chosen for their usefulness and effectiveness for general home use for all ages and our pets too.
Remedies I recommend that every household have.
Apis mel. 30c ~For treating bee, wasp, and fire ant stings.
Arnica Montana 30c ~For bumps, bruises, muscle soreness, and injuries
Arnica Cream ~ For sore muscles
Hypericum Perforatum 30c ~For pain of the nerves
Calendula 30c tablets or pills ~ To speed healing of mouth and internal injuries
Calendula Gel ~ For sunburns (great cooled before application!)
Calendula Ointment or Lotion ~For open cuts and rashes (great for baby's bottom!)
Bach Rescue Remedy ~Indispensable in stressful situations for quick relief. The basic formula can be used for adults, children, and animals
Olive - Bach Flower Essence ~This flower essence remedy is very useful for dealing with physical and mental fatigue
Prid's Homeopathic Drawing Salve ~A great topical salve for boils and zits. Enough said
Optique Eye Drops ~All-purpose eye drops that are SAFE to use for cleaning, wetting, and irritation
Nux Vomica 30c ~The best hang-over remedy
Oscillococcinum ~Symptoms of Flu- fevers, chills, body aches and pains
I will be forever grateful to my friend, Lori who introduced me to homeopathy. She has kept her daughter who is in her thirties off antibiotics.... what is special about this story is that her daughter has cystic fibrosis! She has only been on antibiotic about a handful of times in here life! It has saved her life and worked well for our family. I urge you to take a look into it!
Parenting a child with an illness is one of the most challenging events a parent can bear. Parenting when they can not find the cause of the illness is enough to break your heart. This story touched me. I think most parents cringe when they think about the sleep deprivation of the first months of a child's life. Now imagine if you are parenting a child that NEVER SLEEPS!
When parenting a child with an illness, it is so important to keep looking for an answer to what is causing the issue! Do NOT settle for just controlling the sysptoms. An example, although not of one of my children, well kinda... is my father-in-law. He had a constant cough that turned into cronic wheezing. When I asked him what the doctors said, he replied that it is from sinus drainage. I could never get him to understand THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER! They treated the sysmptoms for YEARS until he got so bad his friend took him to the emergency room. They admitted him and found an irregular heartbeat, vein blockages and emphizeama. Now they are treating the CAUSES with amazing success!
I was so impressed with these parents, continuing to dig for the answer. We are blessed to live with such amazing medical knowledge. Be aware though, much of the medical experts are still just treating symptoms! When it comes to parenting about health issues, get involved, get informed and take deep breathes!
Here's to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com
"Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
I just read a beautiful reminder about slowing down and enjoying life's simple pleasures by Bea Jansen. Bea talks about an incident that reminded her of how some of the most pleasurable things in life are the simple things. Not the expensive, flashy things we spend so much time wishing and wanting.
Bea talks about the children of a friend of hers that adopted two children. The children were showered with gifts from friends and family. One day she walked in to find the Christmas toys set aside while the nanny and the children played with a box that one of the toys came in. They were playing in the house as if it was the grandest house on the street.
Have you forgotten about life's pleasures? So you slow down to play with your children, to walk a little slower and 'see' things that are at their eye level. You would be amazed when you slow down, listen and stay present. You children will respond better to you as you respond to them with attention. You will also find that you tend to get less frustrated as you shift your attention from what you think is important and needs to been done, to what is important to your child at this moment in time... you will never get this moment back, make it magical!
Here's to being a Passion Parent! Christine Hiebel www.PassionParent.com "Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
What if you were able to 'wash away' any emotional or physical pain without the use of drugs, surgery or other invasive procedures? Would you give it a try at least?
What if the best way to communicate and connect with your child was by clearing your own pains, hang-ups, and static? Would you give it a try? Would you want to see more information?
I believe this tool, free to everyone, is one of the most power tools you can have as a parent! Take a look at the trailer for the movie "Try It On Everything!"
The movie features notables in a variety of fields, such as Jack Canfield (The Secret) Bruce Lipton (Best-Selling Author), Dr. Joe Mercola (Founder of the most popular natural health website on the internet), Carol Look (EFT Master) , Dr. Patricia Carrington (EFT Master), Bob Proctor (The Secret), Joe Vitale (The Secret), Cheryl Richardson (Best-Selling Author, Hay House) and more.
I recommend it highly, both for your own viewing and perhaps more importantly, to share this information with friends and family who might need it most. You can purchase the movie by clicking here.
One last thought- for every copy of the movie you buy, the creators of the movie donate one copy to a needy organization! So your purchase can help affect some serious change!
Here's to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com
"Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
I posted recently about EFT and children with emotional and physical challenges. I was moved to tears by this movie for a couple reasons. One is the difference EFT and the Tappy Bear Foundation is making in the lives of hundreds of terminally ill children. Second was because one man followed his passion and his heart, continued to believe when evidence appeared counter to what he knew in his heart could be. Till Shilling continues to believe! Will you?
Challenge~
To all my BraveHeart Sisters,
I will match you contributions to the Tappy Bear Foundation (within my budget). Make your donation on the Tappy Bear Foundation website at www.tappybear.org
Email me your donation amount and I will make a matching donation.
We have come together to support so many people with challenges, we are a community of BraveHearts. Let's make a difference around the world yet again!
With all my respect and love,
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com
Lately, I have been talking about a unique tool called EFT/tapping for parents concerned about their child's emotional and/or physical challenges. This tool is:
Easy to use and learn
Free
Relieves pain without the use of drugs or other non-evasive procedures
For parents that are wondering how they can learn more about this healing tool, I have invited Till Schilling, a leader in the field of EFT, to speak with us Feb. 6 at 7:30pm EST on my radio show.
Till has developed a special way to help people feel comfortable with tapping. The Tappy Bear is an excellent way for you to work with your child to clear emotional and/or physical pain. Till is offering a special bonus for for all the listeners on the radio show. The special runs through Feb 20, so if you are not able to listen live, be sure to tune in and listen to the recorded show!
Watch this video for an interesting introduction into the world of EFT healing!
Please leave your questions, comments and inspirations!
Here's to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com
"Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
Parents, are you confused about the flu shot? Are you confused about immunizations? Congratulations! If it means anything to you, I am proud of you! To me, the question to immunize my child is still one of the hardest questions I have researched. I am proud of you for digging and asking the hard questions. For not just taking the easy path and following the crowd.
Comedy relief time!
I am not saying that I think you should or should not immunize your child. I do think that educating yourself is the responsible thing to do. If you do immunize, know there are things you can do to help the child with the immunization (like vitamin c and breaking shots up. Never immunize a child that is ill with anything- flu, fever, sniffles!). If you choose not to immunize, have a plan and know what symptoms you may want to take more seriously than a child who has not been immunized.
Here is one thought, and this is MY personal experience. I know many children or people who have children that had symptoms and were diagnosed with autism right after an immunization. I do not know of anyone who died or became ill with anything because they were not immunized from it. Mostly, I am sure that is because the majority of people I know and/or have come in contact with have been immunized. But then again...I do know many who have not been immunized.
Educating yourself is something I think all parents have the responsibility to do for their children. The decision... well, that one is difficult. I am not sure there is a good answer!
What do you know about immunizations? Do you know there is a controversy? Do you know what the issues are? Are you aware that each state has their own laws regarding immunizations? Immunizations are not always a must?! My child attended school without immunizations! Yours can too!
Parents, please leave your questions, inspirations and thoughts regarding immunizations and children.
Here's to being a Passion Parent!
Christine Hiebel
www.PassionParent.com"Where a Parent can be a Parent!"
Octuplets recently born in California will go home to six other siblings and two grandparents in a neighborhood of two and three bedroom homes, reports Hattie Kauffman.
I have not posted on the mother of the octuplets because I have really varied on how I feel about how I feel about this issue! Every time I think that the doctor should have screened her, there should be government regulations, the mother should have.... I wonder if we as a country of free people want to go down that avenue. I am a proponent of freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom to.... but, the choices some people make lead to have more of an understanding of law makers trying to protect us from ourselves.
I am doing something I never do... I am watching Dr. Phil Show right now. There are so many different questions around her decision, her mental health, and more importantly- how these children are going to be cared for. There are concerns about how much the taxpayers must foot on the huge medical bill and how the grandmother is going to find her way back to her life as a grandmother.
What are your thoughts on the doctor, should he be able to keep his license? Should there be stricter screening for women who are looking for artificial insemination?
She says her friends will help. How would you feel as her friend?
Dr. Sears says the chances that any of these children will not have some physical and/or mental challenges. How is she going to deal with their special needs while giving the other children the attention they desire?
Chances are that child services will at some point investigate this family. What is the answer? The Foster Care system is very broke (just ask Josh).
Who is going to cook for these children, who is going to bath them, who can hold them and love them (14 children held just a half an hour a day each is already 7 hours out of the day)?
What are your thoughts on this emotionally charged topic? Please leave your thoughts, questions and inspirations. No matter how you feel about the mother, doctor and issues, I ask you to take a moment and send some love to these children. The children, no matter how you look at it, have some unique challenges ahead of them.
Terry, my husband's cousin, had it all! She had married a really great guy and they just learned they were going to have their first child! Steve, her husband, was a coach at the local high school in Appleton, WI. Life was so wonderful. THEN...
November of 2007, Steve found out he had a stage IV gioblastoma multiforme, and it was attacking his brain stem. If there is such a thing as a worst form of cancer, this was it. They were not sure he would see the birth of his son. He was given two months to live. Twice, over a period of seven months, he was told by doctors he had less than 100 days to live. Twice he has proven them wrong.
During the past few months, I spoke with Kurt's Aunt Jean a number of times about Steve. She would tell me how he had lost his ability to communicate and was barely alive. The community pulled together for a fundraiser and there were prayer circles across the world praying for him. The one thing that amazed me was there was ALWAYS an air of knowing, even in those thin hours, when death seemed so near, that Steve would live.
Today when I got this news article and read that he is looking to head back to work, I took a moment knowing that miracles happen every day, and today I knew I was part of a REALLY big one.
Please say a prayer for Terry, Steve and Tucker. You too can be part of this miracle! I would also ask that you take away from this experience the KNOWING that your belief has EVERY bearing on the outcome. Next post, I will share a miracle story about my niece.
May your relationship with your angels be full of love, joy and blessings.
OK, I had the car packed and McKenna in her car seat... on our way to an afternoon at the beach! Went to close the door (ya know how you slam it so it shuts?) and did not get the whole top part of my finger out of the way.
I ran into the house and grabbed the Arnica Montana. While sucking on that, I broke out in sweats and felt nauseous! Oh boy, I did not want to pass out. Running my finger under cold water, I kept watching the swelling and the black and blue thinking this is gonna be bad. I was wondering if I would have to go to the urgent care and have them lance the finger nail due to the pressure of the blood building up.
I wish I had taken a picture, because within the hour, you could hardly tell I had anything wrong with my finger. At one point, I swear I could feel the blood flow out of the finger and watched the black and blue all but disappear!
Two days later and there is very little sign of bruising, no yellow stage and I am still in awe even though I have seen it work before on my daughter!
My friend said she wished it had worked for her that well. I gave her some about three days after she broke one ankle and sprang the other one. I guess the key is to get it in your mouth ASAP. Both my daughter and I had it right away!
I have been very selective in the products that I use to bath my child, the toothpaste we use, and the sunscreen we use. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about the fact that there are products on the market that are KNOWN to be toxic... this article by the Campaign for Sage Cosmetics and support documentation really opened my eyes. I believe it is worth a read!
Getting Contaminants Out of Children's Bath & Personal Care Products by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, "No More Toxic Tub."
This study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, including baby shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. Many products tested contained both chemicals.
What We Found
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test 48 products for 1,4-dioxane; 28 of those products were also tested for formaldehyde. The lab found that:
* 17 out of 28 products tested – 61 percent – contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. * 23 out of 28 products – 82 percent – contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm). * 32 out of 48 products – 67 percent – contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.
Health Concerns
While a single product might not be cause for concern, the reality is that babies may be exposed to several products at bath time, several times a week, in addition to other chemical exposures in the home and environment. Those small exposures add up and may contribute to later-life disease.
Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known carcinogens; formaldehyde can also trigger skin rashes in some children. Unlike many other countries, the U.S. government does not limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, or most other hazardous substances in personal care products.
Where They Come From
The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they're contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.
Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.
1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.
What You Can Do
Contrary to industry statements, there are no regulatory standards that limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane or most other toxic chemicals in personal care products sold in the United States. There are signs the U.S. is gearing to catch up, but for now it's up to consumers to consider carefully before they buy. Here's some suggestions for safeguarding your family's health:
* Simplify: Select products with fewer ingredients and no synthetic fragrance or dyes, and use fewer products overall. * Choose safety: Search EWG's cosmetic safety database, Skin Deep, to learn more about the products you use and find safer alternatives. Also check out EWG's Safety Guide to Children’s Personal Care Products. * Read labels: Select products for baby and yourself that don't contain the ingredients listed above, which are commonly contaminated with formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane. * Take action! Can’t memorize these lists? Nobody can. If harmful contaminants and ingredients weren’t allowed in products, you wouldn’t have to. Tell Congress you want safe cosmetics for babies, adults and everyone in between. * Spread the word: Send an e-card letting friends and family know about this report.
There is so much confusing information out there about vitamins, like parenting wasn't confusing enough,eh? So, do we supplement and if so, how do we choose a good vitamin?
Dr. Mercola is one of the most trusted doctors on the internet. This is some of what he recommends when you are looking at your children's vitamins:
*Does not have any dyes
*Does not have any artificial sweetner (Splenda, Nutrasweet...)
*Does not have Flow Agent- Magnesium Sterate
*Does not have Hydrogenated Oils
*Does NOT have iron in the form of ferrous sulfate. It should be in the form of carbonyl iron
*Supplement Vitamin D separate and should be tested for dosage
*Allergen Free
*Minerals should be chelated with an organic amino acid chelate
You can find more information about children's vitamins on Dr. Mercola's website at http://www.mercola.com/
WOW! What an amazing afternoon spent with Danielle Herb yesterday. My three year old daughter McKenna, her friend and mother and I traveled to Danielle's farm to find out what the buzz is about this young woman. What we went there intending, was to have a great time and introduce Amelia, McKenna's friend, to horses and to acquire some inspirational video.
What we left with in the few short hours we were there, was a great time, new friends, a renewed belief in the lifestyle Authentic Families are inspired to live and tools we can use with our children for the rest of their lives! Yep, in the process of learning about Danielle, we learned so much about ourselves!
Danielle was demonstrating one of the principles she teaches in her Mastery Course. I asked if she would demonstrate on my daughter (because I KNEW the power of what she was telling me....hey I know a good thing when I see it). Danielle demonstrated that the horse can pick up on the energy of the rider. So when you are thinking and exuding happy, fun energy- the horse would walk forward. When you either got real sad and icky, or you centered and relaxed your energy- the horse would stop.
This exercise was so timely for me, because my daughter has been having a hard time settling down at night and falling asleep.... three hours every night for more than the past week. When we would talk about her settling down, she would often say she did not know how. We would tap (which really did help), we did imagery where I would walk her through each area of her body and relax the muscles in that area, we did massage....
I know that when she could FEEL the horse react to her energy, we would have an event we could go back and say remember when you were on the horse and... I used it twice today and it worked both times. She was able to tell me what the horse would do with her energy right then. We could then talk about why the cat was running away from her instead of letting her be pet when McKenna was not relaxed. So cool!
I look forward to sharing the videos with all you. I was also to have a great conversation with Danielle and her mom where we discuss her homeschooling journey... I know many of you will connect with what they say!
PLEASE, if you know of a child who is challenged with behaviors such as hyperactive, ADD, and ADHD share this website with them http://www.adhdkidsscholarship.com/ Danielle is gifting one scholarship to her Level 1 Mastery Class, an onsite, one week journey into understanding and dealing with their challenge.
Del.icio.us
Digg
