What's HEALTHY, ORGANIC and FREE?

Image courtesy of USDA


Nature is an unforgiving lover. Treat her well and she is loving and
generous. Disrespect her and she will make you wish you never
met her. We experience this when we enjoy good health, clean air
and nutritious food. We also experience this when we have landslides,
red tides, droughts and cancer. Nature was and is meant to be loved
and cherished.

I was brought up to take good care of my health. True good genes help.
But being proactive about one's health was a big thing in my family.

I have long been a non-pork eater. I started even when it was NOT
politically correct to say so. I can still remember the weird stares!!!
Yeah, I sometimes eat hotdog, bacon bits and salami. YUM!!! But these
are exceptions not the rule. My meat is mostly chicken, fish and beef.
I eat fruits and veggies. I drink lots of water (people expect to see
me with a water bottle). Soymilk and tofu are staples in the fridge.
Farmer-grown, non-gmo and organic ---- love it!

Nowadays, I am considered normal. Yeah, it's been great that more
and more people have a healthy lifestyle. The popularity of running,
cycling and pilates is proof. Taking natural supplements is another.
And the list goes on.

I think it's about time people gave 
natural family planning
a second thought too.

I know people who are on the pill. They complain about irritability
and migraines. They complain their hormones have gone ballistic.
They complain they're bloated and fat.


Maybe your body is telling you something.


I do look forward to the day when Natural Family Planning becomes
THE intelligent option. It's HEALTHY, it's ORGANIC and it's FREE.


p.s.
The Billings Ovulation Method is one of the most preferred natural family
planning methods. You may want to try it too if you're "trying" for a baby.
Click on the link or go here: http://www.billingslife.org/

p.p.s.
If you're on the pill for medical reasons, please make an informed
decision based on what you and your doctor have discussed. This is
not what I am talking about here.

p.p.p.s.
Im sure it would be exciting to see everyone's rants and raves on
this matter. However, I'd hate to see this turn into a mudslinging
contest. I am exercising my right to turn off all comments on this
matter (pro and anti). Thank you for respecting my request that
you hold your discussion elsewhere.

-------

ETA 2016: This came about because Baranggay A's controversial
PROLIFE Baranggay Ordinance created quite a media buzz. These
were my thoughts back then.

He's now 8 months old

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gozalewis

We've been BUSY!

I would have wanted to do a monthly progress report for M. But there is
this thing called LIFE.

A few days before M turned 5 months, life got exciting for all of us. Tatay
flew off for further studies. And that left me with all these things that
had to be managed. Thankfully, I found a work-at-home job! It does
get tiring, but I can't complain. We did ask for this!

So what's new with M? At 6 months, he started eating solids. At 7 months,
he was clapping his hands. Now at 8 months, he's a very happy crawler!
Sadly, the hustle and bustle is slowly zapping out his cute baby folds.

At 8 months, we have begun our homeschooling of sorts... We've gone
back to listening to classical music in the morning (just 30 minutes)...
We've started a simple baby signing program... We've started his reading
playcards... In the works is a foreign language "program"...

This is just regular baby stuff for him... How did that happen? Well....
Rule #1 - NO TV!!!!!! You'd be surprised at the numerous and varied
activities that can be done when TV is out of the picture.

More "kwentos" soon...

Baby M at 4months

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog

My, how time flies! Baby M is now 4 months old!

M now sleeps on his tummy all the time. He used to have a slight
reflux problem. To remedy this, we let him sleep on his tummy
during the daytime. It was here that we were able to observe that
M already had neck control.

However, by his 3 months check-up, we were worried that his head
was getting flat. So, with the pedia's thumbs up, we let him sleep
on his tummy all through the night. I think there has been some
improvement in that area.

Before you react... Yes, we too were worried about SIDS! But we
were confident that by this time, he could already move his head
when he wanted. And, the pedia said, so long as there is nothing
on M's bed that could cause suffocation (pillows, blankets, toys,
etc), M would be okay.

2 days ago, M had an "AHA!" moment. Okay, call me crazy but it
was this look that he had. A realization that this is what it means
to roll over! See, he's done it before -> 2x on his first two weeks
and 1x in April. But, it's only now that he's understood that it's
a "skill". Now, he seems to want to do it every time he has tummy
time!

And today, he "shouted" when I was not paying attention.

Sorry if Im gushing all over. I guess I'm just being a proud mama!

More TV Equals School Trouble Later

http://www.flickr.com/photos/treehouse1977

"Toddlers who watch too much TV may struggle in school later,
with measurably lower scores in math, and they may get bullied
more than other children, Canadian and U.S. researchers reported
on Monday.

Less surprisingly, children who watched more TV at age 2 weighed
more by the time they were 10 and ate more snacks and soft drinks,
the researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine.

They said children who spend more time watching TV and less time
playing with other kids may lose valuable chances to learn social
skills.

Every additional weekly hour of television at 29 months corresponded
to a 7 percent drop in classroom attention and a 6 percent drop in
math skills, the researchers found.

"Despite clear, age-specific recommendations from the American
Academy of Pediatrics that discourage any screen media exposure
during infancy and less than two hours per day beyond 2 years of
age..." the researchers wrote." - Yahoo Health


Here's some interesting news. What's more interesting is that this
concept probably applies to other "high tech" kiddie gadgets that
were not yet available at the time that this research was made.

So what's the alternative? Good old-fashioned activities: tummy
time, singing songs, reading books and playing with toys are
just some examples.

Yes, you read that right. As parents, we have to relearn the lost
art of using one's creativity to come up with fun -- and educational
-- activities for our kids.

* This post first appeared here.

We've reached the 3 months old mark!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robbie73

"Babies under 3 months of age follow internal cycles of sleeping and
eating. By around 3 months old, though, they begin to be influenced
by the combination of this internal wiring and the external world —
the routines you create. Some babies naturally and easily fall into the
rhythms of their household. Other babies have a more irregular
sensibility and are more resistant to the cues you provide.

You can help settle an erratic baby's temperament by building a
daylong schedule of feeding, playtime, bathing, and other activities
that's consistent. Try to work around your baby's natural inclinations.

Finally, let go of ideals of perfection: If you have a baby who resists a
regimented schedule, the best you can hope for is more regularity in
your household — not a complete absence of disorder." - BabyCenter


Stephen Covey was spot on when he said that with people, one needs
to be effective not efficient. As a WAHM with a newborn, my schedule
still follows the baby's. Baby M does have a basic pattern. It's not "on
time" but rather a matter of "phases". He's just a baby --- and he's
just doing what all babies do.

I have learned that: It is I that must adjust. It is I that needs to be
flexible.

As a result, I am less stressed out about getting it all done. And
M and I are simply enjoying our time together.

* This post first appeared here.

Baby M

I am happy to announce that H and I have a baby! I decided
against writing about the pregnancy as I wasn't sure how that
would go. It was challenging and I'm just glad it ended well.

Baby M is now 2 months old and I'm happy to say that we're
slowly establishing a "doable" schedule. At least well enough
for me to squeeze in this post.

The first day home was crazy! There was so much excited
noise when we got home; Baby M cried for us to give him
peace and quiet! On his first night, he gave tatay and mama
a shock! We were expecting to feed him every 3-4 hours.
But no, he decided that he would feed every hour! And this
lasted until he was 1 month and 2 weeks old.

Well into 1 month and 3 weeks, Baby M suddenly switched
to an every 4-5 hours feeding period. Ahhh, H and I finally
have back our much needed sleep!

I'm sure we'll have more exciting things to experience in the
weeks and months ahead!

* This post first appeared here.

Refund for Baby Einstein Products

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alicejamieson

I've long heard that children under the age of 2 should not be
allowed to watch t.v. Of course, each parent has their own
opinion on this.

I for one do not agree that a baby should be allowed to watch
t.v. (educational or otherwise)... I'm currently a fan of the
Glenn Doman books. The "Teach Your Baby..." activities
encourage a lot of interaction between the parents and the baby.
No time for t.v. watching here... But let me give the final verdict
on this AFTER the baby has arrived hehehe...

Then there are those who think highly of the Baby Einstein
series. For those who like the products, you may want to
read this bit of news I got from The New York Times
regarding the refund Walt Disney Co. is offering
for Baby Einstein videos...

As they say, there are no instruction manuals for parenting.
There are no shortcuts to it either. And if it seems too good
to be true, it usually is.

* This post first appeared here.