It's always busy in this crunchy mama's house!

I've had a lot going on and a lot of planning for things that will be going on so it seems like every down time minute is even taken over by something lately.

It's SPRING! Well, almost. The weather has been nice and it makes me feel so unfocused! I get so antsy and anxious and just want to be doing things! Anything!

Homeschooling has been a little lax lately. I kind of admit we've pretty much given up on our curriculum at the moment. The curriculum we were using was a bit boring and unstimulating to my girl unfortunately and she was going through it so fast that I had to all but abandon it so we wouldn't have it done half way through the year.

We have been supplementing with different things. We do Math from a curriculum still, but not daily. Weekly though.

On Wednesday's she still has her home school co op which has all the same fun classes from Science to history to Taekwondo. She also has a Science class at the zoo every week and a

PE/Health class twice a week so it's not like she's not doing anything.

The little one had her first birthday party. It was lots of fun. I made her a yummy Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake. Low sugar and full of good stuff. She didn't get the crazy messy first birthday pictures but she still had a great time.

Her grandma, aunt and cousin got to come down from out of state to visit and she got lots of fun toys to play with so overall she had a good first birthday.

I'm making plans for starting a garden this year. I tried a container garden last year and failed pretty miserably, haha. Maybe this year it will go a little better if I actually get things in the ground. So I'm in the works of planning that out.

I'm also planning out Lil's home school curriculum for next year. Which of course takes up quite a bit of time. Trying to plan out activities and what we will be involved in is a daunting task in itself. It is somewhat amazing all the options and experiences that a homeschooling kid can have around here. Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of options you can have when putting together curriculum.

I've got a few speeches I'm doing for different groups and organizations coming up as well. On fun crunchy mama type of topics ;-) So I've been trying to work that into the agenda to work on.

Also, I became the Co-Leader for our local Holistic Mom's Chapter and I am very excited about this new task and opportunity. I've already got quite a bit in the works for that and things I am going to help out with.

So, I think that's what has been going on in a nutshell. Trying to plan for the Spring/Summer in aspects of daily life/Activities/Garden and then farther into the Fall for Schooling.

I'm so excited about all the fun things that the nice weather brings!

Well I'm Gross and DCS Should be Called

I recently read a wonderful blog by the darling "Blossom" Mayim Bialik.

She outlines her parenting choices and while stating she is not about labels, makes it clear she falls into the Attachment Parenting crowd. ;-)

I must say I was very impressed by her views. Of course, probably because she shared mine. In pretty much all accounts.

What I wanted to get into here though, was the comments against her breastfeeding of her two year old son.

I was a little flabbergasted. I am going to copy and paste in a few of my 'favorites'. Simply because, sometimes, I feel it's nice to know what others are thinking but often not saying.

(This was taken from Facebook. I'd thought about removing the names, but thought, nah, It was posted on a public site, so why bother. Guess if I get in trouble or someone tells me about some law I'm unaware of, I'll come back and remove them.)

Martha Fikes-Duke Sorrry, thats disgusting at 2 years old!

Stacy Higginbotham if they need to e off the bottle by the age of 1 they need to be off the tit to.

Raina Achimon Hood teeth=stop breastfeeding

Cathy Davis Yeah.... if your kid is getting old enough to possibly remember that then it's time to stop.

Elizabeth Ginnis I agree with the bottle comment. If they should be off the bottle by a year old they should be done with the breast too!! After awhile you need to question why its really being done at so old. If you want them to continue drinking breast milk is there a reason you couldn't pump it? Yuck!!

Rosemarie A Newhook Drew If the child should be on a cup at 1 then they should no longer be breastfeeding. Breastfeeding beyond that is not for the child, it is for the parent.

Kelli Hytinen i wish these 2 year olds would bite the nipples off the moms who keep breastfeeding after 6 months to a year. that is nasty. toddlers need more nutrition from different sources by the time they are that age.

Judy Seidel Sweren Breastfeeding your 21/2 yr old is just odd and sleeping all together in one bed is just lazy parenting to me.

Ruth LaFord Freak=raising freaks, very sad

Nikki Gizewski-Naroleski All of you people who think its completely normal to breast feed a 2 year old are completely messed up in the head and need to have DCFS come out to your homes and investigate you for child abuse. How absolutely sick!

Laura Wolfe Franga After a certain age (6 to 9 months) there are no medical benefits for the child... it then becomes a MENTAL issue for the mother!!!

Virginia Acosta When your child is old enough to ask for the boob, it's way past the time to stop giving it to him.

Tanya Farley IF your child can lift up your shirt because he is thirsty (and I have seen it happen) then he/she is too darn old.

Elyse Angelico-Dumas I'm sorry but if your child can walk up to you and either ask for it or get it themselves then it's time to STOP breastfeeding ~ just sayin!

Melissa Gleaton ‎@ Tara Jo - in those countries, the families don't have FOOD to feed their children. They have no choice. It's the only food they have. NOT the case here.

Melissa Gleaton one word comes to my head when I read this - SLAVE. And to think that she thinks it's ok for her kids to NOT thank her for things is disgusting.

Carol Lopez Breastfeeding a 2 yr old is out of the question. It should be like weening them off the bottle at 12 mo old. And those mothers who cont it is just lazyness on their part. Do you start potty training at 5yr old! Get with the times ladies. You are teaching the child to be dependant on you and they will never become dependent on their own!

Faith Brewster Summers OMG That is horrible and who is she kidding she is doing it for her benefit not the kid's. I can't even believe someone is that stupid and thinks it is even ok. Wake up your child is 2 HELLO. This child will have problems in school and life. What is the mom gonna say when her says they are picking on me at school? So I guess you are introducing us to our next psycho. Hmmmmm

Faith Brewster Summers I think not . So guess she will still be doing this in 1st grade. Heck why would she stop??? The child is 2 and she hasn't. Heck lets just go for stopping Senior year. Just flat out stupid. She just gets off on it. She want admit to it. Sick.

Kathryn Winkler Beach To each their own but to me gross. If they can have a conversation with you, they don't need to be drinking from your tit.

My own personal favorite was the irony of this one, taken from the main site's comments:

"...And the nursing your baby/toddler. Again, I have nothing against nursing your baby, but when it comes to a full set of teeth, bring on the solid foods and milk from a cow. Breasts are for babies and husbands. There I said it."

hahahahahahahaha

Breasts are for babies and husbands but cow's milk is for human children, eh? Oooookkkkaaaaaayyyyyy

That makes a whole lot of sense.

Okay, my counter attacks here.

Really, are we not pretty much saying the few same things over and over?

"If they have teeth, it's time to stop."
First of all, are we unaware that babies can be BORN with teeth? They can. 1 in 2,000 babies are. Other babies typically get their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age. So these babies that are born with teeth, should they not be allowed to nurse? If a baby gets a tooth early at three months it's time to call it quits? I just simply do not understand that mind set. I breastfed a child with a full set of teeth and never really 'felt' the teeth. You don't wean from a bottle when they have teeth, right? So why would breast be any different?

"if they can ask for it, it's time to stop"
My little one has been 'signing' for milk since about six months old. She's really good at it now at almost a year. She also says milk too. I'm assuming a baby of about the same age would be asking for a bottle too, correct? Why would that be an indication that nursing should no longer be allowed? If my child can ask for a carrot, are they too old for a carrot? I just don't get it.

"breasts are for the bedroom"
Okay, I can't really even justify this one with much at all. Does my husband enjoy my breasts? Well, yes, of course. Does that mean that nether of us can accept and see that they were meant as a source of nutrition for a child? Of course not. I think everyone knows (well, maybe not!) that breasts were made to produce milk. That's their job. That's why we have them. Anything more than that, (my husband's bedroom toys, looking good in a sweater, being a good pillow for my cats) is all extra perks.

"The mother is getting off on it"
And this one gets a big, "Wow" from me, each time I hear it. Let me tell you, as much as I am an advocate for nursing, as much as I enjoy the ease, the benefits, and the bonding, It is not always 'fun' to nurse. First, I've had lots of problems. I've had clogged ducts, thrush and yeast, breast infections, milk blisters, latch problems, etc etc... It's not always fun. While I enjoy it to add any sort of sexual connotation to it is just sickening. There is absolutely nothing about my child EVER that is sexual to me. My breasts become solely a source of nutrition the moment she cries in hunger. To imply anything else is very absurd and disturbing that a person would think that. It really makes me wonder about the person who would think that.

The comment about DCS really killed me though. That was beyond laughable to me.

There is a bill in the state of Tennessee that makes it illegal for a woman to breastfeed a child in public past the age of 12 months. Currently there is a bill on the table to remove that age limit. I just wrote to my local representative today to tell them that I support that bill. How interesting that this topic would come up at the same time. I know that people are a little weirded about by both extended nursing and nursing in public. But who is the government to say what age my milk starts becoming a bad thing for my child? Especially when both the WHO recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond as does the AAP which states breastfeeding should be the ideal feeding method for the first year and beyond and mutually desired for both mother and child.

In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

• 29% of energy requirements
• 43% of protein requirements
• 36% of calcium requirements
• 75% of vitamin A requirements
• 76% of folate requirements
• 94% of vitamin B₁₂ requirements
• 60% of vitamin C requirements

-- Dewey 2001

The benefits of breastmilk do not magically stop once your child reaches a magical number of 12 months old. A mother's body still produces the perfect nutrition beyond that first year. The comments about how the WHO only recommended it past one to other countries because there is no food to eat is a little silly. There is not other food (OR diet) that is going to provide ^ that amazing source of nutrition.

I am proud to be a nursing mother. I am proud to support my baby through the process of leading the way to when she wants to wean. My oldest self weaned. She slowly dropped feedings as she got older until she was finished. No whining, no crying, no struggles. No breast infections, no pumping, no engorgement. That is the way to go! I fully hope my nursing relationship will be the same with this little one. She's going to be a year old in two weeks and I have no plans on stopping in any foreseeable future.

It's great to know these comments and attitudes exist. I want to keep them around to remind myself what it is we are fighting for sometimes.

Bet You Can't Guess Where I Am

Well, I'll forgo the suspense. I'm in a hotel. In my hometown. Not more than 10 minutes from my house.

With the husband, the kids and the cats. haha! For at least a week.

Turns out there's mold in my basement. Started with a leak from the washing machine. We're hoping it's not too bad and has only affected one wall right behind where the washer is. BUT of course, we still have to get it cleaned up.

I am not sure if I have mentioned it, but my Mother in Law moved in with us not long ago. She was alone in her house after Father in law died, and it didn't seem right to have her there alone. So we cleaned out our basement and turned it into a little efficiency apartment for her. So that's where she's been. It's kind of cute down there actually.

She was sick. Like several rounds of antibiotics and even steroid shots kind of sick. Funny thing is, all of us upstairs had been battling a 'cold' for the past six weeks or so as well. I've been on antibiotics for a sinus infections. MIL a bacterial infection. Rebel has been on several rounds of antibiotics for an ear infection. When MIL's doctor said, "Maybe there's mold in the house?" huh.

We are kind of young and new to home owning. It never even occurred to us. So we had a professional come in and do the test, and lo and behold. Yup.

If it ain't one thing it's another as they say. Blargh.

So, it's going to take at least 2-3 days to clean up. We moved MIL into brother in laws house with her dog for a bit, and two cats in with a friend, and took two cats and the kids to a hotel.

I'm trying to stick to my 'crunchy' ways as much as possible.

I packed overtly heavy. A family of four plus pets in a week long hotel stay already requires a bit of packing.

Add in a full set of plates, cups, bowls, dish soap, baby proofing items, things to entertain everyone, (Diapers cause I am not allowed to use my cloth at the moment, BOO!) food that I preplanned and packed, etc and you have a hefty load to haul! Add in the homeschooling books and materials too and wow! haha

We are having a good time though. I decided to go with a hotel that had an indoor pool and hot tub and things for a little bit more so we could have some fun and take our minds off the stress of everything going on. After school we plan to head down to the pool and relax for a few. We have dinner's made up and in the fridge.

The Little One has a basket of toys spread out in the floor and is playing away. It will be an interesting week!

Lil is still going to be working on her schoolwork.

Coming out of the Closet, Intactavist!

I'm coming out of the closet, hypotethically, to say, I am an Intactavist! I am. I can't really proclaim I'm coming out because anyone who knows me, knows this. BUT I do have a habit of staying a little quite on the subject.

I do have a "what's done is done' mentality to it. I can't do anything about a baby that has already been cut. So if a mother says it's already been done, I'll shrug and move on.

Maybe, that's a problem though. Maybe I need to speak out more.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, what exactly am I talking about?

Intactavist: A person who is for the rights of children to remain genitally intact. One who is against routine circumcision.

I have only girls, so maybe that's why I've felt a little shy about really coming out about this. I guess I felt people would say I don't really know what I would do.
But that's not true. I've had 40 weeks (Two pregnancies, and 20 weeks until gender determined) to ponder and debate and get info on "Well, if the baby is a boy, what will we do with his Penis?"

Even that question alone should make one stumble a bit upon reading it.

"What will we do with HIS penis?"

Is it my penis? Do I have a right to decide what to do with his penis? Does a parent have that right? And WHY?

I do not feel that I have the right to cosmetically change my child, with no medical reasoning, with out their consent. It's NOT my right in my opinion.

Female Genital altering is finally seen as taboo. It was not that long ago that it was not either people, we can change our views with knowledge and proper education. Why is it socially acceptable (In certain areas) to allow baby boys to mutilated?

I fully believe the only two reasons a person would circumcise is cruelty and ignorance. Mainly ignorance. The problem is a lot like breastfeeding. The knowledge, education and support are just not out there. People where I live are Baptist because their parents were Baptist, people are Democratics because their family is Democrat, they formula feed because their mother couldn't 'make milk', they circumcise because their father/husband/cousin/boyfriends were circumcised.

The problem is, people do not stop to think. It just is. They just do. They do what was always done. I just can't believe that any caring, understanding, well informed parent would still choose such an unnecessary procedure if they were given the true, accurate information and portrayal of it.

I hear the same stories/excuses/arguments each time.

It needs to be done because his father is done and he'll 'look different'.

Silly. I'm sorry, but of course he will 'look different'. Why is that an excuse for boys? There are thousands of different 'types' of vagina's. I mean, c'mon, just look here: WARNING Real vulva photos

I have two girls. I shower with them, they've seen me naked a million times. They have been in the bathroom with me a thousand times. It's never occurred to them to ask, "Hey Mom, why do you have this and I have that?" A girl will notice that they do not have breasts and her mother does, or her mother has pubic hair and she does not. Heck, even arm pit hair when they are lazy and haven't shaved (haha!) OR just doesn't want to! But I've never heard of a little girl saying, "You have flaps, and i don't!" or anything along those lines.
What about a mother and a little boy. But of course, he is going to notice he has a penis and she doesn't. Who cares.
Furthermore, why can you not just offer an explanation for WHY they are different? That never seems to come up as an option.

I have to do it because it is the social norm.
Not true. First of all most men in the world are intact.

US Rates
And the rates are going up every year to keep boys intact, even in the United States.

But he will get infections, and sick.
To me, this is by far the silliest one. First, go back to the link I provided above that states most men in the world are intact. So, all of those men, have infected penis's! They have diseases? Even most of them? That is completely inaccurate. The AAP does not support circumcision per the small amount of data supporting these claims: "ABSTRACT. Existing scientific evidence demonstrates

potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision."

This Blog actually lists the reasons and myths very well, so I'll just link there and save myself the embarrassment of trying to say it better. ;-)

I have friends in Europe, Sweden, France, Germany, etc all of those places it is not a common procedure. In a discussion I had with one of the moms I know in Canada she stated that the doctors there will actually try to talk you OUT of it if you did so inquire and IF you still decided to do it, insurance will not cover it, period, and you have to pay the doctor in cash before the procedure. Wonder how many American moms would still do it?

This is the device they use to hold your little one down while they do the procedure

Here's the full range of instruments used

I've read many accounts of moms who say that it does not even hurt or effect the baby. They forget about it in seconds. That also, is simply not true. I've also read numerous accounts of doctors and nurses that say they tell these parents this to make them feel better. I've also read many studies about the psychological effects of the procedure which will often times cause the baby to go into such a state of shock that they can not even cry they are so traumatized. Often a mother is unable to console the baby and nurse because they are so affected and upset. This is an older article but still relevant.

I also really like the Penn & Teller's episode about the subject: (Strong language and video)

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=416_1218124584

A few more great articles and sites:
http://www.circumstitions.com
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/GenitalIntegrityStatement.pdf
Circumcision Deaths: http://www.cirp.org/library/death/ (55 in the year 2010)

I ask any mother to look at the links and videos I provided above. To read fully through the sites and links. I implore you to ask yourselves, is this really your decision to make? Is it really your choice to inflict pain onto your infant and hinder his sexual pleasure later in life? To leave his penis vulnerable to infection? To allow your son to go through an unneeded surgical procedure, "just because"? I would never ever wish it on anyone, but what if your child was one of the ones that died because of complications to this cosmetic procedure? Could you live with that decision?

Happy New Year!

Here we are! 2011! Wow, what a year 2010 was! I fully believe that through the years life has gotten better and better so I am excited about what 2011 will bring!

My family has a few New Year's Traditions. I try to spend New Year's Eve with family. It may not be the most exciting to party it down with the kiddos, lol, but I like to be around who I want to be around in the coming year.

This year, Hubby, Lil (I'm going to have to come up with a new nickname for her, as she is not so 'little' anymore! She's getting to be a big girl!) and Rebel and I were at the house. We had planned on having some family and friends over but things just came up. One friend's significant other ended up having to work, one family's little one was fighting a nasty tummy bug/rotavirus, brother in law had company come in from out of state.... things just didn't work out so we decided to have a nice family night instead.

We rented some movies and video games that we could all play together. (Jeopardy was the hit of the night, haha) At about 10 to midnight, hubby turned on the countdown show and we watched until the ball drop then he ran out into the pouring rain and blew off some fireworks.

RebelBoo had fallen fast asleep long before this, haha

But Lil was rather enjoying the fun. I had planned to break out some sparkling juice to toast with but forgot I put it into the fridge to chill, oh well.

Now on New Year's Day, the tradition in my family is that whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will be doing for the rest of the year.

My mother was adamant about this rule! She was always the funniest thing to watch scrambling around on New Year's Day. She would take her canoe out and sit it in the front yard and pretend to 'row' around for ten minutes or so, she'd then jump on one of the horses and ride around for a few minutes, read a book for 10 minutes, then take a 10 minute power nap, etc etc. It was fun.

Oddly enough, my mother is always VERY busy and seems to lead a rather hectic life at times, haha, wonder why? ;-)

Anyway, though. That tradition still stands. I always try to fit in lots of family time on New Year's Day, I try to contact people I want in my life in the coming year, read a little, relax, just make it a good day. I try not to clean too much, haha, or spend money. I justify light cleaning as something that means I will be tending to my family in the coming year.

Food wise, our tradition is to eat pork of some sort. ("Chickens scratch backwards, cows stand still and a pig roots forward." So you want to move forward in the coming year.) I normally do a baked ham. Cola syrup, pineapples, brown sugar, mmmm

We also eat a form of greens, before hubby I would have cabbage but he can't even stand the smell, haha, so I modified it to a bright green leafy salad.

Black Eyed Peas are a must! Luck and prosperity for the coming year! This year I was able to find fresh black eyed peas, not the dried or canned and I must say, the taste was so much better! I hope I can continue to find them! Yum!

Hubby did go out to buy a soda for himself at a gas station and for fun he bought a scratch off. (We never waste money on those things) He won $10. I take it that means, financially it will be a good year! Which should be nice cause we've been going a little broke lately, haha

This year to come, I've set no New Year's Resolutions. I don't believe in them as much as I am for traditions.

I think they set you up for failure.

I don't like to start a new year off with failure.

Instead, my goals are to continue improving myself. To continue doing what is best for my family. To be the best mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend I can be. To continue this year doing what I can to better the world in the little ways that I can and to do as little harm to the world as I can as well.

MIA

I've been meaning to come in and talk about my lack of posts. Things got a little weird and hectic for awhile.

Back in September I developed this weird path of bumps on the back of one thigh. From there they spread... and kept spreading. Turns out they were not bumps but hives. They were everywhere after about two weeks. Two weeks, of crazy, big itchy, all over my body hives. I thought I was going to go crazy.

I didn't want to take anything because I was nursing. I was afraid of the antihistamine family because they can often cause a decrease in milk

supply they say. Also drowsiness and sedation in the baby. Plus, as we all know, I'm a little anti medication.

Two weeks and they aren't going away. I thought, "If they are hives, they'll go away eventually right?" I read online that you can be exposed to an allergen and sometimes it can take a while to get out of your system, so I kept waiting it out.

Every day.... Ugh.
I gave in finally. Went to a walk in clinic down the road and thought they could at least give me an idea on why they were not going away, rather it was normal for them to be there so long and what to do about them.

The walk in clinic was less than helpful. She told me that it really could be anything. She then proceed to 'lecture' me on eating healthy.

I said, with all due respect, I eat pretty healthy. She started listing no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial dyes, etc etc.

Again, I said, with all due respect, I don't even buy that stuff. I shop at the Farmer's Market, the local grocery, the natural food store, etc. ON a rare occasion I'll have a regular soda, or give in to a craving for a bag of Lays or something weird, but it's pretty rare.

So she said, well, then cut out dairy.

haha, I said, my little one here is breastfeeding still and she appears to have a cow's milk sensitivity so for the past 4-6 months, I've really not had any dairy.
We moved onto chemicals in the home next. Bleaches, soaps, shampoos, laundry detergent.

hmm.... once again, I use natural products I said. I use soap nuts and homemade detergent for my laundry. I use cleaners made with vinegar, tea tree oil and lemon juice. Nothing has changed anyway on that.

So she said, well, maybe it's not hives... She gets out a book. Says, okay, it is Pityrissis Rosea.

She says, "it will just run it's course over a few weeks to a few months, there's not much you can do until it does. Try oatmeal baths." And sent me on my way.

Huh

I go home and look into this new fun diagnosis only to find none of the symptoms seem to make sense.

I try to find a general doctor at this point as I do not have one. The soonest one can see me as a new patient is months from now. I go ahead and book the appointment thinking, "Well, the hives will be gone by then, but It would probably be good to have a regular doctor anyway."

In the mean time, I find a dermatologist to book an appointment with.

Go in, she looks at it. We discuss the in's and out's of what has been going on.

• They just kind of popped up one evening
• They got worse and worse
• They are never completely gone
• They do 'spread' or move. Sometimes they are concentrated on say my leg(s), other times my arm(s), back, hips, etc
• Every morning they are very bad. But they seem to fade by evening.
• Never had hives or any allergic reaction before (only to coconut, and no hives)

Here's what I've tried:

• Changed sheets and washed completely
• Stopped using Laundry detergent, soaps and everything for a few days.
• Bought all new 100% cotton clothes and sheets and only wore those for a week. (I was the Scrubs Mama for a week! haha)
• Slept in another room
• Slept in another room for an entire week (living room floor) only using all new 100% (never been put in the bedroom) cotton sheets and I would pack them up in a big tupperware container in the morning so no 'cat hair' or allergens or anybody was touching them other than me
• Went on a 'bland diet'. Started with completely no diary of any sort (or soy) no tomatoes, no sugars, no anything that is common allergens such as nuts or berries. Mainly chicken, rice, etc.

I'm sure there were more.

She seemed more fascinated than able to provide an answer for me.
The first visit she listed the 'diagnosis' as "Contact Dermatitis" gave me a prescription for something I can't even remember now (I looked it up and it was not compatible with breastfeeding) and a steroid cream I was to lather my entire body down with every day, twice a day.

I returned with no amount of relief the next week. We pretty much went through the same song and dance again. Her fascinated. Not able to provide answers. "Keep using the Cream", "Sometimes things can take a while to respond". In the timeI worked with her, she came up with everything from bed bugs, to flea bites, to an unknown newly developed allergy.

By the end of the 3rd visit, no answers, and only new questions, I gave up on her.

I contacted an allergist and set up an appointment there. I figured, okay, if this is an allergy, we need to figure out what it is and why and make this go away.

I've had hives every day, all over my body, for almost two months at this point.

The allergist listens to my tale. Laughs at the dermatologist for prescribing the cream. He says, "okay, here's the deal. You've had hives for about five weeks now. Once you get to six weeks, they are considered 'chronic'. You are not at the point yet, but you are close. Chronic hives are rarely ever associated with an allergen."

With this I was a little taken aback. Hives, not associated with an allergen? Well, what else could possibly cause hives? Never heard of such a thing.

He said that doing an allergy test would not give us an answer and would only succeed in giving him money, it was pointless. What we needed to do was order bloodwork.

Hmm, okay. Why?

Once you get to the point of having chronic hives you have about a 60% chance that they are an autoimmune response. Could be another autoimmune type disorder like Lupus for example, or it could be a disease all on it's own in which your body wakes up one morning and decides, 'oh hey, I don't like you skin cells anymore, I'm going to attack you!' This is called Chronic Urticaria.

Or you've got about a 35% chance it's not autoimmune, but we'll never figure out what it is and we just try to treat the symptoms.

Last, you have about a 5% chance that it could be an allergen.

Most uplifting news of the year.

It gets better.

Once you have chronic hives, you'll probably have them for the rest of your life. Even if we figure out what indeed they are, autoimmune themselves, conditions of another disease, whatever, there's not really a good chance they'll ever go away.

Apparently once your body switches that mechanism 'on' you can't really turn it back off. You can only treat the symptoms.

I worked with him on a few different medications. Turns out OTC Claritin actually works the best for me. Nothing gets rid of the hives completely, but the Claritin does make them barely noticeable 'spots and dots'. Like little mosquito bites.

My bloodwork came back that it was indeed autoimmune. My ANA test was defiantly indicative of some sort of autoimmune disorder. He also said my 'thyroid levels were wonky'

Meanwhile, it came time for that general doctor appointment I had set awhile back thinking that there was indeed no real reason to.... ha!

He looked at my labs from the Allergist and said we needed to do a little bit more, so more bloodwork.

He also said that he disagrees and thinks if we figure out what it causing the hives, we can make them go away.

I went to a Rheumatologist for more bloodwork. We wanted to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Lyme etc. I really liked him. He was a cool guy and we talked a lot about eating healthy. He is a frequenter of the Farmer's Market as well. We talked about panny pan squash, haha fun things like that.

Bloodwork came back negative on all panels. So no Lupus, or RA or anything which is great! I do, however, need to go back to keep a check on that ANA. Sometimes, he said, a disease can lie dormant and not really show any signs or symptoms. The ANA indicates something, so it is worth keeping an eye on just in case. Plus, once you develop one Auto immune disorder, often times, more than one pops up.

We also ran more tests on my thyroid and the general doctor said, this time, everything seemed fine, but lets do an ultrasound just in case.

Did the ultrasound and it came back with some abnormal findings. The tech said it was slightly enlarged, and overall just not healthy looking. She suspected Graves Disease or Thyroiditis.

So, off to an endocrinologist I go now.

Lets recap a bit:

I have now been given diagnosis' from:

• pityriasis rosea
• contact dermatitis
• flea bites
• bed bugs
• milk allergy
• soap rash
• lupus
• graves
• thyroititis
• who knows we'll never figure it out
• dyes and food additives sensitivity
• chronic autoimmune urticaria

I have been given steroid creams, a medication I couldn't take, one I couldn't afford (I didn't touch on that one. Clarinex was $120 for 30 pills AFTER my insurance. It stayed at the pharmacy), OTC Claritin, Allegra which did nothing, Zantac which did nothing...

I've been to see a walk in clinic doctor, a general practitioner, an allergist, a rheumatologist, and an endocrinologist. Oh, and of course the labs for the bloodwork, and the ultrasound tech too.

Whoo. Why have I been so busy and exhausted?! lol

So, anyway. The Endocinologist (another cool guy I liked, very pro breastfeeding, pro healthy eating etc) looks at all my labs and says, "okay here's the deal. You don't have Graves."

This was such a relief in it's self because being hyper thryroid, is pretty much a deal breaker in a lot of ways when it comes to nursing. Plus, it's a pain. Just in general.

'But you do have an auto immune thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Disease."

This is kind of good news. In the scheme of what disease to have at least... It's easily treated (not cured of course) with a hormone replacement pill taken daily.
Basically, my body decided it didn't like my thyroid anymore, decided it had to go, and it will slowly attack and kill it until it just ceases to exist. Meanwhile all those extra crazy, attack cells were swirling around and decided, 'Hey! let's attack these mast cells and kill off this skin too!" Which causes the hives.

Hashimoto's in often associated with hives.

There's still some debate on rather the hives will go away. They may once my thyroid is under control. They may just lessen. Or they may just be there.

I have to say though, a few months in, you get kind of used to it. As odd as that is to say. I guess you just learn to deal with it like you would diabetes, or high blood pressure or whatever else.

You do get really sick of the questions and advice though.

"Oh, did you try switching soaps?"
"Did you stop eating____?"
"Have you thought about sleeping in another room?"
"Maybe it's because _____"

People don't understand chronic hives. They do not know it is a disease all on it's own. Like when I first got them, I thought there was a reason, an answer. People do not know and can not accept there is no REASON.

Hashimoto's is not fun either, granted. It's got it's own list of symptoms that are not ideal, especially for someone who's trying to tend to two kids and a house hold!

The questions about possible symptoms were hilarious to someone who just had a baby not long ago:

• Have you gained or lost a lot of wright recently? Um, yes, I just had a baby. Both.
• Are you often tired or run down feeling? Um, yes, I just had a baby.
• Have you experienced hair loss? Um, yes, I just had a baby.

Some of the symptoms associated with Hashimoto's have caused me to feel like I need to just pass out in the middle of the living room floor in the middle of the day. Tiredness at night but sometimes unable to fall asleep. (That one really sucks) Anxiety like woah. I am so thankful though for this one to an extent. Anxiety and depression are very much associated with thyroid disorders and I am very much hoping that maybe my anxiety problems might go away. Wouldn't that be amazing!

Anyway, I've not only felt so tired and so unmotivated that I just haven't been around, but I can't even count the amount of doctors appointments I've had.

It really throws off your schedule to have to balance that many doctors appointments that I have to rearrange things around.

Add in the baby who of course takes up lots of time, the older homeschooled one who has activities and things, the husband, the household, dinners, the Holistic Mom group, the Homeschool Co Op, etc etc and I just haven't had time to update!

(Oh and making all those Christmas presents!) Hope all is well with everyone else.

Christmas/Yule

I wanted to revamp our holidays this year. Certain things have really been bothering me about the holidays (All of them in general really) but Christmas the most. I'm not sure how to pinpoint when it happened, but we have all gotten so crazy about presents! We need the shiniest, newest, most expensive, biggest new things! THINGS! We all want all these things. We are excited about them and obsessed with them for a few months, weeks maybe, maybe days and then, ah, well that was neat....

I've been trying really hard to be a little more simplistic in my life. It is not only an overall spiritual/betterment of my self goal as it is also a betterment of my children and the Earth. It is also very budget friendly, haha, and being a Stay at Home Mom now, budget friendly is a good thing.

For awhile I got very caught up in the consumerist nature of the holidays. I got caught up in buying things. Lots and lots of things. I wanted my kiddo to have everything I could possibly give her. I think we all want that to an extent. Somewhere a long the path I realized I was buying things for her more for me than I was for her. She played with these crazy, musical, noise making, light up toys, sure. But not long enough to justify the price tags. Then they would be forgotten, or broken and she'd move on to something else.

This path has continued for her first 10 years or so of life.

This year, she is old enough that she's starting to learn the value of money. She's starting to learn the value of things. She's old enough to not care quite so much about stuff and care more about others. The little one is young enough she does not know any different, so this year we start new traditions.

This year, I made over 50 presents.
This year, I shopped used. I have been stalking thrift stores and used book stores, video game stores, etc etc for months finding the right stuff with meaning for the right people.

This year, I bought local. I supported local vendors, crafters and shops.

This year, I bought for family. I didn't buy for everyone. I didn't go out of my price range simply to tell someone I care with presents. I extended an invitation to dinner and quality time to family and friends instead. Togetherness means more.

This year, I bought products that will last for my little one. I bought lots of natural wooden gifts that she can continue to play with and love for years to come.

This year, I said no to plastic toys that are overpriced and made in sweat shops. The ones that cause over stimulation. I have a few. But a few only.

This year, my kids, husband, family, got books. Everyone appreciated them too!

This year, my tree was not overflowing with presents and boxes and bags. I got things that were really wanted and desired and not too much.

This year, I asked family to do the same. I asked that if anyone had extra money to spend, or wanted to do lots of shopping, if they could please give to the kids savings accounts or donate in their names to a charity instead.
This year, we supported the local Women and Children's shelter, the homeless shelter, the food banks and other local charities and organizations.

This year, I really appreciated what I got.

This year, we vowed to take the holiday back to their roots.

This year is the start of so much to come!