http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php en laurasee@emmasbridaljewelry.com Copyright 2010 2010-08-31T18:19:01-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/a_mothers_loving_touch_saves_babys_life/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/a_mothers_loving_touch_saves_babys_life/#When:17:19:01Z I never cease to be amazed at the power of a mother’s love! There is so much more to birth than the medical profession can understand or see. One amazing example of this comes out of Australia. A new mother had just given birth to twins but one of the babies couldn’t be resuscitated and was declared dead by the doctors. After TWO HOURS of skin to skin touch from the mother and many positive, loving words from both parents, the two-pound baby miraculously began to breath! Little baby Jamie is now five months old and doing fine. This just goes to show how technology isn’t always all we think it is. Some have this idea that if a laboring woman is surrounded by all the latest machines her baby will have the greatest chance of survival. All this mother needed was to give her warm touch and her loving words to this little one. Thank God for such a beautiful miracle! Here’s the story: Miracle premature baby declared dead by doctors revived by mother’s touch I applaud that mother for going with her instincts and not giving up on that baby!  Pregnancy 2010-08-31T17:19:01-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/lowes_build_and_grow/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/lowes_build_and_grow/#When:17:03:00Z This past summer Emma decided that she wanted to learn to work with wood. Shortly after we discovered that Lowes runs a program where kids can come and build a simple wood project for FREE! They usually do a couple projects a month and provide all that is needed. As a bonus, the kids get to keep their work apron. Whenever they complete a project they’re given a badge that can be sewn onto the apron. The projects are recommended for grades 1-5 but younger kids could do them as well with an adult’s help. They do have a maximum amount of kids that they can accommodate so it’s best to register at least a few days in advance. I sign up as soon as they post the project! You can sign up on their website: Lowes Build and Grow So far Emma has built a race car, ball and cup game, schoolbus and a bug box. I’m amazed that they offer this for free! You can also purchase additional kits inside their store to do at home.  Parenting, Homeschooling 2010-08-31T17:03:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/childbirth_education/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/childbirth_education/#When:16:47:00Z I have some fun news to share with you! For several years now I have had a passion for birth and a desire to spread the word about it’s beauty and importance. My dream is finally coming true! I have begun training with Birthworks to become a certified childbirth educator. At this point it looks like I will be the only educator in Michigan certified through Birthworks. I can’t wait! Women and babies are my passion! At some point I would like to become a doula or midwife but as a homeschooling mom of young children that wouldn’t be the best for my family right now. I’m saving that dream for when they’re older. I figure it will give me something fun to look forward to when I have an empty nest. For more information on the Birthworks organization you can visit their website: Birthworks International Pregnancy, My Life 2010-08-31T16:47:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/wordless_wednesday_you_make_me_smile/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/wordless_wednesday_you_make_me_smile/#When:18:56:00Z Wordless Wednesday 2010-07-07T18:56:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/emmas_cloth_doll/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/emmas_cloth_doll/#When:18:42:00Z My oldest daughter Emma just finished sewing her first doll. She had expressed an interest in learning to sew and I’m not a very advanced seamstress so we checked out some sewing books from the library. The book Emma found the most helpful was “Made By Me” by Jane Bull. It’s full of sewing, embroidery and knitting projects for girls that are easy to make. Each project is shown step-by-step with detailed pictures and easy to understand instructions. Emma chose the to make the doll from the book. She is so proud of her new “friend.” Emma told me not to tell the doll that it IS a doll because she doesn’t want her to know she’s not real! My Life, Crafts 2010-07-07T18:42:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/pillowcase_dress/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/pillowcase_dress/#When:18:26:00Z My husband has an old pillowcase from his childhood that charmed me with it’s vintage flair and mix of bright colors. It was needing a little mending so I had thrown it in the to-be-mended-whenever-I-feel-like-it pile and forgotten about it. It was soon to become something new! I’m usually not much into sewing but I guess the hot weather today drove me down to my mother’s sewing machine in the cool basement. I ended up converting that old pillowcase into a cute dress for my eldest daughter. There are lots of tutorials online on how to make a pillowcase dress but here’s a couple I found helpful. I like tutorials with lots of pictures! Jen Leheny: Pillowcase Dress Instructions If I had a little girl she’d wear pillowcase dresses Thrifty Chick, Crafts 2010-07-07T18:26:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/fuzzy_wuzzy/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/fuzzy_wuzzy/#When:01:40:00Z Fuzzy Wuzzy (in this case) is not a bear! Emma found a banded woolly bear caterpillar a couple weeks ago and we decided to keep him as a ‘pet.’ We’re hoping to see him turn into a moth. The nice thing is he’s very easy to care for. We put him in a gallon-size clear jar with a rubber band holding a piece of cloth around the top. We put a couple sticks and some fresh grass in the jar too. All he needs is fresh grass every day. Emma came to me all horrified one morning thinking he was dead. It turns out he had just knit his cocoon around himself so now we’re waiting to see if he makes it to the moth stage. Fun! For a little more fun, check out this GIANT banded woolly bear! ;) Giant Woolly Bear Caterpillar Discovered Parenting, Homeschooling, My Life 2010-04-18T01:40:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/vaccine_recall/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/vaccine_recall/#When:01:27:01Z Well, today I’m feeling re-affirmed in our decision NOT to vaccinate our daughter (now 17 months old). There are just so many things wrong with vaccines! This recent case of the FDA recalling the Rotavirus vaccine just shows how murky the “safety” is of vaccines. My heart goes out to everyone who’s child has been injured by vaccines! It’s just not right that so many doctors (who are supposed to look out for our children’s health) continue to recommend these very unsafe “prevention” measures. The FDA shuts down common infant vaccine after startling discovery Nutrition/Health, Parenting 2010-04-18T01:27:01-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/book_review_real_food_for_mother_and_baby/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/book_review_real_food_for_mother_and_baby/#When:00:43:00Z The other night we were visiting with relatives and one of the other guests brought a dessert along. As she was raving about how healthy it was I was burning up inside! Why? Because she thought she had made the dessert better for us by making it with low-fat, sugar-free, imitation food products. It absolutely drives me crazy how pervasive the myth is that FAT is bad for you! I’ve been seriously thinking about hand-painting a sign in our kitchen that reads, “Viva la fat” but my husband apparently doesn’t think it’s as brilliant as I do. With all of the low-fat propaganda going around I find it refreshing whenever I find a book that shines the spotlight on the truth… that stands up for good fats like butter, coconut oil and lard and says “no-way” to margarine, refined vegetable oils and “new-fangled fats” (as Sally Fallon calls them). I’ve recently read two books that do just that. “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon is one of them and the second is, “Real Food for Mother and Baby” by Nina Planck. Nina conveys important nutritional concepts in a conversational style that makes it easy to read. While I still love “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon it can tend to sound more like a textbook than Nina’s book. She’s also written “Real Food: What to eat and why” but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. In “Real Food for Mother and Baby” she not only lays the foundation for sound nutrition but she gives important information relating to fertility and what to feed infants. What we eat BEFORE pregnancy has a profound affect on the health of our future babies. So many health problems that arise during pregnancy and birth can be prevented with good nutrition coupled with an active lifestyle. So, even if you’re only thinking about getting pregnant get this book before you try to conceive! As far as baby’s first foods there is a lot of misinformation being propagated by medical professionals. My understanding is that doctors and nurses receive very little training in nutrition. In fact, our own family doctor (who knows I pursue alternative health) asked me what I had found were the best first foods for my youngest daughter. She voluntarily admitted that “we (medical professionals) really don’t have much information about that.” Nina clears that all up and gives evidence-based advice on what is best for baby to eat. This is one of those books that I wish I could give every couple planning on raising a family. Nutrition/Health, Book Reviews 2010-04-18T00:43:00-05:00 http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/jewelersbench/precious_memories/ http://www.dandelionpath.com/index.php/ jewelersbench/precious_memories/#When:01:43:00Z My husband recently taught my oldest daughter to ride her bike. I knew it would be fun to see him teach her but I had no idea what a special moment it would be. I felt so much joy and pride! Both my husband and my daughter were really patient with one another and I’m sure that’s why it went so smoothly! I also had the privilege of teaching my daughter to read a couple years ago and it felt amazing! There are many days that I feel tired and worn out and I’m not the best mom on those days. But then there are days when we build with blocks, make cookies or snuggle on the couch and read Fancy Nancy. These are the moments I cherish and want to hold on to. It’s not about being the perfect parent. We are all flawed and we’ll mess some things up. What’s important is that our children know we love them. It’s ok for them to see that sometimes we’re weak and sometimes make mistakes. That’s real life. That takes the pressure off them to live a perfect life. It’s a powerful experience for them to see us going to God for strength or to have us apologize to them when we’ve spoken out of anger. I want to live authentically for my children and yet not dwell too much on my imperfections or theirs. I choose to celebrate the good! I know it’s been said many times but the advice to “count our blessings” is a wise one. We have so many! Parenting 2010-03-31T01:43:00-05:00