I recently read in Real Boys that boys and men have difficulty identifying more than 2 of their feelings:  happy and angry.   For emotional and mental well-being it's important that children learn to identify a wealth of feelings. That these feelings be fully experienced and that coping strategies are learned. 

For the next 14 days, we are counting down to Valentine's Day.  The boys have decorated boxes to hold index cards identifying 14 Positive Feelings.   This morning we read the Cherokee Legend of "The Two Wolves" and wrote Joy on our index card. 

The six year old promptly defined Joy as "when everyone is together and loves each other" and declared his "Joy" experience as when he was a baby and he got to nurse. 

Here's the definition we used: 1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation

So you think the credit crunch can't bite you in the Ass.  I felt that way.  Our income is steady & significant.  Our bills are paid.  We have money in the bank & have no plans or reason to move.  Our credit score is in the high 700s and we have $50,000 in a HELOC for emergencies or whatever.  We're *riding the wave*

Until Saturday, when we got a letter from our Mortgage Lender about our Subprime Home Equity Line of Credit, announcing that our line had been Frozen and our home had been *revalued* at 100,000 less than we had paid for it. 

In retrospect, I should have seen it coming.  The county had assessed our house for about 50,000 less than we had paid and 75,0000 less than the year before.  But because we don't live in a neighborhood of like houses, valuing our house is a more difficult process.  And knowing that banks like to lend money, I had no reason to think that they were looking to freeze my loan.  

If I had been up on the Internet and following the Credit Freeze,  I would have known.  The stories are out there.  Apparently this has been going on since about January.   I could have tapped our HELOC months ago and put it into our INGDirect savings account and only been paying about a 1/2% APY net.

Instead, I'm left with checks that are outstanding against a closed loan & having embarrassing correspondence with our vendors and contractors.  Rethinking our payment strategies and plans. 

http://cornucopia.org/index.php/replacing-mother-infant-formula-report/

What happens when infant nutrition becomes a "product" complete with marketing strategy?  Publicly traded companies work to set themselves apart by adding questionable ingredients.  What is DHA/ARA?  How is it manufactured?  Would you be surprised to learn that its made from algae processed using a known neurotoxin? 

The Cornucopia Institute contacted the FDA under the Freedom of Information Act looking to answer some questions about Infant Formula.  The FAQ is an easy read and found here. 

Too many moms are duped into thinking that Infant Forumla is "fine" & "normal"  The complex marketing and advertising strategies of Formula companies cannot compete with the grassroots organizations promoting Breastfeeding.  Human milk is free, formula is expensive & something in our consumer society tells us "purchased is better"   Even the Ad Council is reluctant to normalize breastfeeding - using Infant Formula as the "standard" and it's advertising.  You may be familiar with the "Breastfeeding is Best-feeding" campaign.  And instead of noting that Formula fed babies have a higher risk of cancer & other illness, we're told that breastfed babies have a lower risk.  A good summary of the normalization of formula is found here: Why Breast is not Best

Need help breastfeeding?  Have questions?  Wanna support other nursing moms?
llli.org, Kellymom.com, GentleChristianMothers.com  are all great places for reference & support. 

Question of the day:  Would you cloth diaper if disposables were free? 
I think I would cloth diaper.  Cost was an added benefit but not the main reason we chose cloth.  There's health issues.  Sposies are chock full of nasty chemicals and gels.  There's the cost of the trash of disposable diapers.  The only time the boys weren't in cloth is when we didn't have our own Washing Machine bc we were waiting for our house to be built.  After we moved, I didn't have a full stash of Larges because I kept thinking that Sam was going to potty learn - that was a surprisingly long process! 

Here's a oldie but goodie from Mothering circa 1998:  The Joy of Cloth  There's a side bar updating some of the information for today which talks about the increased use of disposables and subsequent increase in trash. 

Of more serious concern are the toxic chemicals present in disposable diapers. Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves.6

And what about the material that makes "superabsorbent" diapers so absorbent? If you've ever used disposable diapers, you've probably noticed beads of clear gel on your baby's genitals after a diaper change. Superabsorbent diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, which absorbs up to 100 times its weight in water. Sodium polyacrylate is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.7 No studies have been done on the long-term effects of this chemical being in contact with a baby's reproductive organs 24 hours a day for upwards of two years.

I chose my van - a 2004 Ford Freestar - 4 years ago for a lot of different reasons - safety, price, brand reputation.  And although lots of my friends have had issues with their vans - I have always loved mine.  I think it's easy to drive, the kids have fit well, the  configuration of the seats and storage has been very usable and enjoyable. 

Until right before Christmas, with no prior warning the van just died.  Dh was taking the boys to my MILs and I had a day of Christmas preparations sans littles planned and as he approached the tollbooth to exit into Ashburn the van died.  We can see God's protection surrounding us in this situation - others have reported losing their transmissions at highway speeds, in intersections, and in traffic - none of these happened to us.  The van died at a quiet exit - dh was able to move to the side of the road.  His mom was able to come quickly to pickup the boys - so they didn't have to wait in the cold. 

However, I do believe that the transmission is defective and that Ford is damaging their reputation and endangering lives by failing to recall the part.  It's especially disturbing when we think that these are family vehicles - purchased specifically to transport our littles safely.  Shame on Ford for not recalling their transmissions.  This is the last year that Ford is producing their Freestar.  I can't help but wonder if the decision has anything to do with their faulty part?

Edmunds.com has a thread on this issue.  The forces are gathering and I'm looking forward to a class action suit - a rebuilt transmission isn't exactly a line-item in our budget.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0fb94a/0