Asher's Halloween!!

Thinking of You!!

Eight years ago today,
You said "I do",
You said "Good-bye".

Eight years ago today,
One family rejoiced,
One family mourned.

Eight years ago today,
Congratulations to you,
Condolences to you!

Thinking of two very special ladies in my life.
We all shed tears that day for very different reasons.
Although, I was not able to comfort a friend who had lost her child,
my thoughts were with her as I stood by my sisters side on her wedding day!

Life is too short for regrets! Live each moment as though it is your last!

Susie Friesen

Got my holiday tree up, now I'm ready for x-mas!

· · Share

• • Susan Froese Are there a lot of presents under the tree for me? Lol
    

    Ruth Sawatzky what about me? LOL
  • Susie Friesen Umm...I'm getting you the same thing you got me.
  • Susie Friesen Both of you.
  • Ruth Sawatzky lol
    

    Tyler Ryman You mean to say your Christmas tree and you are ready for Christmas
  • Susie Friesen No. I don't Tyler. I have a holiday tree and ready for Xmas.
  • Susie Friesen Or actually I'm ready for the holidays!!
  • Rachel Anne Froese The tree is actually a Pagan tradition and has nothing to do with Jesus. Actually, Wiccans celebrated "Christmas" long before Jesus was born. Christianity adopted the traditions and relabelled them to suit their beliefs. I had a friend who was Wiccan, and when she converted to Christianity, threw out her tree. I am sure Susie does not want a huge debate on here, so just research it yourself.
  • Tyler Ryman I know about that aswell, but it is still called a Christmas tree
  • Susie Friesen Really?!?! *sigh*
  • Susie Friesen Im just stating that I have my holiday tree up in anticipation for the holiday season.
    
    As for the "Jesus" thing. Do your research! He wasn't born in December. Even I know that.
  • Susie Friesen And it's pretty sad that y'all can be preachy and judgmental the moment someone has different views. A-fucking-men!!!
  • Rachel Anne Froese ‎Susie and I have different beliefs, but we are still friends. I know that Jesus was not born in December, yet the world celebrates his birth on a day that was originally in honor of the "Sun God". Now, I am not going to judge anyone for what they choose to do this Holiday, but as for me, I still teach my kids the story of Jesus Christ and the details of his birth as the Bible states. I do this at the Christmas season, and all year long. I know very well that Jesus was NOT born on this day, but there is no wrong in teaching anything biblical to your children on any given day of the year. I am not sure if you got my point about the tree...is it truly a biblical tradition if non Christians observe it? Does it have anything to do with the birth of Christ if it was originally intended to worship Pagan gods? Did you know that they chose the evergreen because it was 'magical" in the fact that it always remained green, even in winter. They hung gold and silver ornaments off of it to represent the sun, moon, and stars (Winter solstice). The red was symbolic of the blood from the animal sacrifices offered to it. Gifts were put underneath it as an offering to their tree idol. Just something to think about. I choose not to put a tree up, because I feel that it has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Every one has their own opinions, and I won't judge them for it. I have heard every excuse in the book why it represents the birth of Christ somehow, but the fact remains, Wiccans have been setting up tress like this for centuries before Jesus was born. It really has nothing to do with Jesus, but if you choose to set one up, that is your choice. It is evil only if you esteem it so.
  • Henry Enns It's called Christmas is it not? Freedom of speech but if it's called Christmas why call it something else
  • Susie Friesen But it's also called the holidays as there are more than one we're celebrating. And I choose to take them all into account and not single out just the one.
  • Neil Johnson Susie, stop picking fights :P
  • Rachel Anne Froese formerly called "Christ Mass", and before that, the "Mass of Christ". It is a Roman Catholic tradition, and as we all know (Or some of us, I hope), that when the Romans "adopted" Christianity, they were Pagan before hand, worshiping many gods. They wanted to make peace with the Christians, and so they mingled their beliefs and that is how we ended up with Christmas and Easter. December 20-25 was the worship of the "Sun God" (they would worship in order to plead with the sun to give them more daylight and warmth--Winter solstice) And when Christianity was introduced, they changed it to the worship of the "Son of God". They kept the traditions, however, and we still carry them today. I won't argue if someone wants to worship Jesus at this time of year, in fact I think it is wonderful to do so. I will happily say "Merry Christmas" to friends and family as the world views this as a time of celebrating the birth of Christ. I have no beef with that. I just feel that most people have no idea where their traditions actually stem from, and they are quick to criticize if you don't participate in them the same way.
    

    Rachel Anne Froese LOL @Neil
  • Marek Andrzej Czoch Merry Christmas Susie, God bless you. :)
    

    Colin Enns ‎"Xmas" is a common abbreviation of the word "Christmas". It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, and variants such as "Xtemass", originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for "Mass",[1] while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as "Christ".[2]
    
    There is a common misconception that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas[3] by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas".
  • Maggie Fehr ‎Susie , only you could stir up so much controversy with 10 little words. :) Happy Holidays!!
  • Dana Leanne Bergman Happy Xmas Susie. Good holidays to ya and Merry New Year! Love ya girl! See you on Monday.
  • Minnie Miz D'Mina Friesen Wow, educated about Christmas trees today.

Halloween is Coming!!!

My all time favorite holiday is Halloween. I love to dress up. I love to make my own costumes. This year I'm going as a wolfe in support of Team Jacob!! I'll post pics! I made everything out of a fur coat I found at the MCC. $13?! Awesome deal.
I've finished cleaning out my pumpkins and printing the designs to carve in them. I'm so excited.
For A's Spooky Halloween shoot I've got all kinds of awesome things planned. I got him a spider costume at the local MCC and a few cool props. Monday can't come soon enough.

In other news...
People still suck!! (not you...those other ones...) lol! peace out!

A's Head a Month Later

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The Housewives of the Pembina Valley

Kerwin N Tracy Basler Anyone need a carseat for a couple months? I have one that says don't use after 2011. Free.

Top of Form

Rhonda Chornenki what age is it for?

Rhonda Chornenki could u post a pic?
Erica Blair Dueck i would like it depending on details as well. We need an extra carseat
Rhonda Chornenki Where could i come and see it?
Stacey Friesen Honestly, I would just destroy it. People will not regard the expiry date, and it's not worth it.
Kerwin N Tracy Basler Forward and backward facing not a booster blue and grey plaid . I could post a pic but not sure when I will get to it, maybe tonight. Eddie Bauer
Erica Blair Dueck I understand what youre saying Stacey Friesen but why would people disregard the date? Using a carseat past expiration puts your child at risk...I would hope people arent foolish enough to do that =(
Erica Blair Dueck I will take it if Rhonda passes
Stacey Friesen Tons of people do this ALL THE TIME!!
Erica Blair Dueck thats really really sad =( I assure you I am not one of those people
Rhonda Chornenki I am just looking at moving my daughter into a bigger car seat and would like to try before i purchase a new one. I guarantee i would not go past the expiry date!
Stacey Friesen I think a lot of parents really don't know. Same thing goes for not buying seats from other countries (US included). The seats may look the same, but you can get a fine for having a US seat. (I've seen it happen to friends).
Erica Blair Dueck I'm from the states and replaced all my carseats when i moved here because of that silly law lol
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky you can actually get a fine for using one from the us?
Erica Blair Dueck if it doesnt have the canada sticker on it yes but i believe you can take them somewhere to get certified to be used in canada
Stacey Friesen No, you cannot get a US seat certified. That's a rumor. The fine is over $200 I believe, so TOTALLY not worth risking it!
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky oh I did not know that, the carseat i had bought ended up not fitting in my car so I got a new one from the us because it was 1/3 of the price that they are in canada.
Stacey Friesen Yeah, it's unfortunate that our seats cost so much more, but Canada actually has stricter testing for their seats.
Rhonda Chornenki which is not a bad thing :)
Stacey Friesen Right, but like I said earlier, it's often a case of people not knowing the laws, or even how to properly use their car seats. It's all in the manual :)
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky arent they the exact same tho? like my friend had a carseat from the states and the exact same one but from canada and we checked them over and they were identical just one had the canada sticker.
Erica Blair Dueck Oh, thanks Stacey I didnt know that!
Shana Waldner Jänzen Carly-Alexis - Canada's safety standards are higher than those in the U.S. There may be internal differences or differences in materials that can't be seen. There are also differences in weight allowances between Canandian and U.S. seats.
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky true, but they wouldn't sell a car-seat if it wasn't safe. so i don't see why we cant use them.
Stacey Friesen Because we don't follow US laws in Canda ;) They don't follow Canadian laws in the US either. They can't go around making exceptions for certain things.
Ang L. Friesen but the american children are just as important as ours. Our baby seat is from the usa and no one ever told us we couldn't us it we took our baby home form the hospital and no problem.
Marj Sawatzky My sister in law uses car seats from the states and I told her last time it wad illegal and she could get a fine for it but she says if u go to autopac they inspect it and put the sticker on it... Is that true?
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky no they will not put a sticker on it i have asked to put a sticker on it they would have to put the seat though testing and it would be unusable after.
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky I agree with Ang L. Friesen how are canadain children any more important then amarican children.
Marj Sawatzky Yea thats what I thought... I dont care if I have to pay double im not going to the states to save money on a car seat just to get a huge fine when I get back... How much money do you really end up saving then? Instead of thinking about our wallets.we should think about our kids. I will do anything to make sure my precious babies are safe and if that means spending more on a seat so be it. End of story.
Stacey Friesen Nurses are not trained car seat techs. They just have to make sure that your baby is IN a car seat, and that the straps are tight.
Stacey Friesen And some don't even know to check that!
Stacey Friesen ‎@Ang, it's not a question of whether we care about American children! They have laws, we have laws. We are required to abide by them in our own country.
Marj Sawatzky Its not our fault if the Americans dont care as much about their future generation. Theres a difference between Canada & USA, at least here we get health coverage and family allowances, etc. what do the americans have? Besides being cheaper than Canada. I have nothing against Americans we are all Gods children. Im not gonna complain about having to spend more on a car seat cuz in the long run its worth.
Marj Sawatzky Its not fair to compare the countries to each other like that. US isnt gonna change their laws because of Canada and vice versa. Right?
Ang L. Friesen everyone has there own opinion :) i believe in christ and i believe he will protect my child whether i spend 200 or 100. my opinion :)
Stacey Friesen That's fine. But you did say you chose to spend big $$$ because it would keep you child safer. ????
Ang L. Friesen no i said i bought it used and so i didn't pay much but to get the same one would be big bucks
Ang L. Friesen yeah and i'm fine. i think if you can't use them in canada then they should tell you at the border or no let you bring them across. Like they do with the walker is all.
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky you could alway take the canada sticker off a canadian carseat and stick it on a us one if your worried about that im sure the police wouldn't know the difference.
Stacey Friesen Wow... I can't believe we are talking about ways to break the law, and trying to justify it. I'm pretty sure the Bible does talk about obeying the laws of the land. I'm out of this conversation.
Susie Friesen It's not illegal to use expired or out of country carseats. But if you do use them and get into an accident insurance won't cover you. E.g. you use an expired car seat from the US and have an accident. Your baby dies or is badly injured. Insurance won't give you anything for lost time at work due to bereavment or cover time & gas for specialized appts in Wpg. If you're not sure you're using a proper carseat go to a carseat clinic at the Morden Fire Hall from 6pm to 7pm the 2nd Tuesday of every month.
Stacey Friesen ‎Susie Friesen, yes it is illegal. Police can and do give fines for it. I've seen it done.
Susie Friesen Thank-you for attacking me Stacey Friesen "I'm out of this conversation." Lying is a SIN!!
Ang L. Friesen Im no saying to don't wanna follow the law but i bought a car seat in the states not knowing i couldn't us it and now i'm supposed to chuck it ? that's what i don't agree with.
Stacey Friesen Sorry, Susie Friesen. I didn't mean to attack. Just wanted to clear up a misunderstanding of the law. I couldn't let that one go, because it's such a big thing, and I want people to KNOW, so what happened to Ang dont' happen to more people. I know it's not fair. But it is the law.
Carly-Alexis Sawatzky that's exactly what i ment in the first place I bought mine in the us not knoing all this because it was 1/3 of the price and i wasnt wanting to buy a used one, so im not going to go spend the 300$ out here to get the same seat i just bought for 80$ in the us that would be a waste of money.
Susie Friesen ‎Ang L. Friesen I suggest you go to the carseat clinic in Morden the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Morden Fire Hall. They can answer your questions & concerns.
Stacey Friesen Great idea, Susie Friesen.
Mari Jl winkler police have one officer who is trained to do car seat inspections. i dont care even if i would not have the money i would make sure my kids were in safe car seats! i cant believe ppl would knowingly go to the states to save money and risk your chiles life and a ticket. i actually heard it was about 600 dollars if u have an american car seat. and to compare car seat laws and go against one country does not make sense. we live in canada. we have to get car seats from here. end of story. what about countries where they dont even use car seats? they dont care about their children at all? and really u can go to wal mart and get a car seat for under 100 or buy a good used one. to talk about putting canadian stickers on us seats though.... that is going too far! what about the canadian seat where u removed the sticker?? i am sure there is ways the police have besides looking at the sticker! some car seats from the us we dont even have here.
Ang L. Friesen i'm sure it was just a joke
Mari Jl for those with american seats maybe u can sell them on an american site? stacey was not attacking anyone. she simply clarified the law. i dont see a problem with that. this is getting out of hand!
Ang L. Friesen i'm not angry at all it is a discussion. No hard feelings :)
Shawna Wolfe ‎Meghan Barkley, Jen Winters, Meredith Clark, Naomi Fehr, someone.. maybe this convo needs to be deleted.. it has gotten a little bit out of hand..AND is taking up ALOT of space...

Thanks For Nothing!

I needed you,

You were not there,

Thanks for nothing.

I helped you,

You didn't help me,

Thanks for nothing.

I supported you,

You didn't reciprocate,

Thanks for nothing.

I complimented you,

You did not respond,

Thanks for nothing.

I have finally realized,

That you are not worth it,

Thank you for that!

Formula Sucks!!

I understand not everyone is as educated as I am about the dangers of formula feeding.

What I don't understand is why people don't want to educate themselves.

Recently, on facebook, a woman suggested to my breast-feeding sister that she should formula feed. Why couldn't she just offer help instead of advice? Don't get me wrong. Advice is great but sometimes all you need is for someone to come help.

"Formula feeding increases the baby’s risk of a whole range of health issues: SIDS, childhood cancer, respiratory illnesses, digestive illnesses, obesity, high blood pressure, allergies, ear infections and more. Giving your baby formula also increases his risk of not reaching his potential in terms of intelligence and school achievement, of having dental problems and needing orthodontic treatment and of dying during his first year of life." taken from http://www.lllc.ca/what-if-breastfeeding-had-no-benefits

When doing a search for risks of formula, I get many results. Including one from the World Health Organization. These are just a few of the risks mentioned:
For baby, artificial feeding increases the risk of the following diseases (among others*):

- Otitis media (middle ear infection): 3 to 5 times more likely
- Gastroenteritis: 6 times more likely
- Diarrhea
- Respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia): 2 to 5 times more likely
- Allergies
- Asthma

- Obesity

- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): 3 to 5 times more likely
- Lymphomas: 6 to 8 times more likely
- Type-1 Diabetes: 2 to 7 times more likely

- Necrotising enterocolitis: 20 times more likely
- Inflammatory diseases of the intestine (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease): 3 times more likely
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Breast Cancer in girls
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Hodgkin's disease

- Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Urinary tract infections

- Vision troubles
- Poor development of jaw muscles and malocclusion
- IQ up to 8-10 points lower
- Tooth decay (« bottle caries »)
- Less effective immunisations (vaccines)

- Premature death (in the first year of life): 26.5% increased risk
*Incidence of all diseases studied is higher in formula-fed babies than in breastfed babies.

For mother, NOT breastfeeding increases the risk for the following diseases (among others)

- Post-partum haemorrhage
- Pre-menopausal Breast Cancer: 2 times more likely
- Ovarian Cancer: 1.6 times more likely
- Endometrial Cancer
- The mother who has Gestational Diabetes is 2 times more at risk of developing type-2 Diabetes later on if she does not breastfeed
- Osteoporosis

Doing a search for "Risks of Breastfeeding" comes up with quite a different result. There are a few HIV or aids sites listed but the majority are things like "the risks of NOT breastfeeding", and the risks of smoking, taking drugs, consuming alchol while breastfeeding. The World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding is still the best way to feed your baby. Even with breast implants! ;)

I also did a search for contaminants in formula. "Formula itself may have contaminants introduced in the manufacturing process. Recalls have been ordered because of contamination with substances such as broken glass, fragments of metal and salmonella and other bacteria. The fungal toxin aflatoxin has also been detected in some commercial formulas. Although detected levels were very low, this toxin is known to cause cancer and is not present in breast milk. Infant formulas also may contain excessive levels of metals, including aluminum, manganese, cadmium and lead. Soy formulas are a particular concern due to very high levels of plant-derived estrogens (phytoestrogens) in soy products. In fact, the concentrations of phytoestrogens detected in the blood of infants fed soy formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times greater than the concentrations of natural estrogens." http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/formula.asp

These are just a few of the results. Search it for yourself if you don't believe me. Do me a favor. If you know a breastfeeding mom, support her. Don't ask how much longer she'll be doing it for. Respect her decision that she is doing it for the well-being of her and her baby and she will stop breastfeeding when her child decides he's done. Ask him if you're really curious! :)

Morning After!

A was great all day yesterday. He ate his lunch fine. Had a bath with daddy. A actually seemed extra energetic and happy. Probably because J was home. When supper time rolled around, I made A supper and J fed it to him. He ate fine and played afterwards. J figured that A was good and decided to leave to get some wings.
A was standing up in front of the tv when he started gagging on something. I figured he'd found something to chew on again and tried removing it from his mouth. I came up with nothing. He started gagging again. That's when he proceeded to vomit his supper all over me...twice.
I got us cleaned up and thought I'd breastfeed him to keep his fluids up. He fell asleep in my arms. He woke shortly from the nausea and I switched breasts. He drank a little but I could tell his little tummy was upset.
That's when it happened, a third time, but this was all the slimey breast milk. It's like it was mixed with mucus. (am I grossing anyone out yet? lol!) I cleaned us up again.
Luckily, I decided to wait before changing our clothes again because the last one was a whopper! It was twice as much as the first two times and it smushing between the two of us. Ewww...gross! I sat A down in the tub while I gently removed my puke stained shirt. A didn't like this one bit. lol!
After we got dressed I decided to head to the H. J met us and we drove together.
The attending Dr. checked A out and figured he probably had had a mild concussion. He kept us in until 23:00 for observation. A fell asleep around 21:30. Watched the new CSI!
This is the wound today. He had a bath yesterday.

First Super Ouchie!

My poor baby had his first major ouchie today! :'(

A large glass table top fell onto him and sliced open his little head.

I called 911 and got a ride in the ambulance with Asher until we got to the H.

He didn't get any stitches but LOTS of glue. Too much if you ask me. 4 tubes.

Anyway, this pic is AFTER the hospital.

Here's what fell on him.

It Takes a Village!

RANT!!

Sometimes, just when I think I can't handle it anymore, A goes to sleep without a hitch. All morning I was struggling with getting him to sleep. He finally dozed off for half an hour in my arms but woke up cranky and still tired. My efforts to get him down again were futile until now. I nursed him to sleep and got him in his crib in record time. I'd say less than 5 min.

They say it takes a village to raise a child and I agree. I just wish I knew where mine was. Where is the chief when I need him? Where are the other nurse moms when I need them? Why must one always ask for help? Why can't it just be offered? And I don't just mean once. Tit for tat! I rub your back, you rub mine! Regularly!!

Asher plays with Freeze wrapper!

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Facebook Thinks Obscene?

This is what Facebook put up at the top of my wall!

You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page at http://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=wphotos.

They want me to acknowledge (thus agreeing with them) I have read this information. You know where you can go Facebook!

This is the pic I posted! If you believe this is obscene then I would like you to start covering your head when you eat or drink as well.

Tantrums

Lately, we'll since the little guy started moving, we've had an abundance of tantrums! If he crawls all the way to the dogs water bowl he wants his spoils. He believes it is his right to play with. Sometimes distraction works.
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How Long Are You Going To Breastfeed?

Oh, how I love this question!! My answer is usually, "Until the cows come home!" snicker, snicker, "And, we don't even have cows yet!"

I've been asked this question A LOT! Hello?! My son is only 9 months old! I haven't started thinking about quitting. Ok, I have, but my thoughts are like, until he's 2 or 3! I guess whenever he's ready.

Personally, I love it! He's even started doing acrobatics while nursing. Yesterday, he decided he wanted to stand on my lap. He did it without breaking his latch. Quite the talented kid.

I sure am glad that I found Le Leche League (www.lllc.ca)! Without them, well I'm glad I don't know.

And because I don't like leaving a post picture-less, here's one from the hospital!

Asher is Crawling!!

Asher began crawling on August 13, 2011.

My sister saw it first and told me!

 

Good for You!!

Recently, I've had a lot of people comment on the fact that I'm "still" cloth diapering my 9 month old. To them I'd like to say, "What do you mean, still?". They also say things like, "Good for you!" like I should be proud of myself. Well, technically I am, but not for the reason they're implying. To them, I'd like to say, "No! Good for you, your children, & your children's children!" I could go on, but I really don't like typing THAT much. I am helping protect the world and its environment.

I chose to cloth diaper my son for his benefit, not mine.

Asher Using My Leg to Stand

Asher is learning in leaps and bounds! His first 6 hour snooze was last night! He's also been crawling and following us around like crazy!
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