book review - A Child Called 'It'

A sort of autobiography by David Pelzer was a heartbreaking account of his childhood abuse and how he was forced to live day to day. It was like a train wreck - you don't want to see it, but you can't help but looking. That is exactly how this book is. You feel like you are there watching these terrible incidents happen, feeling helpless and hurting for this young child. Fear not though, as the book has a sort of happy ending for young Dave. This book was based on his story, the TRUE story, of his child abuse. It was the 3rd worse case ever recorded in the state of California. What makes that fact so heartbreaking is that there were 2 cases even worse than his. There are two other books to follow this: 'The Lost Boy' and 'A Man Named Dave'.

Most children are too afraid to tell anyone about the abuse. Every 13 seconds, a child is abused in the United States.  There are nearly 3 million child abuse reports made every year. Approximately 4 children die per day from child abuse. 3 out of 4 of those children are under the age of 4. It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates. About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime. Children who have been sexually abused are 3.8 times more likely develop drug addictions. Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol. Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.

Those statistics are terrifying. Stop the cycle. If you know a child who is being abused, please report it. You may just save that child's life. Go to http://www.reportchildabusenow.com/ to find report numbers for each state. We control our children's future. They learn what they live. Make a call, Save a life.

Love, Me 

my parenting must have's.

So here's the deal, not every baby is going to be alike and not every parent will raise their children the same. When I got pregnant with Conner, everyone and their mom wanted to tell me what I MUST HAVE to raise him. Well, I took some of that advice. The rest, I kindly accepted but brushed aside. Here are my frugal ways that have saved me a crapload of money!

#1 Skip the Diaper Genie. Instead, I opted for these cool little scented sacks made by Sassy (you can find them at Wal*Mart, Target, and most local convenience stores). $2.50 for a pack of 50. They have saved my home from smelling nasty, all while saving me money!

#2 Changing tables. While most nursery sets insist you NEED one, think about it. If you have a 2 story home and the nursery is upstairs.. you spend most of your day downstairs. Do you really want to have to walk up the stairs at least 6 times a day to change a diaper? I did not. Therefore I bought this nifty travel changing pad. It even has pockets to put wipes, a few diapers, and cream along with a few small essentials. I suggest the Jeep brand that you can get on walmart.com. It's less than $15 and has last almost a year and a half with no issues! Oh, and most diaper bags come with a small changing mat already. Cool beans!

#3 Full on nursery furniture. I'll admit it, those crib/changing table/dresser/rocking chair sets are adorable. Let's face it though, in this day and age, most of us cannot afford a super nice nursery. A crib you obviously need. You can skip the rocking chair (it is nice for breastfeeding though!) and changing table (read #2). We don't have an actual dresser yet either. Most of it gets hung up in the closet, the rest fits nicely in one of those small plastic 3 drawer things from Wal*mart.

#4 Toddler Bed. We have not moved my 15 month old out of his crib yet, however, we will be skipping the toddler bed. Instead we will get a twin or full size (have not decided yet). My thinking here is, why would I spend money on a toddler bed, when he will need a new one a few years after that because he will outgrow the toddler bed? Just a waste of money in my eyes.

#5 Baby food. This cost us a FORTUNE while Conner was in that stage. Whenever we decide to have another, I will definitely be making my own baby food. All you need is a food processor (some people even just use a blender) and a few baby food jars (I've seen them at Target). You blend up your fruits and veggies and meats, jar them, freeze them. When you want one, thaw it out and warm it up. VOILA! Money saved.

#6 Disposable diapers. I'm not going to lie, my son has always been and will continue to be diapered with disposables. However, if you have a washer and dryer in your home, I highly suggest cloth diapering. Just to give you a roundabout cost with disposables - currently my son is wearing size 4 pampers (he is allergic to all the other brands, go figure he isn't with the most pricey ones!). Size 4 pampers for a pack of 62 is about $22. My little guy gets changed approximately 6 times a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But that is average for him. So if we go through about 6 diapers a day, that makes about 180 a month. I would need to buy a box every week and few days (would end up using 2 full boxes and a few out of a 3rd box). That means I spend approximately $66 a month on diapers alone. Ouch! Cloth diapers seem expensive when you first buy them, but you wash them and reuse them. So in comparison, you are saving a hell of a lot of money!

#7 Tons of name brand onesies and outfits. They will not be in the same size for long! No sense is spending hundreds of dollars on cute little outfits that they may get to wear once. I had bags of clothes Conner never wore. Thankfully, I didn't really buy most of them. I do suggest having LOTS of plain white onesies. Babies spit up and usually wear multiple outfits a day for the first few months. Simple Gerber brand will suffice!

That's all I have off the top of my head. Like I said, some advice I took, others I brushed aside. I know I left formula out, but that is because a lot of mothers are unable to breastfeed (like myself. I did not make enough milk). I am not shoving this advice down your throat, but I'm simply putting it out there. If you take it, great. If not, that is your own choice. Hope I was able to help someone, somewhere! I'm still learning to parent every single day, and that will never end. I've had my choices questioned and I have also questioned others. I have in the past few months accepted just how differently one mom from another can be. And that is NOT a bad thing. :)

Love, Me.

Recipes - Chicken & Veggie Casserole

So I have decided instead of just making this a 'my personal thoughts' blog, I will be adding in some family favorite recipes as well as book and movie reviews when I feel the need to review them. Probably won't be often, but here is the first family favorite recipe.

CHICKEN AND VEGGIE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
(for casserole) 1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 cup of cooked carrots
1 can of corn
(for topping) Bisquick
milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix cream of chicken, cooked carrots, and corn in a casserole dish. Add chicken and stir in gently,
3. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from oven
4. Follow directions on bisquick box for biscuits. Spread around only the edges of casserole (if you spread it over all, it will seep through and you'll have a disaster in your oven).
5. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden.
6. Remove and sprinkle cheese over casserole. Let sit 5 minutes then serve!