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  • Car Seat Safety-Can You Do This?

    A few years ago I shared this post and I feel like it’s time to share it again.

    Because it really, really doesn’t matter what sort of car seat you have if you don’t pay attention to this…

    My family and I went on a road trip yesterday, my pregnant belly in the picture is now and bright and bubbly almost two year old and the 4 year old here just turned 6. And he is still in this seat. And he knows the straps need to be tight. And I am just as passionate as ever about car seat safety…

    So here it is again, for anyone who may have missed it, for anyone who needs a reminder, or for anyone who just didn’t know…

    —————

    Thoughts on Car Seats from Paramedics… feel free to share.

    Alexander turned 4 and we decided it was time to get him a new car seat, with a baby on the way we knew we could use his old one for her and buy him a new seat for the next 4 or so years.

    So we purchased this one and love it.

    I’m a member of a lot of mothers groups and communities and the discussion around car seats is ALWAYS a heated one. People give their opinions on rear facing vs forward facing, side seat vs middle seat, chest clip height (FYI – Australia doesn’t use chest clips), straps, wearing jumpers… if there’s something to have an opinion on, it has been discussed before.

    But I wanted to share something my husband and I were discussing.

    See, together we have over 20 years of on road experience as Paramedics. We have been to more car accidents than you could imagine and seen more mangled car seats than I’d like to share.

    While we know the science and research backs up our opinions, that’s not what we are sharing here. We wanted to share what we have seen and experienced in our job.

    When you become a parent you spend AGES researching the ‘best’ car seat. You look for safety features, star ratings and reviews and fret over if you can afford the best.

    But, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend on a car seat if you DON’T strap your child in.

    Between my husband and I, in our 20 years experience, we have NOT seen a single child harmed in a car accident where the child was restrained in their seat properly.

    Not a single one.

    That’s not to say it hasn’t happened, but out of 20 years, and a whole lot of accidents, that’s a pretty darn good indicator of the importance of using a car seat properly.

    We’ve seen car seats ejected from vehicles, we’ve seen cars that have rolled over so many times you can barely tell which way is up, we’ve seen accidents where you would be certain there would be no survivors.

    But in our experience, the biggest difference between a child’s safety hasn’t been if they were in the $600 car seat or the $200 one. It’s been about those straps.

    How tight are you making the straps on your child’s seat? Can they pull their own arms out of them? Can you only fit one or two fingers underneath them? Do they have a big puffy jacket on that stops them from being strapped in properly?

    Would you be confident in doing THIS to them? Would you be confident in turning your child upside down in their seat?

    Car seats have incredible safety designs now, they are designed to cocoon your child, protect them as they roll and are thrown around in an accident. but they can only do this if your child is restrained properly.

    So next time you buckle your child in, ask yourself… would I be confident in turning them upside down in their seat right now?

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/theempoweredmama/

     

  • SORTEDfood // Best Costumes

    source

  • Yes I Am Wearing A Coat I Know Its Sunny

    Yes I am wearing a coat I am well aware that the sun is shining and all the people around me are in their summer gear.

    Do you think I left the house not realising I was wearing it? Nooo so why point it out?

    “Aren’t you hot” well no I’m not otherwise I would surely remove it wouldn’t I!!!

    Another one I hear regularly is… “you must be mad” oh right so my mental health is affecting my ability to make wise fashion decisions.

    I’m wearing a coat because I’m bloody cold… all the time.

    I have Raynaud’s disease.

    Yes I Am Wearing A Coat I Know Its Sunny
    Yes I Am Wearing A Coat I Know Its Sunny

    It is a disorder that typically does not come with severe complications. The symptoms usually arise when a person is cold.

    These can include pain and numbness in the extremities, a pins and needles sensation, having difficulty moving the affected area, and the skin turning white or blue.

    It occurs due to the blood restriction and blood vessel reaction when the body is cold, reducing circulation to the fingers, toes and sometimes the entire body.

    These symptoms can last anywhere from a few minutes to many hours. Typically, symptoms can be treated on one’s own, simply by keeping warm. However, Raynaud’s is classified as a blood circulation disease and can worsen and cause further complications if left untreated for an extended period.

    Raynaud syndrome, is also known as Raynaud’s phenomenon,or Raynauds diease, I don’t like my fingers being so painful I can’t move them so I’ll carry on wearing my coat, thanks for your damn concern

     

  • A Miraculous Micro-Preemie Birth Story

    A Miraculous Micro-Preemie Birth Story and Why Every Baby Should Get To Keep Their Own Cord Attached

    I have something crazy to tell you. I’ve only ever told a very small handful of people. Very small. I’ve never went public with this.

    My micropreemie twins (born at 1 lb, 3 oz and 1 lb, 7 oz) were not born at a hospital.

    At 25 weeks gestation, I started to have some cramping in the middle of the night. I took a hot bath and the cramps subsided. I drank tons of water and laid in bed. When I felt a little more cramping, I took another hot bath and they subsided again. I really thought I was fine, nothing to see here. I’ve gone past (even WAY past) my due dates with all my other babies!

    Fast forward to early morning and I realized that I needed to get to a hospital NOW.

    But it was too late. I felt the urge to push.

    I reached down and felt…

    a baby’s head.

    I rushed downstairs to load up in the van (I had already woke up hubby and he was getting us out the door).

    But it was too late.

    I went to the downstairs bathroom and instinctively reached down to catch a baby. I put this baby on my right quadricep and reached for another baby with my left hand. I put the second baby on my left quadricep.

    Right there in my bathroom. Two teeny babies were born.

    I yelled for hubby to get in there and he was already on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. Baby B was still in the sac. I had given birth 4 times before this, three of those times being healthy, full-term homebirths. I knew we needed to rupture the sac so hubby did this in about two seconds. Both 25 week babies were breathing on their own! Baby A was making tiny, little noises.

    Soon Baby B started to turn blue though, we thought we were losing her/him. We didn’t know if he/she would make it, if either of them would make it. Hubby takes CPR classes every year at work so he knew exactly what to do.

    Hubby gave breaths until the paramedics arrived.

    What a sight those men saw!

    The paramedics didn’t act panicked but they obviously had no clue what to do. I yelled at them to give my babies oxygen!!

    This next decision saved their lives! THIS is why I’m sharing my story!! The paramedics wanted to cut the babies’ umbilical cords so that they could get us to the hospital easier.

    They didn’t know they were dealing with an experienced home-birth Mama!!

    NO WAY was I letting them cut my babies’ cords!! I don’t even cut my 40-week cords right after birth! And those babies were full-term! The nourishment and stem cells and oxygen that my babies were getting from their cords was their only hope!

    The paramedics kept insisting and arguing that we get the cords cut. I replied, “I am NOT cutting these cords, get me on the stretcher and get us to the hospital NOW.” I think they possibly assumed that the babies wouldn’t make it and only mother needed care. I didn’t need any medical attention whatsoever. I just wanted my babies helped!

    On the 5 minute drive to the hospital, they still kept pressuring me to cut the cords! I changed the subject… “Can you look and tell me if I have boys or girls or one of each? That poor paramedic having to lift a leg the size of his pinky. He announced the first one… girl. He checked the second one… girl! My heart was melted! Even in a scary situation, I remained calm. Because of Jesus within me!

    The key miracle in this story: We made it to the hospital with cords still attached! And babies still alive! They got to keep their cords attached for 20 minutes! Thus saving their lives!

    Later that day and for months to come, the neonatologist and staff went on and on and ON about how leaving the cords attached absolutely saved Hannah and Haley’s lives!!! The neonatologist that was there that day had even published a paper about Delayed Cord Clamping!

    So whether your baby is 25 weeks or 40 weeks, DEMAND that your baby’s cord is left attached until it has turned completely white and has stopped pulsing! For some babies, this will be 45 minutes to an hour!

    To rob a sweet newborn baby of her very own blood is criminal! One-third of the blood that belongs IN your baby’s body is still in the cord and placenta at birth! This means we should be waiting until the cord has turned white and stopped pulsing before we even THINK about cutting off baby’s blood supply!

    And seriously, what’s the hurry? Is doctor’s lunch or clean-up more important than your baby getting all those amazing stem cells that go to work doing powerful things? Baby needs those stem cells! They provide healing for every nook and cranny of baby’s body and they provide amazing nourishment. Not only that, but they provide long-term health benefits as well! Staff can work on compromised babies right on Mama’s belly with cord attached!

    When babies start off WITHOUT 1/3 of their very OWN blood, they are now compromised and health problems can arise. Please, no matter what any doctor (or paramedic!) ever tells you, let baby have her OWN blood from that cord!!

    I will say, the paramedics were only following protocol, I don’t blame them. In fact, they were such sweethearts and visited us in the hospital several times. They genuinely cared about how we were doing. We’ve since visited then at the station and thanked them for arriving quickly and getting us to the hospital in record time.

    PS: Your baby’s blood is perfect. Decline the “Vitamin” K shot. If you read the manufacturer’s insert, you’ll see that it can cause death, jaundice, respiratory distress, cardiac distress, and more. It’s not “just a vitamin.” It’s a toxic concoction meant to sludge up your baby’s blood. Your baby is perfect just the way God made her, blood and all! Perfect even at 25 weeks… but 40 weeks is more ideal!

    #MicroPreemieMiracles #MightyGod #Hannah #Haley #18MonthsAndThriving

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1549298395

  • Vaginal Breech Birth Story

    🌻vαgínαl вrєєch вírth stσrч🌻

    “I had a big fear of giving birth again after my traumatic experience with the birth of my son.

    I was determined this time around to better that experience and take the trauma and fear of birth out of it.

    I found out at 32 weeks that my daughter was Frank Breech, with that came a lot of anxiety and fear as I automatically thought I’d have to have a cesarean.

    I was so unsure and had a lot of mixed emotions about having a breech baby. As society has made it that it’s not normal having a breech baby and people will tell you it results in a cesarean.

    I had a failed ECV and i was left feeling deflated and I felt all the emotions and fear of my sons birth coming back.

    I was thankful enough to have myself an amazing student midwife who was equipped with so much knowledge and understanding of a breech birth, she reassured me that it was another variation of “normal” and that I could do it! So with that she gave me all the information I needed and I did my research.

    After doing my research and empowering myself I made the decision to try a VBB.

    Let me tell you that I had the most amazing empowering breech birth!

    My birth was completely hands off with no intervention. It is another form of normal and it doesn’t end in a cesarean.

    Vaginal Breech Birth Story
    Vaginal Breech Birth Story

    Our bodies and babies are amazing working together and knowing exactly what to do.

    I’m super grateful that I had an amazing student midwife and hospital who supported a VBB and also an amazing birth team.

    Breech is another normal way to birth your baby! Breech is empowering! I will forever be changed by my daughters birth. The fear and anxiety I once had about birth is gone!”

    Story told by Momma: @laalaa7 on IG

  • Two 14 Year Olds Guilty Of Murdering Female Classmate

    Two 14-year-old boys have been found guilty of murdering a female classmate who was lured to an abandoned house, savagely beaten and sexually assaulted in a case that has shaken Ireland.

    The battered and partially clothed body of Ana Kriégel was found in a derelict farmhouse in Lucan, a Dublin suburb, on 17 May 2018, three days after she went missing.

    On Tuesday at the end of a harrowing seven-week trial at the central criminal court in Dublin. They became the youngest people in Irish history to be convicted of murder.

    The boys, both 13 at the time, denied the charges and were granted anonymity during the trial due to their age, being referred to as Boy A and Boy B.

    The jury found that Boy A inflicted severe, extensive injuries to 14-year-old Ana’s head and neck and violently sexually assaulted her.

    They found that Boy B lured Ana from her home and led her to the farmhouse aware of what was going to happen, watched the assault and covered up afterwards. Both boys were 13 at the time.

    Ana’s parents, Patric and Geraldine Kriégel, hugged each other and their friends and wept in the courtroom after the verdict.

    Boy B’s father briefly left the court before returning and clapping loudly in protest, saying: “An innocent child is going to prison.”

    Both boys were remanded into custody pending probation reports and sentencing. In Ireland, children convicted of crimes are seldom sentenced to more than three years, but for serious crimes judges have discretion to impose longer sentences.

    Leaving court, the Kriégels said: “Ana was a dream come true for us and she always will be.”

    The case received extensive media coverage but as the trial progressed some people in Ireland seemed to tune out, calling the details too distressing.

    The Kriégels adopted their daughter from Russia when she was two years old. She had poor eyesight and hearing, the result of an extracted tumour.

    Geraldine Kriégel told the court her daughter was a kind, vulnerable soul who loved to sing and dance at home but struggled in her studies and tried in vain to make friends. A teacher told the couple she was “terrified” that other children would mock her.

    Both boys were said to be from stable, middle-class homes. The prosecution alleged Boy B lured Ana from her home on the pretence of meeting Boy A, in whom Ana was “interested”. He led Ana to Glenwood House, an abandoned property on Clonee Road, Lucan, where Boy A was waiting.

    Prosecutors said forensic evidence showed that the victim fought for her life against Boy A.

    The jury was shown a concrete block and a metre-long stick stained with her blood. Builder’s tape was looped around her neck.

    Boy A’s semen was found on her torn top.There were around 60 areas of injury to her body.

    When police searched Boy A’s home they found a backpack with a “murder kit” that included a homemade zombie mask, black gloves, shin guards and a knee pad.

    They also found a book with a “satanic pledge” and a set of homework club rules referring to a “satanist cult”.

    Officers also found blood on Ana’s bra, which had been torn and badly damaged, with parts of the fabric pulled and stretched, and more blood on her leggings and underwear.

    During the trial, both boys tried to pin blame on each other – with Boy B claiming he was “set up” by his pal.

    But cops searching his home found adhesive tape that was the same brand found around Ana’s neck.

    Both boys denied any knowledge of the killing. Told by police that Ana’s blood had been found on his boots, Boy A replied: “Are you joking me? Are you actually being serious?”

    But jurors in their six week trial saw through their lies and they were today convicted after 14 hours and 25 minutes of deliberation.

    Both boys have been remanded in custody until July 15.

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/UKdatabaseREAL/

     

  • Back In The Days Of Tanners And Bobs

    Back in the days of tanners and bobs,

    When Mothers had patience and Fathers had jobs.

    When football team families wore hand me down shoes,

    and T.V gave only two channels to choose.

    Back in the days of threepenny bits,

    when schools employed nurses to search for your nits.

    When snowballs were harmless; ice slides were permitted

    and all of your jumpers were warm and hand knitted.

    Back in the days of hot ginger beers,

    when children remained so for more than six years.

    When children respected what older folks said,

    and pot was a thing you kept under your bed.

    Back in the days of Listen with Mother,

    when neighbours were friendly and talked to each other.

    When cars were so rare you could play in the street.

    When Doctors made house calls; Police walked the beat.

    Back in the days of Milligan’s Goons,

    when butter was butter and songs all had tunes.

    It was dumplings for dinner and trifle for tea,

    and your annual break was a day by the sea.

    Back in the days of Dixon’s Dock Green,

    Crackerjack pens and Lyons ice cream.

    When children could freely wear National Health glasses,

    and teachers all stood at the FRONT of their classes.

    Back in the days of rocking and reeling,

    when mobiles were things that you hung from the ceiling.

    When woodwork and pottery got taught in schools,

    and everyone dreamt of a win on the pools.

    Back in the days when I was a lad,

    I can’t help but smile for the fun that I had.

    Hopscotch and roller skates; snowballs to lob.

    Back in the days of tanners and bobs.

  • Here’s Why Good Teachers Are Leaving Their Professions

    The filter comes off now.

    .

    I think it’s easier for people to believe that I left teaching because of the lousy pay. It was easier for my former HR director to believe it was because I found something that I was more passionate about. Some would allow them to assume that… let them be comfortable in their assumptions because your truth may lead to discomfort of others. Well… I’m not some. That ain’t me!!!

    .

    Let me tell you why those who ooze passion for teaching are leaving the occupation like their hair is on fire…

    .

    1. The old excuse “the kids have changed”. No. No friggin way. Kids are kids. PARENTING has changed. SOCIETY has changed. The kids are just the innocent victims of that. Parents are working crazy hours, consumed by their devices, leaving kids in unstable parenting/coparenting situations, terrible media influences… and we are going to give the excuse that the KIDS have changed?

    What did we expect them to do? Kids behave in undesirable ways in the environment they feel safest. They test the water in the environment that they know their mistakes and behaviors will be treated with kindness and compassion. For those “well behaved” kids–they’re throwing normal kid tantrums at home because it’s safe. The kids flipping tables at school? They don’t have a safe place at home. Our classrooms are the first place they’ve ever heard ‘no’, been given boundaries, shown love through respect. Cue “the kids have changed”

    .

    2. In the midst of all of this… our response is we need to be “21st Century” schools. 1 to 1 student to technology. Oh. Okay. So forget the basics of relationship building and hands on learning. Kids already can’t read social cues and conduct themselves appropriately in social settings… let’s toss more devices at them because it looks good on our website. During an interview, one division asked me “how are you with technology? That’s important to us”. Uhhh… I hear Bobo the chimpanzee is pretty tech savvy… I consider myself pretty great with kids.

    .

    3. And since our technology approach doesn’t seem to be working, teachers must need more training. So take away two planning periods a week. And render that time utterly worthless when it comes to ADDING to the quality of the instruction. Just this year, a new math assessment was introduced for K teachers. We had to attend a training on a school day (time missed with students) then it took us THREE WEEKS to administer it… one on one… to 21 students. Such. A. Waste. All of the info I could have told you about them without taking away from precious instructional time.

    .

    4. Instead of holding parents accountable… and making them true partners, we’ve adopted a customer service mindset. I’ve seen the Facebook rants about attendance and getting “the letter”. Well, here’s the thing… I can’t teach your child if he’s not in school 🤷‍♀️. I was cussed out by parents who wanted to attend field trips but missed the THREE notes that went home–and when they did attend a trip, sat on their phone the entire time. I’ve had parents stand me up multiple times on Conference Days then call to tattle on me when I refused to offer an after school option. I’ve had parents tell me that I’m not allowed to tell their child ‘no’…

    .

    5. My mental and physical health was in jeopardy every.single.day. Knowing that your kids need and deserve more than they’re getting. Sitting in one meeting after another, begging for more support, only to be told ‘don’t lose sleep over them’… when you LOVE your kids and are PASSIONATE about your mission… these messages tear you apart. Watching them come in… dirty clothes… chaos at home… and knowing they need more than you can give them in a classroom of 21, with less and less support, multple languages spoken, several different disabilities… it breaks you. We become emotional eaters. We become couch potatoes to zone out. We become so short fused that our families suffer.

    .

    So… that’s why.

    .

    I finally realized… you can’t save them all. You can’t even help 21 if you aren’t healthy yourself. If your mental and physical health aren’t a focus, you aren’t even good for the 21.

    .

    I left my retirement fund… my paid sick leave (46 days left on the table, unpaid). I didn’t leave for better pay.

    .

    I decided to start with my 1 at home… and work to help other mommas be able to show up for their ones at home. Because… I really do believe it starts there ❤ I found something that allows me to impact the environments that those 21 go home to. I found something that I can make an impact with… that doesn’t leave my tank empty, rendering me useless for others.

    .

    I may have left the classroom… but I am still advocating for those kiddos. It just looks different now

    Credit. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7821126

     

  • Dog Savagely Ripped To Bits

    HEARTBROKEN 💔💔

    My best little doggy pal Teddy Daly ❣️ while walking on his lead with me on the beach in Dollymount, Dublin this morning was dragged from me by TWO MASTIFF PITBULLS type dogs and was savagely ripped to bits while screaming and crying for me to help him 😰

    I’m DEVASTATED

    I tried to beat the dogs off but it had no effect, my big stick broke on its head and I feared for my own life and for little Amber who I was holding tightly. I was screaming for help but the owner stayed hidden in the sand dunes 😡

    Eventually Teddy fell like a rag doll, they thought he was dead and they sauntered off into the dunes to their owner.

    Two men helped me carry him back to the car where the Guards were waiting for me. They drove me to the vet hospital in Raheny where the very helpful team of vets said they hadn’t seen such horrific injuries and there was no hope for Teddy 💔💔😢😢

    Eoin, Liam, Carolyn & Avril were all there with me and we kissed, hugged, and held his paws in my hands saying goodbye before he closed his eyes ❣️

    VERY IMPORTANT

    If anyone knows someone with two GOLDY/beige and white type pit bull mastiffs or similar to this breed in Dublin Ireland please pass on a message to me or the guards in Raheny

    The Guards are very keen to find this owner as he lets them run free without muzzles.

    I’ve no doubt they will do this again and possibly to a little child

    PLEASE HELP FIND HIM

    have a little thought or prayer for my best little pal Teddy, anyone who knows me knows I was absolutely crazy about him, he went everywhere with me 💔💔❣️❣️

    WARNING UPSETTING PHOTO BELOW

     

    Dog Savagely Ripped To Bits
    Dog Savagely Ripped To Bits

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/deirdrecotter.daly

     

  • I Know The McCanns Didn’t Do It

    From Rachel Oldfield’s statement regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann:

    “Anyone with an ounce of common sense really would be able to see that they couldn’t have done it. I was there and I know that they didn’t do it.”

    Do ‘what’, exactly, Rachel? Arrange for their child to be taken away? Kill their child? Fail to resuscitate their child following a fatal accident? Hide the corpse of their child? Instigate the most audacious hoax and scam this world has ever seen? All of the above? Come on, don’t be so vague! Tell us PRECISELY what they “couldn’t” have done, and HOW you can be so sure! Spell it out for all of us who have so much less “common sense” than you do, you who left your sick baby alone in a dark room.

    Just as a reminder, this is a woman, a “mother”, who also made the following statement, for which I have NO WORDS. Here she is talking about her tiny, poorly BABY DAUGHTER, 19 months old, although you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s referring to a scrawny stinky flea-infested stray puppy they’d picked up off the street:

    “She, yeah because erm, we didn’t, we don’t really like sleeping in the same room as her but there wasn’t really nowhere else to put her cos you know, obviously she was going to bed at seven thirty and then we’d have had to kind of hide in the bathroom or something for the rest of the night, so we put, yeah she slept in our room as well erm”…..

    “Yeah. So basically we’d go and have dinner and then we’d sort of run back you know every fifteen twenty minutes and have a listen at the door and make sure nobody’s screaming their head off”….

    “Erm well we’d go into the room, which ordinarily we wouldn’t do to be honest, erm but she seemed to have diarrhoea and kind of, I mean she’d settled quite well actually cos she’d been tired every evening, erm but every morning when she woke up, she had diarrhoea and it had gone right through her grow bag and so there’s all this sort of horrendous smell, so in the evenings when we were checking, we’d go into the room just to see if you know, there was any sort of smell yet, erm and just to make sure she was alright, to make sure she hadn’t been sick, partly I think cos Matt had been sick, just wanted to make sure she hadn’t been, in case it was some sort of bug…”

    Un-bloody-believable. Literally.