What is a prepuce?

Lets break this one down, shall we?


To define Prepuce, we asked dictionary.com, and here is what they had to say:

1.  the retractable fold of skin covering the tip of the penis Nontechnical name foreskin

2. a similar fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris.


That's right. Clitoris AND foreskin. 
The foreskin is the exact same tissue as the clitoral hood.  Between 10,000 and 20,000 specialized erotogenic nerve endings reside in that piece of flesh.
That means that by circumcising your son, or daughter, you are depriving them of 10-20K nerve endings. Talk about interfering with their future sex life!
Lets talk about some of the effects of circumcising your infant.  The foreskin, or clitoral hood acts as a protective cover for the glans, or clitoris, and prevents it from drying, callusing, and abrasion.( Additionally, it protects from environmental contaminants. But we will get into that later. )Nature intended the glans, or clitoris to be a protected internal organ, kind of like your eyeball. Your eye lid covers it, and protects it from harm.  While there is no formal studies, many circumcised people report of decreased sensitivity over time.

There is this ridiculous myth floating around that the prepuce doesn't have pain receptors until the child is 6 months old. What? No. We are born fully functioning. Infants feel pain the same as you an I do, only one difference. We have pain tolerance. We, as adults, as used to pain, and have coping mechanisms. An infant is brand spanking new, and looks to you as his/her protector. It is a myth that circumcisions are routinely done with pain medications.  That means your baby feels as her/his prepuce is being ripped off of her/him with a scalpel.

I commonly hear that parents circumcised their children because it was more sanitary. WRONG. Lets break this down. The prepuce is sealed to protect from environmental contaminants. On a female and a male. On a male, the prepuce is sealed, and will separate when it is ready. It should be manipulated by your child, and only your child.  Its easy to care for, Intact don't retract! Only clean what is seen! It is not more prone to infection, or sexually transmitted diseases.


Are you completely creeped out by the mention of female circumcision in this post? Why? Female circumcision was not banned in the US until 1996. It is the same thing, prepuce. It is the same procedure.  Why is it not okay for our daughters, but perfectly acceptable for our sons? I fail to see the difference. Hopefully this article has helped you see the similarities, and you can help fight for our sons, just like we fight for our daughters.

Most importantly, please do not take this as an attack at your parenting. Take it instead as a learning experience. I want you to read my posts and be inspired to further research!  I want to inspire you to save your future sons, and help save your friends sons.
"When we know better, we do better."- Mary Angelou
Thank you for reading, and happy researching!

Mama Cloth!

Enjoy this guest blog post about a mama, and her journey with cloth!

When I first started to cloth diaper I was told about Cloth pads, or mama cloth. I thought, really? No WAY I could do that or was going to. The idea just seemed gross, uncomfortable, and weird. I thought it would be like wearing a diaper, and no different from wearing pads; I used tampons. But then I started reading up on it, asking around about it, and when a friend offered to make me up some for no cost, I couldn't pass her up. Now, I am in love!Mama cloth is a reusable feminine pad for use during your period. It takes place of tampons or the disposable pads. There is a different length and thickness for each part of your cycle and even customizable patterns and designs. Most of them have wings that snap underneath so no stickiness to deal with or sliding around on the underwear! Some are stuffable and some are AIO, kind of like the cloth diapers. There are also reusable tampons but I'm still not sure on trying those yet.Why I finally decided to try the mama cloth? Simple. It was better for my body. And a LOT cheaper in the long run. Disposable ones are chemical filled and toxic, not to mention they seemed to smell up the bathroom and you had to keep buying them. With tampons, theres also the risk of TTS or toxic shock syndrome. Take a tampon and stick it in a cup of water for a couple hours; the cloudiness is everything being absorbed into your body. With cloth, it's more comfortable. It's a whole lot softer and basically feels like your cotton underwear. Cloth pads are also more breathable, which means no yucky rash during the hot days. They are just as absorbant as the regular ones so it's really not as gross as it sounds. Just make sure to change it often. And no, they don't leak! And washing them is no problem. I also use family cloth (or cloth toilet paper) so I usually throw my pads in with those and wash every night. You could also wash them with your cloth diapers if you don't mind. I don't think it matters what type of laundry soap you use, but I use a cloth diaper safe brand, just because :). If you want to know where to buy them, look online. There are many places that sell them. I get mine from randumosity.com or I have a friend make them. Do a google search for cloth pads or mama cloth and I am sure many sites will come up. If you live in a bigger city I am sure local stores sell them too. You just have to search around. Try them! You won't go back to your old disposables! And if you're anything like me, the saved money is worth it alone! 

Why I use mama cloth:
Many women do not realize the amount of chemicals within their store bought disposables, or how they may correlate with gynecological concerns. Disposable pad and tampon companies are not required to list the ingredients on labels. Some irritating or toxic ingredients found in disposables include:

 

 From Sheena Halliwell.

aluminum, alcohols, fragrance additives, and hydrocarbons. Tampon bleaching processes leave behind dioxin. Dioxin is a toxic chemical (chlorine-compound) linked to cancer, immune system suppression, ulceration, pelvic inflammatory disease,reduced fertility, changes in hormone levels and endometriosis. Try this simple test: Place a regular tampon in glass of water and return in a few hours. You will find the water cloudy and filled with residue - all things that your body is otherwise absorbing into the soft tissues of the vagina.

 The blog I have  (although I haven't written on it in a while......) is savewithcloth.com

also, she shared this little tid bit with me the other day!

Define: Dirty Hippie.

I'm a simple girl really.

 or at least i try to be. simplicity is my everyday quest, something I'm always trying to find ways to work towards. I'm always looking for ways to chip off the modern amenities that fill our lives with sound, and find a quiet happy spot. you know the place, where everyone is happy, and wants for nothing. you feel loved, and content. Accomplished,yet simple.

my family, by any means, are no where near this place. we know where it is. we are just lost trying to get there. so here we are, learning the skills we will one day need. enjoying putting those into play, and living our everyday lives :D

I frequently refer to myself as a hippie, and am slowly converting my circle of friends into fellow hippies. i feel very strongly about natural healing, heirloom quality foods, lowercase letters, forgotten crafts, unassisted, or at least intervention free pregnancies and births, breast feeding, car seat safety, and making everything from scratch. i am also notoriously stubborn, and am often told i could argue with a fencepost. i have a fiery temper, but i blame that on the red hair and irish heritage.

I love who i am, and where i am in life.

 Who are you? How do you describe yourself? What defines you?

christmas in july.

I don't know about you.. but i am a little OCD when it comes to Christmas. okay, truth be told, I'm UBER OCD about Christmas time.  I am incredibly stubborn about decorations, food, festivities, and gifts. I refuse to give gift cards, and generic gifts. I want each and every single one to have meaning to the person I am giving it to. On top of that, I have a very large family, and we all exchange gifts. In past years, I have tried to cram everything into October, November, and December.. and its just nerve wrecking.

 2 years ago I discovered flylady,  It is a great home organizational system that allows those of us who need some strict routine to stay on top of things like, meals, chores, clutter, laundry, and Christmas. When the holidays near, they have a whole section dedicated to Christmas time! The goal in their system is to be completely done with Christmas buying by November 1st.  I very quickly decided that should be my goal, so i can enjoy the season and not worry about crowds, budgets, and the 40982843729485784.7 gifts i need to buy!

 Last year... it did NOT happen.  We took the handmade pledge a little late in the year, and i was struggling to make/buy all the handmade gifts we would need in time! I finished the very last one on Dec. 24th... talk about cutting it close! 

This year.. I am determined to make that happen! Brace yourselves... I have already started on my Christmas shopping! GASP! i know right?   But its only July?!?!

However, I will be well prepared this year, and not struggle so much to come up with handmade items. I have almost all the children bought for, and partial gifts for most of the grandparents/great grandparents. My mother has requested Pajama's for her and my stepfather and I will be working on those this week.

As I am working on finding the things I wish to buy, I am quickly realizing that winter things are much cheaper in July :) By starting now, in July, I am making it much easier for us to stick to our Budget. We all know that Christmas can be taxing on the bank account, and impulse buying is at a all time high at the end of the year. We are very carefully saving to put down 100% on land, and the more frugal we are, the sooner we are living our dreams.  On top of that, the day i can talk my husband into putting up our tree ( usually way earlier than December, lol), I can have gifts under it, and that oh so awesome sense of accomplishment!

 My favorite plus to finish Christmas shopping early is being able to enjoy the true reason for the season without the distractions of the consumer side of the holiday. <3.

What are your plans for Christmas's shopping?   How do you coordinate it for your families?

Headstrong.

This is something that has been heavy on my heart for a while now, and this post is emotionally charged. Consider yourself warned. <3

I've come to notice, as a whole, our society is incredibly headstrong. We have barricaded ourselves in with others who believe the same as us, and shun anyone who dares to question us.  To me, this says something drastic about society. If we cannot take advice from one another, how on earth can we learn from one another?!  There are several things i feel  very passionate about. Breastfeeding,  keeping babies whole, carseat safety, just to name a few.. And trust me, if any of these apply to you, i am going to ask you if you have researched, offer some statistics, and see if i can support you in any way. 

But how will you react?  Experience has told me that majority is going to react with defense.  When someone first pointed out to me that Brice was not properly buckled in his carseat i blew them off to shut them up. I kept him in a harness longer than his father, because he felt  too small to be in a booster at barely 2. Wasn't that enough? As i sat home later that week, i thought... maybe i SHOULD read up on this. Research quickly pointed out that he should be rearfacing, with snug straps, and a chest clip instead of a belly clip. How lucky we were that he was uninjured.  However, when i point out to a mom that their child is not properly buckled, i generally get blown off as well. I point out safe options, i offer to help install, they don't want it. "baby doesn't like facing backwards, he wants to see, and i don't want to hear him fuss"  is what i'm told. i don't know about you... but i would rather have a fussy child, than a internally decapitated one...

As I watch my friends circumcise their boys, I literally go home and cry. I refuse to come around the week of the surgery, because it is just too heartbreaking to me. How can someone do this to their children? How can you be so blind to not read the statistics?! When i point out information to them, i am told "he should be like the other boys." 68% of american boys are intact. 90% worldwide. She shakes her head no, and dismisses me.  It is very hard for me to respect their choices, but i take a step back, and just distance my self a little. I have failed this baby, by not showing his mother the true harm of it, but there is nothing i can do. Society has trained her to not listen to facts, but stereotypes.   

When I push someone to explore our of their own realm of thinking, i am treated as if i am interfering where it is none of my business. I know a lot of other moms are treated the same as well.  This saddens me. How can we learn from one another if we cant even take a second to listen to some information, and take the time to research it?    We have to break this cycle. Our children, our families, our society, our nation needs us to. When I offer advice to someone about anything, it is not because i am nosy, and need everything to be my way. It is because i CARE. What if I do not speak up, and something happens to that child? What if i do speak up, and it is received with interest? I feel as if we must always attempt to say something because it may make a difference. That difference can save a life.

  I was once told, "When we know better, we do better."  This is so true. I challenge you to open your mind when someone suggests something to you. And when you see someone doing something unsafe, please, offer them some advice. Even if you know you will probably be shut down, do it anyways. You never know, that person may be open to suggestions too :)   Lets shift that headstrong. Let's make it, "Our society is headstrong about advocacy." 

Making Eating Healthy Easy!

As you probably know, eating healthy is super duper important to this dirty hippie.  We go to great lengths to ensure we eat whole, quality foods. No HFCS, no GMO's, no processed foods, everything organic. And, if we have the option, then Fair Trade is equally important to us.  Sounds like a handful right?  Well, not so much if you shop at a health food store. Problem is, we live in a very rural area. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE it out here, but things can be a bit of a challenge to obtain.  So, we drive an hour to grocery shop at The Cupboard Natural Foods, but to minimize our impact on the planet, we decided we would only go once a month.
Only one slight problem... That never happened. We have been going every two weeks for the past several months. This week I decided to change that. You can too!
First i started off with a menu plan from The Money Saving Mom. I absolutely LOVE this blog! This mama rocks!   I picked her 4 week plan, sat down, and spent an hour planning our our whole months worth of meals. I also referenced her own menu plans when i was drawing a blank, worked GREAT! Don't forget to reference your own schedule to accomodate for days you will be busy.  To keep you on track with your plan, make sure you put a few easy meals back in the freezer, so when you just *don't want to* you don't have to:)
Then, I took my menu plan, which I was uber proud of, and made a shopping list from it. 'Twas a doozy! Added a few condiments we were low on, juices,  extra snacks, and VOILA! doneski!
Tomorrow we will test it out! I will let ya know how it goes!

How do you plan for your meals?

sposies vs cloth diapers.

It's a dramatic war. . . each side generally feels strongly about what side they are on, and to be honest, (with the risk of offending), a lot of false information is holding people steadfast to the side they choose. I would like to clear that up :D First, lets look at the CONS.

*disposables*

1. A disposable diaper takes 550 years to break down.(oh yeah, & that plastic bag you use to contain the stinkies? 20-1000 years...)
2. Sposies contain sodium polyacrylate, the clear gel-like substance that oozes out of an exploding diaper. Its super super absorbant, and is why your diaper lasts 4 hours. It was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome.
3. TBT or Tributylin  has even been found in sposies... TBT is a biocide and is used in killing or preventing the growth of bacteria, and also is ranked as one of the most toxic substances in use in consumer products in the world today.
4. New scientific studies have linked disposable diapers with asthma in studies with mice.

Even if you can get past all that, how's about this:

5. "Rinse or shake diaper contents into the toilet.  Wrap diaper securely inside it's back sheet before discarding into waste receptacle."

(thanks for the image knicker nappies)

6. Average cost of disposable diapers: $1600 if they are in them two years.

*cloth diapers*

1. Initial investment - around $300 .
2. You have to wash them every 3 days or so. This means 2-3 loads more of laundry a week.
3. It takes a bit of trial and error to learn what routine fits your family best. 
4. Sometimes, you need to sun them ro remove stains.
5. You have to dump solids in the toilet.

PROS

*disposables*

1. No learning curve, slap em on and go.
2. Very trim.

*cloth*

1. 1/10th the cost of disposables.
2. One investment & can be used for every baby you have.
3. No harsh chemicals harming your baby.
4. Really really super cute.
5. Your helping save the earth :)

So, you tell me, what makes more sense? 

We are giving away a handmade by me wool cover!

It will be made in the sized the winner needs.

To enter, leave a comment for each method you choose to enter, up to 4 times.

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Thanks so much!