Ahava & Amara Life Foundation

5.9 RICHTER EAST COAST ROCKER!

2011-08-25T13:31:00.002-04:00

Give Thanks For Life and Give Thanks for The Giving of Thanks...

Give Thanks some more as you continue to read or listen to this note.

There "was" a possibility that we could not be here to breathe and live.

2 days ago, the 5.9 East Coast North American 4 mile deep Tremor Caused me to grab my soon to be 6 year old daughter like a JUMBO SIZE BAG of organic blue corn chips.

It seemed as I glanced back at my desk, I literally sprang forward and cleared about 6 feet in a single bound - or maybe I was traveling. Either way I did move pretty fast.

After all why not!? The rumble and shakes were fast turning into sways! (At some point in time
I distinctly felt like I was on TV)

"Where's the Twins!?," someone shouted!

"Grab the babies!... Grab Apphiah!! I hollered.

"They're in the bedroom!" everybody seemed to shout.

"The door is locked!!!," Mama screamed.

"You're gonna have to break it down!," I shouted.

All this time the Jumbo bag of organic chips was becoming like a rag doll of sorts...

Eventually, within moments its seemed the door was sprawling open and we were heading out.

All Eight of us. (Except Golden the goldfish)

I pulled up the rear with the adrenalin laced rag doll (my daughter) in my arms partially settling on my right hip.

It all subsided...there was a steady flow of people and voices by now.

I never really went all the way outside. It was interesting to say the least. Everyone seemed more surprised than more prepared.

"We usually don't have earthquakes in this side of town..." they fussed and cussed.

Well the fact of the matter is we are on EARTH so it could quake... fair enough?

By the time I returned to my desk where I now type this report...One of the heavily laden mugs filled with pens and scissors and that type of clutter "kilkaytayed" all over my workstation.

That is a true story.

But that's not why we stopped by...

Wait... we do have more good news to share on EARTHQUAKE SAFETY:

See Below:

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what is called the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, and the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. They are everywhere.

TEN TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" when buildings collapse are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling

occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) It was discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Spread the word to everyone YOU care about and save someone's life!

Guest post by:

Baba YHWHdah

Protecting Mother Earth

2011-07-28T17:44:00.000-04:00

Massive earthquakes, tsunami's, tornadoes, hurricanes, mudslides, dust storms. Oil spills, unexplained bird deaths, massive fish kills, nuclear plant meltdowns. Are these symptoms of the human pillage of Mother Earth? What can be done about it? What should be done about it?

Why are we so carefree when it comes to protecting our home? We hear talk of certain chemicals reacting with the environment and damaging the ozone layer, we hear talk of global warming and within recent years there has been talk of a "green" revolution.

How many people are actually taking heed to these things and reevaluating their lifestyles and putting good habits into practice for themselves and future generations?

In Bolivia on April 22, 2010, the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth adopted the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth for their country and the Bolivian government also submitted the proposal to the United Nations for consideration on a global scale. Here it is as follows:

Preamble
We, the peoples and nations of Earth:

considering that we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny;

gratefully acknowledging that Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning and provides everything we need to live well;

recognizing that the capitalist system and all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse and contamination have caused great destruction, degradation and disruption of Mother Earth, putting life as we know it today at risk through phenomena such as climate change;

convinced that in an interdependent living community it is not possible to recognize the rights of only human beings without causing an imbalance within Mother Earth;

affirming that to guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings in her and that there are existing cultures, practices and laws that do so;

conscious of the urgency of taking decisive, collective action to transform structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth;

proclaim this Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, and call on the General Assembly of the United Nation to adopt it, as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations of the world, and to the end that every individual and institution takes responsibility for promoting through teaching, education, and consciousness raising, respect for the rights recognized in this Declaration and ensure through prompt and progressive measures and mechanisms, national and international, their universal and effective recognition and observance among all peoples and States in the world.

Article 1. Mother Earth
(1) Mother Earth is a living being.
(2) Mother Earth is a unique, indivisible, self-regulating community of interrelated beings that sustains, contains and reproduces all beings.
(3) Each being is defined by its relationships as an integral part of Mother Earth.
(4) The inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable in that they arise from the same source as existence.
(5) Mother Earth and all beings are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as may be made between organic and inorganic beings, species, origin, use to human beings, or any other status.
(6) Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings also have rights which are specific to their species or kind and appropriate for their role and function within the communities within which they exist.
(7) The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance and health of Mother Earth.
Article 2. Inherent Rights of Mother Earth
(1) Mother Earth and all beings of which she is composed have the following inherent rights:

(a) the right to life and to exist;

(b) the right to be respected;

(d) the right to maintain its identity and integrity as a distinct, self-regulating and interrelated being;

(e) the right to water as a source of life;

(f) the right to clean air;

(g) the right to integral health;

(h) the right to be free from contamination, pollution and toxic or radioactive waste;

(i) the right to not have its genetic structure modified or disrupted in a manner that threatens it integrity or vital and healthy functioning;

(j) the right to full and prompt restoration the violation of the rights recognized in this Declaration caused by human activities;

(2) Each being has the right to a place and to play its role in Mother Earth for her harmonious functioning.
(3) Every being has the right to wellbeing and to live free from torture or cruel treatment by human beings.
Article 3. Obligations of human beings to Mother Earth
(1) Every human being is responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth.
(2) Human beings, all States, and all public and private institutions must:

(a) act in accordance with the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;

(b) recognize and promote the full implementation and enforcement of the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;

(c) promote and participate in learning, analysis, interpretation and communication about how to live in harmony with Mother Earth in accordance with this Declaration;

(d) ensure that the pursuit of human wellbeing contributes to the wellbeing of Mother Earth, now and in the future;

(e) establish and apply effective norms and laws for the defence, protection and conservation of the rights of Mother Earth;

(f) respect, protect, conserve and where necessary, restore the integrity, of the vital ecological cycles, processes and balances of Mother Earth;

(g) guarantee that the damages caused by human violations of the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration are rectified and that those responsible are held accountable for restoring the integrity and health of Mother Earth;

(h) empower human beings and institutions to defend the rights of Mother Earth and of all beings;

(i) establish precautionary and restrictive measures to prevent human activities from causing species extinction, the destruction of ecosystems or the disruption of ecological cycles;

(j) guarantee peace and eliminate nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;

(k) promote and support practices of respect for Mother Earth and all beings, in accordance with their own cultures, traditions and customs;

(l) promote economic systems that are in harmony with Mother Earth and in accordance with the rights recognized in this Declaration.

Article 4. Definitions
(1) The term “being” includes ecosystems, natural communities, species and all other natural entities which exist as part of Mother Earth.
(2) Nothing in this Declaration restricts the recognition of other inherent rights of all beings or specified beings.

5 Fun things your children can do this summer

2011-05-26T21:49:00.000-04:00

Summertime!

Our family cannot wait for the weather to change so that we can do more outside activities. When we are able to shed all of the layers of under shirts, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, coats, scarves and gloves then transition into just a light jacket, we get excited because in a few short weeks we will no longer need the jackets. We are thrilled to trade the jackets for short sleeve shirts. We are appreciative of the sights and smells of the season change. The birds, the bugs, the flowers, and the trees. Everything that signals summer.

Usually around this time, the school year is winding down, most homeschooling families are finishing up their curriculum and preparing for next school year and awaiting the much needed break from a strict schedule and gliding into a slower pace filled with more outdoor activities and field trips. As our family begins to plan our summer, I began to think of 5 things that are fun that children can do this summer that is also very educational.

Reading

Reading truly is FUN-damental! Reading is a huge part of our lives and it should be fun and enjoyable. The library is a very great, free resource. The family should try to go together at least once a week during the summer. Leading by example is a good way to get children interested in reading. Find out what your children's favorite books are and delve into an adventure or two with them. Reading a good book is just as good as a mystery or adventure movie.

Writing

Your children can practice handwriting and letter writing skills by having a pen-pal. They will also learn to build long lasting friendships and communication skills. Having a pen-pal is a very fun and engaging learning experience.

Visit local historic sites

Every city in the world has some history behind it. Do an internet search and find out some secrets of your city and do some exploring with the family. Make sure to take some tools like a camera, notepad and pencil. Take lots of pictures and plenty of notes on what you discover and have the children do a report or presentation on the activity.

Plan/attend family reunion

Planning a family reunion can be very rewarding. There are many benefits of attending one as well. One can find out a lot about their family history by being around older family members. You can ask questions, hear stories and exchange information. All of this while having fun, eating good food, fellowship, playing games and so much more. Don't forget to have a camera/camcorder handy to capture memories.

Road trip

Going from one city to another or one state to another can be an excellent and fun learning experience. Reading signs and calculating distances can strengthen reading and math skills. The family can also strengthen the family bond by all being together and having conversations in the car. Diversity can be taught by being exposed to different cultures and foods in different restaurants.

The family will most definitely do all of these things this summer and more. What are 5 things that your family will be actively engaged in this summer?

Three (3) Generations

2011-04-27T20:09:00.000-04:00

My mother, our 1st born and me.

Breastfeeding Journey Continues

2011-04-17T20:31:00.011-04:00

Welcome to the April Carnival of Breastfeeding!

I am such a big advocate for all things natural, doing things the way nature intended. This includes eating fresh fruits and vegetables and using fresh herbs for cooking and maintaining a healthy environment within your body. This provides for a healthy pregnancy that will ultimately produce a healthy baby.

Once the baby is born, continue giving them those powerful nutrients through your "Liquid gold" (colostrum) for the first few days then the carbohydrate, fat and protein rich breastmilk along with all the appropriate vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes. I recommend mamas to breastfeed for at least those first few days, or at least 6 weeks, or at least 6 months or at least a year or two. :0)

I haven't breastfed any longer than 17 months yet, although I wanted to with my older 5 children. Our firstborn daughter was breastfed until she was 10 months old, by this time I was pregnant with my son and my nipples were very sensitive and nursing with this sensitivity was worse than a bad latch. He was breastfed for 15 months then I returned to work. My 2nd daughter was nursed for 10 months, then it was back to work again. Our twin daughters continued breastfeeding for 17 months, the longest so far.

I'm a stay at home mom now so I definitely intended to nurse them longer, but when I became pregnant with our 5th daughter my nipples were overly sensitive and the twins pulling and tugging on me was taking a toll. I tried toughing it out for awhile, my whole 1st trimester I was so sick. I couldn't keep anything down, if I drank water it came back up, I was so dehydrated and anemic. I'm surprised my breasts still produced milk! I absolutely had no appetite and lost about 15 pounds.

The newest edition is such a healthy, happy and sweet 18 pound, 5 month old champion nurser. I have no plans to wean anytime soon, I feel like there are years ahead of me for that. Everyone's journey is different, I can't wait to tell the story of how my journey turns out and I'm glad I could share how I have fared on the journey thus far.

My advice to mamas, "You never know how your journey with breastfeeding may be but at least you can embark on the journey and embrace it, you will meet some bumps along the way but face them when you get there. There is always help around the corner. Remember you are not in this alone."

Peace & much love,

Mamapoeki from Authentic Parenting: Extended Breastfeeding?

Mama Alvina of Ahava & Amara Life Foundation: Breastfeeding Journey Continues

Elita @ Blacktating: The Last Time That Never Was

Diana Cassar-Uhl, IBCLC: Old enough to ask for it

Karianna @ Caffeinated Catholic Mama: A Song for Mama’s Milk

Judy @ Mommy News Blog: My Favorite Moments

Tamara Reese @ Please Send Parenting Books: Extended Breastfeeding

Jenny @ Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: The Highs and Lows of Nursing a Toddler

Christina @ MFOM: Natural-Term Breastfeeding

Rebekah @ Momma’s Angel: My Sleep Breakthrough

Suzi @ Attachedattheboob: Why I love nursing a toddler

Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl: My Hopes for Tandem Nursing

Elisa @ blissfulE: counter cultural: extended breastfeeding

Momma Jorje: Extended Breastfeeding, So Far!

Stephanie Precourt from Adventures in Babywearing: “Continued Breastfeeding”: straight from the mouths of babes

The Accidental Natural Mama: Nurse on, Mama

Sarah @ Reproductive Rites: Gratitude for extended breastfeeding

Nikki @ On Becoming Mommy: The Little Things

Dr. Sarah @ Good Enough Mum: Breastfeeding for longer than a year: myths, facts and what the research really shows

Amy @ WIC City: (Extended) Breastfeeding as Mothering

The Artsy Mama: Why Nurse a Toddler?

Christina @ The Milk Mama: The best thing about breastfeeding

TopHat @ the bee in your bonnet: From the Mouths of Babes

Beth @ Bethstedman.com: Extended Breastfeeding: To Wean Or Not To Wean

Callista @ Callista’s Ramblings: Pressure To Stop Breastfeeding

Amanda @ Postilius: Nursing My Toddler Keeps My Baby Close

Sheryl @ Little Snowflakes: Tandem Nursing- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Zoie @ Touchstone Z: Breastfeeding Flavors

Lauren @ Hobo Mama: Same old, same old: Extended breastfeeding

Tanya @ Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Six misconceptions about extended breastfeeding

Jona (Breastfeedingtwins.org): Breastfeeding older twins

Motherlove Herbal Company: Five reasons to love nursing a toddler

Summing it up...

2011-02-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

In briefly telling you what we do at our Charitable Foundation and what our blog is about we would say:

"The Ahava & Amara Life Foundation believes that everyone has a human right to basic needs in order to live healthy and happy. We are committed to providing solutions to achieve these ideals for all globally."

That's the short version.

The longer version would be:

"The Ahava & Amara Life Foundation aim to provide global solutions for the human right to food, clothing, shelter, health and education. We aim to fulfill this through the use of superior technology and co-operating with ones who share our ideals and focused vision."

You will benefit from our membership website very soon. It will give updates on future and present projects, news, successful fund raising, other valuable propositions and joint ventures. There will be opportunities to volunteer and or donate for specific causes such as home education, elderly health and so much more. Look forward to a new post this evening with a list of philantrophic objectives.

Finally, Stop and Think;

"Imagine if everyone could give as much as they would like to get..."

Our Little One has Arrived!

2010-10-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

Greetings everyone, I am writing this small note to let you all know that we didn't fall off the face of the (blogging) planet. We were just patiently awaiting the arrival of our 6th blessing. She was born Monday, October the 18th!

We are so delighted and happy that she's here!

Since the end of August our home school has started back full-time and also being into my last trimester, these two things had kept me pretty occupied.

I missed blogging for you all and can't wait to blog more frequently about many different topics that my brain was too fuzzy to compete with at that time.

Once I get back to normal and get my energy back, you will definitely see more action from this blog.

Until then.......definitely be on the lookout for more posts more often. ;0)

Our Human Rights

2010-08-17T10:23:00.001-04:00

A friend of ours that is a teacher recently gave us a DVD titled "Youth for Human Rights" which shows 30 public service announcements for each of the 30 rights.

Watching this DVD with my family compelled me to write this post. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in 1948 by the United Nations.

How many of us know and study these rights regularly? How many of us teach these rights to our children regularly? We should know them and teach them to our children so that we know when we are treated or we treat others un-righteously.

Here I will list all 30 as a reminder to us all.

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all forms.

Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11. (1) Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense. (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offense on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offense, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offense was committed.

Article 12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, not to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has a right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality not denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16. (1) Men and women of full age. without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21. (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4)Everyone has the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26. (1)Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27. (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Charity begins at home

2010-08-10T17:55:00.000-04:00

Giving back has always been a big thing for me. When I met my husband I quickly realized that he had a heart for giving as well, that's one of the things that made me fall in love with him. We always knew that when we had children that we would instill this in them as well.

When I was about 4 years old, my mother and I were walking down the street, there were a few pennies in my pocket. I took them out and started throwing them on the ground. My mother realized what was being done and told me to stop throwing the pennies away. In my mind they weren't being thrown away, they were put there for other people to find. How else do all those pennies end up on the ground whenever I or anyone else finds them? My thoughts were that this was what was supposed to be done to contribute to finding those nice bronze coins, that in this day and age are considered valueless.

This weekend our family went to visit an elder friend. We sat and chatted with her for awhile then treated her to dinner and grocery shopping. We all enjoyed ourselves, and the children learned a valuable lesson in doing things for others out of the kindness of the heart. Everyone needs a little support.

Sometimes when we go out we see panhandlers on the road and we may not have given them any money but we gave them a kind word and let them know we couldn't help out this time. One of the children asked why we don't always help them out, as parents we let them know that we do what we can when we can, sometimes we can't help at the time. That's another reason we founded the Ahava And Amara Life Foundation, so that others can cooperate with us to help.

Every once in awhile the children go through their toy box and they place the toys that they want to keep in a pile, the toys that they want to give away to other children in another pile and the toys that are broken or useless in the trash. They love doing this, it is fun and we do it with our clothes as well. What things do you all do as a family that contributes to giving back? Leave a comment and let us swap ideas!

When you can't breastfeed

2010-08-07T19:17:00.002-04:00

Today marks the last day of World Breastfeeding Week! But advocating for breastfeeding is not over.

Over the last few days there has been excitement and celebration on the many benefits of breastfeeding. This is due largely in part of the recognition of World Breastfeeding Week. The topic that some women cannot breastfeed has come up a few times. The fact is that in some instances some women simply cannot breastfeed for various reasons.

I just want the women out there that have struggled with this know that it is absolutely great that you gave breastfeeding a try. Breastfeeding does not come easy to everyone, some women struggle so hard to try to give their baby what nature intended, it just doesn't happen sometimes.

I know of some women who have formed a group where they get several moms to store their extra pumped milk to give to their babies or they went to a milk bank. There are ways to still give your baby breastmilk even if it's not yours, some moms are willing to do this some are not, it all depends on how determined a women is to give their baby breastmilk.

Even if you are a mom that wasn't or aren't so determined to breastfeed, don't feel bad or guilty when you see and hear about the celebration of breastfeeding. To each his own. You are not a bad mother if you decided to formula feed instead of breastfeed, you are still doing what you have to do to keep your baby alive and thriving.

Join us in the celebration, it's worth it! Encourage moms you know that are expecting to do their research and learn of the excellent benefits and which ever feeding method they choose support them in it. We as women and moms all need support and encouragement. Let's be a strength unto one another.

Breastfeeding is Life!

2010-08-02T13:55:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Ahava & Amara Life Foundation blog. Join us often to find out more about our mission our passions and our lives.

Yesterday was the first day of World Breastfeeding Week! What a wonderful time to start our first blog post. Breastfeeding is something that is very near and dear to me, as I have given birth to five children and have breastfed every single one of them. I am excited to be on the breastfeeding journey again soon. In three more months I'll be giving birth to our sixth blessing! The health benefits of breastfeeding added with the bonding benefits of mother and child is incredible.

The natural act of breastfeeding is very selfless and so is parenting, I love both. I love being a mama and I love doing what is the best for our children's health and well-being.

When I come in contact with a relative, friend, associate or neighbor who is pregnant I may ask if they are going to breastfeed and there are lots of different answers. Some may be "Yes, but only for six weeks until I go back to work, then I'll switch to formula.", "No, I don't want the baby to get too attached.", "Yes, I heard that it hurts but I'm gonna try anyway.", "No, my boyfriend/husband doesn't want me to breastfeed, he says my breasts are for him."

I may say something like "Do you have a breast pump? You can pump and store while breastfeeding also. I can give you some info on pumping and working if you want.", "Baby's are supposed to be attached to their mothers, they can't be too attached. Breastfeeding will create a special bond between you and your child.", "Sometimes it can hurt, and if it does hurt it usually means that the baby isn't latched on properly. Once the baby comes and you have any problems just give me a call.","Does he know that the reason women even have breasts is for them to breastfeed their babies? Maybe he can use some more information on breastfeeding and its many benefits."

Some people appreciate the info and call me and some don't but I'm a breastfeeding advocate and sometimes people don't always agree with what I say.

I appreciate all the hard work and dedication that all of the many organizations, breastfeeding advocates, bloggers and individuals have put into making breastfeeding such an important subject that we now can support and celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!

World Breastfeeding Week 2010 • 1-7 August 2010