Domestic Dawn

Texas teen spared forced abortion â€“ for two weeks | LifeSiteNews.com

2012-01-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Texas teen spared forced abortion for two weeks | LifeSiteNews.com

Security guards claim breastfeeding is indecent

2011-12-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Across the border in Washington, DC, a lawyer, Simone Dos Santos was told by security guards to hault her breastfeeding because it was indecent!

Dos Santos "was waiting for a traffic hearing and stepped out into the hallway to breastfeed when the guards approached her, although she had covered her baby with a jacket.

“I was shocked, upset and angry that by providing food for my son, I was being treated like a criminal,” she said in recent news reports."

Read the full story at abc news here... or at Lifetime Moms WARNING: Even though this article originated at Lifetime Moms it has an image attached that I feel is inappropriate (especially for children) and sexual in nature.

Also...check out my latest review on Bebe Au Lait nursing covers!

30 things not to do to make your life better

2011-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

I came across the following post today at "Marc and Angel Hack Life" entitled, 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself.

There's probably a lot in here that you've heard before but it is so good to be reminded!

"As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back."

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Contraceptives not the answer to hiv & aids epidemic

2011-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

"The fatal danger of relentlessly pushing contraceptives on Uganda and other African countries was laid bare recently in an alarming new report showing that the most popular contraceptive in Eastern and Southern Africa may actually double the risk of contracting HIV. After experiencing success in combating HIV/AIDS in Uganda through an anti-contraception initiative, it’s not surprising to hear that contraceptives are part of, and not a solution to, the problem."

Read the full story here...Uganda clearly shows contraceptives not the answer to HIV/AIDS epidemic | LifeSiteNews.com

The difference between Sweet Potatoes and Yams

2011-10-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ah, the age old question...what is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Every year around Thanksgiving when we are about to eat this delicious orange coloured food I wonder, what exactly are we eating??? Is it a yam? Is it a sweet potato?

So after all of my research this is what I came up with.

As it turns out, sweet potatoes and yams are not even related!

and

You and I are most likely eating sweet potatoes unless we have gone to some specialty ethnic store to buy yams.

Depending on where you look you will get slightly varying answers as to why there is so much confusion on this topic. Basically, the YAMS you find in the grocery stores, farmer's markets etc, are just mislabeled and are in fact SWEET POTATOES.

Although these two foods are often confused with one another they do have differences in appearance.

While sweet potatoes are have a stubbly appearance and texture with an orange or yellow coloured skin and flesh and a shape that tapers at the ends, yams are longer and more cylindrical in shape with a rougher appearance and texture and a dark brownish skin colour with purple, red or white flesh.

True yams are tubers of a tropical vine and come from tropical climates, mostly South America, Africa and the Caribbean and are a rare find here in Canada or the U.S.

Canadian woman kills newborn and walks!

2011-10-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, certainly much more than we'd like to, we hear of a mother doing the unthinkable to her own child.

In 2005 a 19 year old Alberta woman strangled her newborn son to death with her thong underwear and then tossed his body over a fence into a neighbour's yard.

The mother, Katrina Effert, was found guilty by not one but two juries of second degree murder.

She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for ten years.

An appeals court then reduced her conviction to infanticide (when a mother kills her newly born child by a willful act but is found to be disturbed at the time of the killing because she has not fully recovered from the effects of giving birth or of the effect of lactation from giving birth to the child).

Just last month she was given a three year SUSPENDED sentence which means that she will not spend those three years in jail but instead under certain conditions.

The following is from the post, "Thrown Over the Fence - Infanticide, Canadian Style"

Justice Joanne Veit, whose name should now go down in legal and moral infamy, tied this woman’s act of infanticide to Canada’s lack of legal restrictions on abortion. The judge’s decision stated that “while many Canadians undoubtedly view abortion as a less than ideal solution to unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy, they generally understand, accept and sympathize with the onerous demands pregnancy and childbirth exact from mothers, especially mothers without support.”

Continue reading the full story at albertmohler.com

Fall Fashion featuring La Posh Style

2011-10-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

On a lighter note (my last post was a little heavy), thank you to Little Birdie Secrets for featuring some super cute things from La Posh Style of which I will now share with you along with a few other items I added myself. Aren't you lucky!

I like these very much...don't you?

and these...

oh, and this...

and...

and finally...

Oh, being a girl is such fun! Every now and then it's nice to get your shop on!

"180" documentary about abortion

2011-10-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been here in a while.

It seems that every now and then I disappear but I always end up coming back:)

Since I have been absent for a time I figured why not come back with a bang?

Today I will be posting an amazing video that represents a subject I am passionate about.

ABORTION.

This is an award winning documentary entitled "180", so called for the turn around in people's opinions when they take the time to really think about what abortion is and what it means to our world.

Take a moment to view this documentary and you too can see what caused people to go from pro-choice to pro-life in minutes!

Click here to visit www.180movie.com and view the "180" documentary about abortion!

Make your own bug spray

2011-07-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's summertime!

Are you enjoying the sunshine? camping trips? warm evenings?

Or are you hiding from those pesky mosquitoes???

Mosquitoes love feasting on me and my children so when we're out and about during the summer, especially when camping, we're always using bug spray!

I've never been comfortable with all the nasty chemicals in bug sprays so when I came across this article to make your own natural bug spray at I Can Teach My Child I thought it would be worth sharing.

I'm going to give this a try. I hope it works!

How to make a jean skirt from an old pair of jeans

2011-06-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half to two years ago I received a sewing machine for my birthday. I did not know how to sew but I wanted to learn.

My first project was the shiny blue thing below made from a 1995 vest pattern.
It was actually meant for my daughter to use as her own learning-to-sew project but I swiped it from her so that I could flex my own sewing muscles.

It turned out pretty much the way it was supposed to and it gave me a chance to get to know my machine.

By the way, the vest is all crumpled up in this photo because it was shoved underneath my sewing things for many many months. I'm not actually going to wear this, in case you were wondering...

Many months later I was itching to start a new project.

I started off by cutting and hemming some jeans into jean shorts for all four of my children and then I wanted to keep going.

So I decided on a jean skirt.

My daughter has many pairs of jeans that have been handed down to her from my younger sister (thank you Auntie!), and I pretty much need to hem all of them (and now I know how!) so I decided to use one pair to make a skirt.

Unfortunately I wasn't thinking and I didn't photographically document the project:(

But here are a couple of sites I looked at before making the skirt.

The Homesteading Housewife This site has a great idea to add some pretty material into the skirt. I would like to try this.
Not Martha
WikiHow: How To Make a Skirt From Recycled Jeans This site shows you how to make the crotch seam straight which is what I did 'cause I really don't like the other look.

I very possibly looked at more sites than those but I think those were the best ones. I kinda just took what info I liked from each one and went for it.

If you want to do what I did then follow these steps:

1. Cut the jeans to the length you want keeping in mind the extra length you will need for the hem.

2. Rip open the in-seams using a seam ripper (I ripped open an inseam and then an outer seam which I then had to re-sew. I could smack myself sometimes!) up to about an inch from the zipper. Repeat on the back side.

3. Lay the skirt out flat. At this point you can straighten the crotch seam or leave as is and have it overlapping.

4. Pin the crotch seams in place.

5. Use the leg pieces you cut off earlier to fill the triangle shaped voids on the front and back of the skirt.

6. Pin the triangular pieces in place.

7. Sew the crotch seam and the triangular pieces into place.

8. Pin and sew the hem.

I think my skirt turned out pretty well and most importantly my daughter likes it and wears it all the time!

AND I really enjoyed doing this. I think I see more sewing in my future!

This is how my skirt turned out...

Blog of note: Not Martha

2011-06-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

While looking for instructions on how to make a jean skirt out of a pair of jeans, I came across this website, Not Martha, that has some really cute stuff like...

how to make a skirt out of a pair of jeans

paper mache easter eggs (really cute!)

leprechaun trap cake

and flower pancakes.

So if you happen to need something to do today go and take a looksy.

Get rid of cat urine odour in carpet!

2011-06-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I love my cats.

And they love me.

Even though I can't really touch them unless I go scrub my hands and arms right afterwards because I'm allergic, I-still-love-them.

They are beautiful and they are quiet and all in all they're pretty low maintenance.

UNTIL they decide to pee on my carpet!

At that moment the love is GONE.

It eventually comes back...but for a few irate moments it is gone and there is smoke coming out of my ears!

I really don't know why they do this. They have a perfectly respectable litter box and they do go outdoors now and then. Ugh, whatever!

I want to focus on how to get the SMELL of cat pee OUT of your carpet. This is no easy feat as I'm sure all you feline lovers know.

But, there is hope!

I have found a concoction that seems to work quite well at getting rid of that oh-so-nasty odour and I have decided to share it with you. I hope it helps someone out there!

After much arduous research I found the following solution at this website.

Supplies:

Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Dishwashing Liquid
3% Hydrogen Peroxide
Scrub Brush
Rubber Gloves
Paper Towel

Instructions:

1. Absorb cat urine with paper towels.

2. Thoroughly wet the area with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water.

3. Use paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible.

4. Apply a handful of baking soda to the area.

5. On top of the baking soda apply a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon dishwashing liquid.

6. Scrub the area with a scrub brush or with your dish glove laden fingers.

7. Let dry.

8. Vacuum area.

Cat pee smell gone.

The End.

My new Review Blog

2011-05-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have thought about starting a separate blog for reviews (products, toys, movies, books etc.) for a little while now but I wasn't sure if I wanted to add reviews into this blog or start a whole new one, I decided on the latter.

When I find something that I really love I just want to share it with everyone!

So go on over and check out my new review blog, Domestic Dawn Reviews, for all the latest in what's HOT and what's NOT for mums!

Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to review!

Thanks for checking it out!

Domestic Dawn Reviews

"yellow" photo challenge winners

2011-05-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the "yellow" photo challenge winners at I Heart Faces.

All of these photos are fantastic but I'm absolutely in love with the first place pic!

Enjoy!

Raising a genderless child

2011-05-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

As I was skimming through the status updates on Facebook this morning I came across this article that had been "shared" by Grace, author of the blog, Grace Happens.

The article, "Parents Keep Child's Gender Under Wraps", generated a strong reaction in me and quite a few others.

I wonder why it is that some people refuse to accept that girls are girls and boys are boys?

Males and females have differences that are determined at conception and having nothing to do with any gender conditioning of society.

The sexes are different, our brains actually work differently from each other, and yes, it is scientifically proven!

Nothing good will come of teaching our children that it is somehow demeaning for girls to behave like girls and boys to behave like boys.

Apparently the lessons of the aftermath of radical feminism in the '70's have been lost by some misguided parents and it is sad that their children have to pay the price.

I suggest NOT using our children as guinea pigs in a self motivated social experiment.

Instead, let's encourage our children to be confident in who they were created to be, boy or girl.

*There is another more in depth version of this article at parentcentral.ca.

**An excellent resource that covers this subject matter is a book called, Raising Boys by Dr. James Dobson.

Alexa Blog Hop!

2011-05-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Join in on the "Alexa Blog Hop"!

This blog hop is sponsored by Spearmint Baby and co-hosted by Kelly's Lucky You, Scraps of Life, and Our Family World.

Find out what your Alexa ranking is, how you can lower it (that's a good thing!) and gain more followers!

Pretty white chicken coop

2011-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Now THAT'S a chicken coop!

Click on the photo to visit The Fancy Farmgirl.

Words for Wednesday

2011-05-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Proud to be a Canuck!

2011-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Way to go boys!!!

This is our year...

Old Navy one day wonder: flip flop edition

2011-05-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I dragged my tired self and two very tired children down to Old Navy.

We had to get there for opening of course which was 7am because they were having a One Day Wonder event.

This time it was $1 flip flops.

I would have allowed my sweet angels to continue sleeping but alas, they only allow you to purchase 5 pairs per person.

So there was just no choice, they had to come with.

Poor-sleepy-things.

But I must say that their sacrifice was well worth it. It is so nice to outfit my entire family (there are 6 of us) with these summer essentials for only $15!!!

You just can't beat that!

Now each of us has a variety of colourful flip flops to get us through the summer.

I'm looking forward to the next One Day Wonder: tank top edition!

Math Wrap-Ups - a great homeschool tool

2011-05-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite purchases from the Christian Home Educators Conference in Kelowna this year was the Learning Wrap-Ups.

Learning Wrap-Ups are a fun and easy tool to add to your homeschool.

I first read about Wrap-Ups when I was starting out in homeschooling six years ago. I came across them on Karen Andreola's website, Homeschool Highlights.

There are various different Wrap-Ups to choose from including Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Vocabulary, Geography, etc.

I didn't purchase the Wrap-Ups back then but I'm glad I did this year!

I was looking for a way to get my eight and ten year old to really get a hold on their times tables so we purchased the Multiplication Wrap-Ups.

The Wrap-Up Keys are self correcting so the children are able to sit on their own and learn independently. And of course the Wrap-Ups are portable so learning can be done anywhere; living room, car, dentist's office, where ever.

It was a great decision! All of my children enjoy using them, even my four year old who just pretends.

And YES, they work!

Both of my older children are learning their multiplication tables quite quickly and without much complaining;)

Success!!!

I won some Mabel's Labels

2011-05-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

I won the Mabel's Labels Colourful Essentials Combo pack!

I first heard of Mabel's Labels a few years back on the daytime talk show, The View. Elizabeth Hasselbeck had featured the labels in her Baby Must Haves segment.

I loved them right away!

Labels all on their own are awesome (anything that helps one get organized is great!) but labels you can put on your children's sippy cups, snack cups, bottles etc. AND that you can still throw in the dishwasher or microwave! Doubly awesome!

So, thanks to 5 Minutes for Mom and their Ultimate Blog Party 2011, I won the Mabel's Labels Colourful Essentials Combo. Very exciting:)

My Combo included:

Sticky Labels which peel and stick to clean, dry, smooth surfaces
Shoe Labels that peel and stick to the insoles of footwear
Tag Mates which are tiny labels that peel and stick to clothing care tags. NO ironing or sewing required!!!
A couple of Teeny Tags. These are little metal tags.

Thank you Mabel's Labels, you made my day:)

Homeschooling in BC: Why you should do it. Part 2

2011-05-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

In my first post about why you should homeschool in BC I gave two reasons. The first being that the homeschool laws in BC are awesome and give parents the freedom to teach their children in a way that works for their family. The second reason was that you know what your children are learning and who is teaching it to them. YOU get to be your child's greatest influencer not some stranger.

Sounds good right? Well, here is another reason why I think parents should consider homeschooling their children.

3. Parents want the best education for their child.

You're probably already aware that most public schools are not known for rolling out well educated, confident, creative and mature young people.

Yes, there is always the exception to the rule but for the most part students are pushed through the public education system in the hopes that they will just graduate one way or the other.

In the school system they are a part of the lockstep learning process where each child has to learn at the same speed as everyone else. Children who learn more easily and complete their work sooner are often given "busy work" to keep them, well, busy while the ones who need more time and help from the teacher are pushed through. Unfortunately, mediocrity is the name of the game and there is little room for students to meet their full potential.

In contrast to this, "Homeschooled children consistently test academically ahead of public schooled children. In most categories they even surpass the test scores of children from the finest private schools." (pg.14 Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling)

When teaching your child at home there is the freedom to spend extra time on a concept that they may be having difficulty understanding or to move on to the next thing when a concept is easily grasped. There is never any need to move on from a lesson when it is not yet fully understood or to waste time going over and over something that your child clearly understands.

The goal should be to create a love of learning in our children. This is well facilitated by homeschooling.

One of the best parts of learning at home is the ability to learn about the things that really interest your child! A homeschooler's schedule can and should be flexible so that your children enjoy learning instead of dreading it. That is not to say that every moment of homeschooling is a life changing , fun filled experience, but that there is the ability to make room in your day for those moments when they do arise.

For example, if you're working on Suzy's fractions and she excitedly notices a new bird at the feeder she hung the week before, you can take the time to set aside the math and further observe the bird thus encouraging her curiosity and allowing her to learn naturally. These precious moments of life do not need to be lost for the sake of a rigid school schedule. They can simply be incorporated into your home learning experience.

Homeschoolers from all over are receiving an excellent education from home, one that oftentimes surpasses the education received in the public schools. A healthy homeschooling environment is conducive to raising well educated, confident, creative and mature young people.

Homeschooling in British Columbia: Why you should do it part 1

2011-04-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again when we start looking ahead to the next school year and when I keep telling myself, "don't forget to register!".

When I first started considering homeschooling as an option almost six years ago I scoured the internet to figure out what it was all about, why I should do it, and how to do it.

With this post I will start at the beginning of the process and give you a couple of reasons why you should consider homeschooling as an option for your family.

British Columbia has the best home education laws in all of Canada!

In BC you have the freedom to educate your children in whichever way you believe works best for your family, without anyone breathing down your neck!

What the law says: (I strongly recommend you read the law for yourself. Specifically Part 2, Division 4, Sections 12 & 13 of the Act)

You must register your child with any school in the province by September 30th of each year.
You must provide your child with an educational program.

That's basically it. You need to educate your child and you have the freedom to do it with whichever educational program you see fit. There are many options when it comes to choosing a "program". It can be overwhelming but it doesn't need to be. You can purchase a curriculum that is all laid out for you or you can piece one together yourself, picking and choosing what you like.

2. You know what your children are learning and who is teaching them.

I think most parents assume the education the government provides is the best education their child can receive. I would say if you are able to provide your child with a well rounded education at home then that last statement is far from the truth.

As a Christian parent I was strongly against my child being taught about "alternative lifestyles", evolution and being bombarded with secular humanism day in and day out. I want them to be aware of and educated about these things when I feel the time is right and in a way that I feel is appropriate.

I wanted to know what was being taught to my child, what was being said to my child and who was around my child, influencing each moment of their day.

I believe it is a parent's God given duty to teach and protect their children and I can do that much more effectively when they are with me all day instead of someone else whose lifestyle and values I know nothing about.

I will leave you to ponder those two points for now. To be continued...

Some great homeschool links to check out:

Homeschool Legal Defence Association of Canada

Homeschool World

Cathy Duffy Reviews (homeschool curriculum reviews)

Ultimate Blog Party 2011 !!!

2011-04-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

WELCOME!!!

A big HELLO to all of my fellow Ulitimate Blog Party Partiers!

I'm Dawn, authoress(doesn't that sound fancy?) of Domestic Dawn, and I am SO glad you took the time to drop by!

Domestic Dawn is my little corner of the web where I enjoy writing about the various goings on in my life, domestic or not, but usually the former:)

I like to natter on about whatever interests me at the moment and now and then I get a bit more serious when something really tugs at my heart, or conscience.

This is my second year partying with the Ulitimate Blog Party so I guess that means that I've been a part of this blogging world for just about a year now! At my first UBP I was a blogger of only a couple of weeks, just a baby!

I hope you'll take a moment to browse around and of course leave LOTS of COMMENTS with links to your blogs and maybe even a link to a favourite post from your blog!

You may want to check out some of my more popular posts...

Top 5 Baby Must Haves

Motherhood and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I Am Cree Metis

Need a Little Inspiration?

Above Rubies Retreat

To Bless or Impress?

Girls Raised Without Modesty

Before you leave don't forget to subscribe to Domestic Dawn!

And of course I'd love for you to "follow" me. Just click on the "follow" button there to the right!

I'm looking forward to meeting new bloggers and checking out lots of new-to-me blogs!

Have fun everyone!

~Dawn