August 26th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
Haden got a new hat from his granny. It looked quite lovely on everyone……
Isn’t he gorgeous.
Mommy looks even better! J/K
He is my sweetheart.
Girlie and Jojo wanted some hat love too.
And don’t forget Dilly!
Good times in the Bowden household. My little monkey is growing up so fast. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. 
He is like a minnie grown up. He is even starting to show interest in the potty. He has been telling me that he has to go “poo” so that I will sit him on the toilet and then he makes pooping noises like he is doing something. lol He has such a personality.
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Posted in: Our Family, Uncategorized
August 22nd, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
“Doctors aren’t culprits. Like their patients they are victims of the system. The are the first to be impaired by medical education’s preoccupation with intervention rather than prevention, its infatuation with drugs and technology, and the indefensible rituals, mores, and egotistical attitudes that are burned into the brain of every student who survives the rigid and often irrelevant curriculum and training. They emerge with their heads so stuffed with institutionalized foolishness that there is no room left for common sense.”
“Doctors absorb a lot of biased information about immunizations but is taught very little about pharmacology, despite the fact that as a practicing physician he’ll hook more kids on drugs than the most diligent pusher in town.”
“And although American medical schools teach their student very little about pharmacology, they do teach them to exploit all of the new drugs and technology that becomes available. New drugs and equipment appear almost daily, spawned by the laboratories of of the pharmaceutical industry and the medical equipment manufacturers. More often than not, they are unproven and unsafe. Most parents assume that they can rely on the FDA to keep drugs off the market until they are proven safe for human use. This confidence in the FDA is misplaced, because virtually all drugs are released without appropriate or significant human trials.”
- Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. (Pediatrician)
These quotes are from his book, How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. I just started reading it and I love it so far. I can’t wait to finish it. I will probably add some more quotes from his book as I read along. He has another book I am really wanting to read, Confessions of a Medical Heretic. I am adding it to my very long wish list on Amazon.
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Posted in: Breastfeeding & Parenting, Politics, Pregnancy & Childbirth
Tags: doctors, quotes, robert mendelsohn, spite
August 16th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
The Unfolding Lap
I AM MOTHER whose entitlement unlocks the doorless room
The home of a mystery that flays the soul’s skin
Carving ego and rendering the oily mind into light.
I AM MOTHER who grows dreams in my belly
From my blood drinks the Tree of Life
Rooted in heaven until the birth quake
Splits me open in revelation and relief
And I awake from the nightmare of separation.
I AM MOTHER carrier of the secret told since the beginning
Hearth of the future, unfolding lap, volcanic breast
A daughter of uncertainty, the crone’s executrix
The ultimate harvester of hope.
I AM MOTHER so hear me! Listen with labyrinthine ears
To the purpose of sound, sense the movement of your cells,
And the pulsing message from your bones that resonate with this;
Serve the Breath-Maker and be the BirthKeeper the Earth needs now.
Your mother will be so proud.
© Jeannine Parvati Baker
11 March 2005
Joseph, Utah
Her websites are The Birth Keeper and Freestone Innerprizes. There is so much great stuff to go through!
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Posted in: Breastfeeding & Parenting, Pregnancy & Childbirth, Spirituality/Philosophy
August 15th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
There is nothing more positively powerful than compassion guided by wisdom.
A wise mind knows that to fulfill our compassionate hopes for the welfare of others, we must
realize our full potential as a spiritual being.
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Posted in: Spirituality/Philosophy
August 10th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
I watched the documentary SiCKO tonight and although it didn’t actually tell me anything that I wasn’t already somewhat aware of it still seemed to have profound affect on me. There is something to be said about acknowledging in your mind that something is true and actually seeing it at work. This film made me cry so much. I felt so much pain for the people in the film and also understood their fear, seeing as my family is one of the some odd millions of people in the United States that do not have any health coverage.
At this point I don’t really care how unpatriotic this sounds…but the United States really SUCKS sometimes. The only people that could possibly defend the state of our health coverage at this point are people that are getting financial gains from a corrupt system, people with what they deem “good” insurance that haven’t had the opportunity to be royally screwed by their insurance company…YET! and then people that just don’t know any better. Sounds pretty harsh but sometimes the truth is harsh.
However at this point health coverage is not my only beef with America because it is hardly the one area that we are seriously lacking in. Our nation is built around keeping people as uneducated, unhealthy, and subservient as possible. What other reason would we have for making it so difficult for our children to receive a good education. Government school systems are so lacking that most children leave them with barely even a mediocre education and then we make the financial possibility for our children to receive a college education near impossible. Well, not if you have good credit. All you have to do is sign over your future for the promise of a brighter one with the bonus of thousands of dollars of debt, which I can assure you my family is well aware of because of what my husbands schooling has cost us.
Now I am just rambling…..because I am irritated…..so lets move on to some fun facts!
- The amount of uninsured is rising every year, as premiums continue to skyrocket and wages stagnate. From 2004 to 2005 the number of uninsured rose 1.3 million, and rose up nearly 6 million from 2001-2005.
- According to the Institute of Medicine, “lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage.”
- “The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds.”
- In a study of older Americans and Brits, the Brits had less of almost every major disease. Even the poorest Brit can expect to live longer than the richest American.
- A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit.
- The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care.
Wasn’t that fun?
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Posted in: Homeschooling, Politics, Society At Large
Tags: Politics
August 2nd, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
A woman in my Unhindered Birth group on Cafemom pointed out the opening song for the show Weeds, which I hadn’t ever given much thought before but after actually reading all the lyrics it is kinda errie as to how accurate they are about how our society works. Very sad.
Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes, all the same. There’s a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses All went to the university, Where they were put in boxes, And they came out all the same. And there’s doctors and there’s lawyers And business executives, And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf-course, And drink their Martinis dry, And they all have pretty children, And the children go to school. And the children go to summer camp And then to the university, Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business, And marry, and raise a family, In boxes made of ticky-tacky, And they all look just the same. There’s a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.
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Posted in: General, Homeschooling, Society At Large
Tags: issues, society
August 1st, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
August 1st marks the anniversary of the signing of the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding, which was adopted in 1990 by 32 governments and ten United Nations Agencies. The declaration states:
As a global goal for optimal maternal and child health and nutrition, all women should be enabled to practice exclusive breastfeeding and all infants should be fed exclusively on breast milk from birth to four to six months of age. Thereafter children should continue to breastfeed while receiving appropriate and adequate complementary foods for up to two year of age or beyond. This child feeding ideal is to be achieved by creating an appropriate environment of awareness and support so that women can benefit in this manner.
So I have helped put together a picnic to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. I have been working on it for the past three months and it has been one awful headache BUT I guess it was good to get the experience. I have never been involved with putting together any sort of event before this so I just hope that everything turns out okay.
Anyways…Here is the event info for anyone local that would like to come. Hope to see you there!
Georgia Birth Network will be hosting a free picnic for childbirth professionals, mothers, mothers-to-be and their families to come together and show their support for breastfeeding and celebrate the fourth birthday of Georgia Birth Network!
Join us at Red Top Mountain State Park and Lodge from 11 am to 3 pm, for a picnic celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. Come out and meet metro Atlanta area doulas and other birth professionals. Take the opportunity to interact with other women that have had positive breastfeeding experiences and learn more about breastfeeding. Receive goody bags, including breastfeeding information and more! All proceeds will be donated to La Leche League.
Food will be served at noon. Activities planned include facepainting and balloons for children and a raffle for great mom and baby items! Also, check out other activities at Red Top Mountain such as walking trails, the playground and the beach.
For questions about the picnic please call 678-264-4944.
50 Lodge Road
Cartersville, GA 30121
Picnic Shelter #6
$3 Parking Fee Requir
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Posted in: Breastfeeding & Parenting, General
July 21st, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
“Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise & confidence than this - that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, & the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny. As a being of Power,Intelligence, & Love and the lord of his own thought, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which may make himself what he wills.”
- James Allen
This was quoted in Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley, which I just finished reading. Loved it, although I am not totally in line with all of her beliefs, there is still a lot of truth to most of it. I, however will not go blindly into the night when I have my UC. I believe in the power of our minds but I don’t think that our minds alone can do all the work. 
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Posted in: Pregnancy & Childbirth, Spirituality/Philosophy
July 18th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
So…officially…Michael and I have decided to start trying to conceive baby #2! How very exciting. So why are we not doing “IT” at this very minute???….Because my poor baby had to have oral surgery yesterday and he is in lots of pain. He is at this very moment shacked up on the couch, looking very unhappy. It hurts for him to even speak. I hope he feels better by tomorrow.
Anyways, I am about to begin seeing a Reiki Practitioner to help me with a condition the I have but I am also hoping that it may help us get pregnant sooner. I have some small concerns about it not being as easy this time around because I went on the Depo shot after I had Haden for a while. Oh, to know the things then that I know now. I really wish that I hadn’t put my body through that but then again there are many things that I wish I hadn’t put my body through.
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Posted in: Our Family
July 4th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Crystal Bowden
Bowden Blogs has officially been revamped! It is new and improved and if I do say so myself, it is much prettier. We have added some of our favorite quotes, websites and blogs. Keep looking for updates because we will be adding more to those sections. We added a nice About Us section that is almost complete. Michael is still planning to make a couple small changes and there was also some mention of adding a couple pictures in there, so we will see how that goes. You can now download pdf’s from the blog if there is something specific that you want to hold on to, yay! And last but not least, we have added Obama News, which will help keep us up to date on what is going on in the community blogs. That is it for now but we may still end up adding a couple more features as we stumble along.
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Posted in: Site Stuff
Tags: blog, new features, updates
Mike Bowden is a self employed web consultant and has been working for himself for over two years. Currently he's attending 
Crystal Bowden is a stay-at-home mom. She is a DONA trained birth doula, as well as an educator, working towards her certifications. Her family is her number one passion. Her interests include scrapbooking, romance novels, childbirth, politics, environmental issues & learning about new things! Visit her site for 
Haden Bowden will be two years old in September. He is a cloth diaper wearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping toddler. ☺ His current interests are lovin' on his Ally- O, wearing his daddy's shoes, putting together his choo choo's track, and running until he can't go anymore. Haden also loves vroom vrooms (cars) and noonles (pool noodles).
