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Girl: Interrupted
For as long as I can remember, I was someones mom. I gave birth to my eldest on the 29th November 2001 at the tender age of 19. (Me, not him.) I can’t comprehend a young adulthood without the added pressure of having to look after another little person. I remember admiring other (childless) young adults who were making life decisions, like whether or not they should Au pair in America or even go out to a movie on Saturday night, and it looked glorious! I did not have that luxury. My fate was to stay at home and raise a baby.
I gave birth to my little boy when I was fresh out of high school, just finishing my 1st year at varsity. I actually wrote my 1st year finals with an extremely big belly. Yip, I got all the stares and tsk tskkksss and ag shames and snickers. Especially when your bladder demands to be emptied every 5 minutes and the examination room is a distance from the loo.
My then boyfriend was my childhood sweetheart and he was legit – It wasn’t a “wham bam thank you ma’am” kinda thing. He was my first love and I was his and we were both dedicated to our kid and to each other. But love and dedication aside, we were ill equipped for the task of raising another person. I mean, we were still kids ourselves and we also had alot of growing up to do! Finding out we were going to be parents was kind of exciting. We spoke about names and who the baby would look like and what baby would be like. But as much joy as our baby brought to both families, it also changed things so much. I mean, I didn’t have the freedom to be a young girl anymore. I call it girl interrupted. I left varsity to find work and my baby’s dad also had to give up dreams that he had… Raising a child is not cheap! Suddenly life got real and not quite the fairy tale we had dreamed of while eating ice cream on the couch, admiring my preggy belly.
For the longest time I felt stuck – like I was destined to struggle for the rest of my life, especially after my sons dad and I split up. As a single, young mom, living on her own, with a little boy, I felt totally hopeless. How could I give my child a good life?! How would I even have a life of my own?!
I felt stuck… hopeless… as if I had no future. But guess what, I DID have a future. Jeremiah 29:11 said so. I started believing that my life is destined for success and not failure! I learnt to make GOOD decisions and surrounded myself with people who lifted me up and encouraged me to be the best mom I can be. It’s easy to focus on your failures or miscalculations. It takes a lot of guts to say, “you know what, that didn’t work out, but hey, let me try something else!” I decided to get gutsy.
Through the grace of God, his dad and I managed to find compromise. We made a lot of unselfish decisions, ego’s aside, that would help us to raise our boy with pride. Yep, it meant that both of us had to work HARD (still have to yo!) because we chose to have sex before we were married (and before we even understood the enormity of what that actually means!) so we had to bare the consequences and make the best of it! It took a lot of sacrifice to give him the best that I could but if I had a choice, I would STILL choose my son over and over again.
God is not limited to our circumstances and our human mind sets. He places dreams in our heart and He helps us to fulfill them, if we let Him! God always has a better plan than ours and as you know from previous stories, my hubstopher came along at just the right time, with just the right stuff. We have been blessed with the best.
My son went on to be the deputy head boy at his primary school (moms brains, duh) and is having such a good time in high school. I know that everything God had promised me in Jeremiah 29:11 applies to him too. I am so excited for his future and I am SO thankful for his life.
Through it all, I am grateful that amidst my hopeless situation, God came in and did miraculous things! He has restored us and given us a hope and a flourishing future. And if He can do it for us, then He can do it for you too.
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My spreadsheet wedding
It feels as if we’ve been married for a gazillion years when it actually happened just the other day! (Well, 2013 to be exact) What type of bride were you? Were you a Bridezilla? I wasn’t a Bridezilla per say… I was more like the secretary of Bridezilla. Man, I had spreadsheets for everything! I had spreadsheets of my spreadsheets! I wanted to plan the perfect ‘spreadsheet wedding’.I was glued to my huge wedding planner – an A4 diary filled with pics, notes, proof of payments and order sheets. Every single moment was perfectly planned – the music, the decor, the photos! My spreadsheet brain had it all down to the minute. But things looked a little bit different on the day of the wedding. For starters, my wonderful hairstyle was not as wonderful as my spreadsheet brain had envisioned. (Tip: If your hair has never curled a day in its life, don’t expect it to magically want to on the day of your wedding)
It took forever and a day to get to church, where my violinist/saxophonist was NOT serenading my guests, as was planned. My bridal party missed the que to walk down the aisle. My fake eyelashes kept sticking to my veil. The beautiful arch that we were to be married under almost toppled. Nothing went as planned.
And then I remembered something a wonderful friend of mine said: “Luchae, everything that happens on that day, will happen just as it was meant to happen!” And you know what, looking back now I can see how those little things added to the quirks of our (already quirky) matrimonial celebration. We watch the video and go “ohhhh look, remember when that happened!” and we admire and remember all the other things that made the day special and uniquely ours.
THAT is what made our wedding day perfect! Sure the planning helped some 🙂 But making memories is what made the day special. Making memories is what made the day perfect. I love how our plans may not always seem to succeed, but at the end of the day, whatever the outcome, it always works for the good of those who love God! When we submit our plans to Him, we allow Him to do His thang… which gives us the confidence of knowing that it will all work out – whether it goes according to our spreadsheets or not. -
Music Monday: Passion – Even so come
Photo: Jesus Freak Hideout I have grown to love and anticipate the annual Passion Conference albums and as always I am not disappointed by their latest offering, Even so come.Perhaps it’s the thousands who gather along with the Passion worship team, to worship God together. Perhaps it’s the team itself, all musically diverse and spiritual giants, with a real gift for penning songs that laud God and create a space for the Holy Spirit to move. Or maybe it’s the fact that the tracks are usually very catchy and easy to get pulled into. Whichever way, I always feel a sense of expectancy when worshiping along to one of the albums.In case you didn’t know, the Passion Conference is an annual event, founded by Louie Giglio in 1997. The Passion gatherings are aimed at young adults, more specifically college students, with the intention of fostering a spiritual awakening among them. The gatherings usually host passionate speakers, like previous speakers Francis Chan and Lecrae, and also feature intimate worship lead by the Passion band. Because of the success of the initial conferences and the growing popularity of the worship sessions, Sexsteprecords was formed to represent the core group of artists performing at the Passion gatherings. Those artists include Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill and the Passion band. The conference has birthed 17 albums to date, with ‘Even So Come’ being it’s 6th album to peak at number 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart.The opening track of the album happens to be the title track and is a fitting album opener, co-written and lead by Chris Tomlin. The song speaks about us the church, as the bride waiting on her groom with eager anticipation. In true Tomlin style, the song has a soaring chorus and bridge, that has clearly been written with the congregation in mind, and rightly so. Tomlin also helped to pen the other 2 tracks that he features in on this album: ‘The cross of Christ’ and ‘The saving One’ which is a melodious mid tempo anthem with a chorus that is quick to catch and easy to sing along to.I quite enjoyed newbie, Melodie Malone’s version of ‘Forever’ – the Easter anthem recently made popular by Kari Jobe. Malone’s version is pretty much the same as Jobe’s and I like that she kept it simple, climbing as the song did and not adding on too many special effects or vocal acrobatics. This track’s message is powerful enough as is!If there is one track on this album that I would encourage you to listen to, it would be ‘Lift your head weary sinner (Chains)’ by Crowder. The song is a combination of country, rock and soul and is a refreshing, unexpected addition. I am most impressed by it and love the message of the song: a call to sinners to “let the chains fall” and come and find their rest in the Lord. My first impression of the song was that it sounds like something Jake Hamilton would sing. I really like!Another track that caught my attention was Brett Younker’s ‘The way’, a cool dance song that features a more electronic, synth sound. Younker is another new addition to the Passion lineup and he definitely does this track justice. It made me think back to the Passion 2014 dance favorite, ‘God’s great dance floor’, since it has the same feel and energy.Passion regular, Kristian Stanfill, features on 3 tracks: ‘Shout Hosanna’, which is a typical Passion praise song, with a catchy hook and lyrics that are easy to learn; beautiful worship song‘Draw near’ and ‘You found me’ which he co-wrote with Jason Ingram. The latter is definitely a heart song for me and I especially love the chorus that says: “Now I have/A song to sing/I was lost/And Jesus you found me!” I love that!Legends, Mat Redman and Christy Nockels, only feature once on the album. Redman with worship song ‘The awesome God you are’ and Nockels with ‘My Anchor’ – a song which can also be found on her latest release, “Let it be Jesus”. ‘My Anchor’ is delivered in a way that Nockels is known for: heartfelt and emotive, with big and powerful moments in all the right places.All in all, I really enjoyed the album. My only disappointment is that I did not get my hands on a Deluxe Edition, since it features unplugged versions of a few really powerful classics such as ‘How He loves us’ and ‘Heart of worship.’I appreciate that Even So Come features some of this generation’s most acclaimed worship leader’s and that it boasts a diverse song selection. As with all Passion releases, this offering captures the heart of a generation hungry after the presence of God and that translates into what we, the listeners, receive when we listen to it. I give it 2 thumbs up!This review was originally written for and published in Gateway News -
Being the parent of a purpose filled child
I’ve become a vote-hogging-fiend.
All because of the beauty that is my daughter.
Yes, I am now one of those “Please vote for me!” people.
But hey, guys, please vote for me! HahahahahComfort, Living&Loving and Jet Stores are looking for a beautiful babe to grace the cover of the December issue of Living&Loving. This babe will walk away with amazing prizes and will be featured in a cool spread in the magazine.
I’ve entered my curly girly into the competition, simply because, like any mom, I think that she is the most beautifulest babe in all the land!
When she was born, I spent almost a whole week in a funk… the doctors had given us some not so good news with regards to her thyroid not functioning properly. I remember thinking, “Oh Lord, this is not what I wanted for my perfect baby girl!”
The thought of her living a life where she had to struggle totally broke my heart!Fast track 10 months later and she is healthy, super smart and growing so amazingly. I can only attribute it all back to the faithfulness of God. When I think about those dismal few days when I prayed fervently over her, with tears in my eyes, I can now see how every prayer has been answered!
We, as parents, have the responsibility to cover our kids in prayer. There are so many premature deaths happening all around the world – young lives taken before their time! I pray that my kids (and yours!) will not face premature death and that every single purpose on their lives will come to fulfillment.
God is faithful. He is alive and He hears our prayers.
This the honest truth that I have seen happening, first hand, in my own life!As parents of children who are full of purpose, promise and expectancy, I pray for the wisdom to always know when to push and when to protect!
I pray that we will know which doors to help open and which doors to keep shut!
And I pray that we will always be the best example that we can be for them!I am so excited to be this girls mom and I am looking forward to seeing her live her life and walk out every single purpose she was designed for!
xxxL
BTW if you’d like to vote for my Karicurls, please click HERE, find our pic (it’s the same as the one below) and click on VOTE. You only do it once but once is enough 🙂 xxx
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Happy Hair: 7 things I do that seems to be working
Whether you’re a curly girl or a straight haired chick like me, I’m sure you’ll agree that having a good hair day is the same as wearing a really great pair of shoes. Invaluable! My favorite days are the days where my hair is happy. But it’s crazy how unnecessarily expensive hair treatments are. Especially when there are equally awesome (and less expensive) counter parts out there that can bring about ‘happy hair’ too! Maintaining and caring for your hair goes beyond the shampoo and conditioner. It’s an every day thing yo. I’ve found that there are ways to ensure your hair is happy all the time, and it doesn’t include hair products or salons.
I only wash and condition once a week
Yep. I know. It’s a real thing yo. Apparently Avril Lavigne goes for weeks without washing, resorting to dry shampoos (spray ons or powder) to keep her roots looking fresh. You can totally train your hair to not over oilarize itself. (Hey, that’s a word, okay)Why would you want to do that? Well, the benefits of not over washing is that you don’t strip your hair of all the natural goodness that your body creates for it. Your hair NEEDS those oils. The other pluses are that hair is easier to style when its “not fresh.” Hair stylists have also confirmed that skipping days between shampooing actually decreases oil production. Go figure.
What about the smell, I hear you ask. Well… I don’t really have the “dirty hair” smell thing going on, but I know that the struggle is real. A drop or 2 of essential oils massaged through your hair will help with that. Essential oils are quite pungent, so you don’t need alot to get the job done. If you must wash your hair more often, try to use a light weight shampoo that is specifically designed for regular hair washing, which is meant to be more gentle on your mane.
I only apply dye to my roots
I have inherited my mothers “grey” genes and literally have to dye my hair every 6 weeks or else I start to look like I’m aging like Benjamin Button. The greys take over so quickly and stealthily that I sometimes go to bed with dark hair and wake up looking like like a Golden Girl. Needless to say, I dye my hair regularly.I stick to dark colors (the amount of peroxide in going lighter is never a good idea for anyones hair!) and I only apply the dye to my roots (or the areas affected by the greys). Dyes, in general, are not something you’d want to be applying to your hair often, because of all the chemicals and stuff. After dyeing, it’s also a good idea to find a good nourishing hair mask to treat your hair with now and then. I normally apply a hair mask the week after I’ve dyed my hair, which helps to keep my hair feeling loved and amazing and not like I am trying to change it into someone that it doesn’t want to be. Clicks has awsome hair masks that costs less than a Macdonald’s meal.
I cold rinse
The scientific explanation says that: when you wash your hair with warm water, it opens up the cuticles, which is a good thing while shampooing and conditioning. The cold rinse then helps to “close” and seal the cuticle. The cold water also helps to increase the circulation of blood in your scalp. So all in all, a cold rinse is a good thing!I always try to make sure that my final rinse (after shampooing and conditioning) is a cold rinse. I’ve found that my hair appears to be shinier after a cool rinse.Shampoo Shmmampoo
As I’ve said in pre-paragraph, I don’t have a specific shampoo and condish that works for me. I generally just go with whatever my heart tells me. (Look at me making it an emotional thing). A couple of experts say that if you use the same kind of product too many times, it becomes ineffective. So swop it up a bit! Shake it up! Woahhhh crazy times!Other things I do while shampooing and conditioning:
I apply conditioner to my bottom ends first and focus more on them, working my way up to the scalp, so as to not make my scalp too oily. I also try to focus on shampooing my roots and not my scalp – which, to me, was the same thing, but apparently it isn’t. Clue: Your scalp is your actual skin.
Combing vs Brushing vs “Did I brush my hair today?”
Combing: I only comb when my hair is wet. This helps to avoid breakage and is generally the only way you should be unknotting your wet hair yo.Brushing: I brush my hair from the bottom up. So I would first detangle the bottom ends and work my way up to the roots.Again, this helps to avoid breakage and split ends.
“Did I brush my hair today?”: Don’t judge me. I have a baby. And in retrospect, not only is running your fingers through your mane the best way to brush it, but over brushing your hair is like hair suicide and can cause hair loss and split ends. Oh and brushing too much can also cause your scalp to produce too much oil, which results in greasy hair, which results in you having to wash your hair every day, which results in you failing part 1 of this instructional. Be wary. Be alert. Do the right thing.
I air dry like a boss
Look, I was not always brave enough to air dry my hair. Especially not when we had visitors over and I feared looking like Tina Turner in her glory days. But applying as little heat as possible to your hair can only result in magical things happening to your mane. Trust me. My routine includes air drying and then flat ironing a bit, where needed/when needed.Ponytails and Buns
I only ponytail my hair, like, never. That’s because I hate my ears. But if you love your ears, then please, by all means, ponytail your hair. Just make sure you are using a hair friendly scrunchie or hair tie. Preferably something that is not overbearingly elastic.I am the avid “bun”ner and if I must, I rather opt for tieing my hair in a loose bun, secured with a hair clip. I wear my hair down alot more often though. Like right now. It’s down right now.
So there you have it. My super secret guide on how to not have to go to a salon every month. I love that there are tons of amazing products out there, catering to every single hair type. So with all of this said, I encourage you to find what works for YOU. Google your hair type and you’ll find that there are tons of great advice on the net that will help to make YOUR hair routine super easy and beneficial to you.
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Why having a “perfect marriage” is hard
Maintaining a “perfect marriage” is hard work. Yes, I have the perfect marriage. Don’t you? I mean, I married my husband and he’s the perfect guy for me. And since I am also perfect for him, and all of that, this must mean that we have the perfect marriage, right?
I mean, we planned our wedding before we even got engaged! In fact, we spoke about getting married before we started dating. Actually, we spoke about dating while we were still friends. It seems like we were always so over eager to get into a serious relationship that would result in us being married to each other. We could not wait!
I remember all the sleepless nights, lying in bed with my cellphone glued to my hand, typing away furiously and waiting anxiously for him to reply to my texts. And the days when we would drag out the moments between being together and him going home. I could not wait to get married then!
Fast forward a few years, a wedding and many kids later. Things look a little bit different to what we both had in mind. Marriage was meant to be sunshine and roses and me cooking the perfect meals while he secretly writes me love letters. Yeah, it’s not quite that.. It’s much more:“babe, can you go to the store please?”
“babe, have you left for the store yet?”
“baby, when are you going to the store?!”
“babe, must I go to the store myself???!!!!”
I mean, when you’re inlove you don’t consider the fact that married life is more than just staring into each other’s eyes. But reality check: Life is real! Kids need to be picked up from school, grocery shopping must be done and hey, someone needs to clean the darn house! Where’s the time to work on this perfect marriage we had dreamed of?
I’ve learnt that marriage is a journey… it’s not a destination. You don’t just say ‘I do’ and end up in a land where everything is rosy and perfect. It’s more like, you say ‘I do’ and then get on the train together and work towards being the perfect partner for your wife/husband. And yes, while being on said train, you might feel a bit overcrowded. Maybe you need to use the loo now and then, but you have a kid on your lap. Maybe you wanted the window seat and oh look, he insists on sitting at the window. The situation is not exactly perfect.
But when you wake up each morning and choose each other all over again and choose to stay together, well, then that means you have the perfect marriage FOR YOU.A big part of being married to someone who happens to not be an exact replica of me has taught me tough lessons on how to be selfless. I’ve learnt how to choose someone else’s plans over my (very elaborate, spreadsheet brain) plans. And I am learning the beautiful art of forgiving more freely and saying ‘I’m sorry’ more easily. After a while, who left the toothpaste uncapped is less important than being able to cuddle next to your husband. Peace eventually takes precedence over being right. And having the perfect marriage means being perfect for each other, more than self gratification.
The Bible says that he who finds a wife find a good thing. It also says that where there is unity God commands His blessing over it. I challenge myself to always remain that “good thing” in my Hubstopher’s life and to remember that we are at our strongest when we are united.
Having the perfect marriage is hard and stuff. But oh the perks of being the best kind of wife to my husband… so worth it all!
All images in this post were taken by the amazing Donna van der Watt, at our wedding on the 16 December 2013.
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How to control your “Control Freak”ness
Photo: Absolute Misdemeanor As a self professed control freak, I am learning a couple of hard lessons about when to loosen the harness of my tightly roped life. I really do thrive when things are predictable and well planned but that has become detrimental to a few really important relationships in my life.
For starters, life with a teenager is far from predictable.
I don’t get my son. I just don’t get him!
I tell him so too.
We are the total opposites. He doesn’t even wear matching socks sometimes!
Photo: From The Left Field We have a totally crazy morning routine of me waking him up for 20 minutes and then me rushing him to get done for 20 minutes. It just does not work because we leave home LATE anyways! I’ve just decided to let him take his time, which resulted in him getting to school late a couple of days in a row, which meant he gets Friday detention. And you would think that that would shake him, but no, he still does everything PAINFULLY slow in the morning.
I’m talking, literally taking 10 minutes to put on his shirt. LITERALLY.
I’ve watched him do it!
We’ve had “bad mornings” for the past few months now and it really gets to you, to have to start your whole day off in a yelling match. (I yell. He ignores.)
Photo: Pinterest But then I started realizing how this is affecting us.
It makes us all feel negative and just creates a bad atmosphere in our home. It also made me realize that I cant control that boy and reminded me (yet again) that I can only control MYSELF… as is the case with almost everything else in my life. So no matter how many minutes my spreadsheet has allocated to me brushing my teeth, chances are, he will take an extra 10 minutes on it.
But hey that’s who I am, and that’s who he is and we are not the same person!Our children grow up so fast and we are the greatest influencers in their lives.
I’d really like to try to be less “AACK YOU’RE MESSING UP MY PLANS’ and more well, nicer, I guess. Anyone else feel this way?For starters, I am waking him up a bit earlier every morning now, which means I sacrifice my sleep but he gets more time to prepare. And then I found that since I am way nicer in the mornings now, he responds differently to me.
(When I DON’T yell, then he actually hears me. Figures.)The truth is that when I try to plan, replan and over plan, I tend to be SO self focused that I forget to value the relationship at hand.
My relationships are more important than my plans.
Woah, that was a big one.Hope I made you think 🙂
xxxL -
How to survive being married to a musician
Being married to a musician has its perks. Strange perks (like when he decides to “beat box” to you ranting about something) but perks, nonetheless. Are you dating a muso? Well, girlfriend, this advice is for you!
How to survive being married to a musician
1. Learn to not look up when he refers to “Pooky” because it’s probably his guitar. Understand that he names his instrument. It will probably be an even mushier term of endearment than he has for you.
2. Expect him to spend a fair sum of money on things like strings, pads and sticks. (Clip note: they are not what you think they are.)
3. Never refer to a singer as a “musician”. You are only deserving of the title “musician” when you play an instrument.
4. Do not break into hysterics when you find him making this facial expression while listening to music:
No, he is not having a mild heart attack. This just means that he likes and admires what he is listening to.
5. Accept that you will be listening to music at its highest volume from here on or be okay with him wearing headphones all the time. Because there is no other way to really listen to music.
6. “Sound Check” – Definition: You will be at the event hours before anyone else is.
7. When the lights go on and everyone goes home after an event, keep calm while you watch him potter around on stage. Be prepared to hang around as he “jams” with the band… yes, the same band he just played with for the past hour.
8. Learn how to speak muso. Quick lesson:
- A “sick” bassline means that it’s good.
- When someone is a “beast”, they are quite skilled at playing their instrument.
- The term “shedding” does not refer to hair loss.
- “Breaks” does not mean someone broke something on stage.
- The terms “double time” and “half time” has nothing to do with sport.
These views and opinions are solely based on my experiences. Reference:
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Mommy Review: Oh! Boy {GIVEAWAY}
My Curlysue and I were totally excited when we received a parcel from Oh! Boy kids accessories a couple of weeks ago. Elle from JustEllaBella is a fab WAHM who started this online store after facing the conundrum of not finding cool stuff for her very cool kid, Aidan, to wear. She dreams up, designs and creates every single product by hand and thrives on being as quirky and original as possible – I mean, how cool is it to visit a store and know that you won’t see 50 other kids walking around wearing the exact same thing as yours?
From scarves to potty training friendly velcro belts to peak beanies for tiny heads – this lady thinks of it all.The latest edition to the store are her busy bags, which she describes as “take-a-long toys to keep kiddies busy.” These bags contain “quiet” games and things for your toddler to do when you need to keep them entertained in instances that need for a quiet child 🙂 I love that she’s included an educational aspect to each bag – so they learn as they play and you get some adult time. Score.
Our package from Oh!Boy contained a really cute sensory dino and a hand painted bandanna bib.
I thought the dino to be pretty darn cool because of the pink taglets attached to the side. My little one loves using her pincher’s to poke and pull at anything and everything she sets her eyes on. Needless to say, she loved the silky taglets and yep, she tried to pull them off. Operation: Destroy the Dino.
Fortunately, these handmade dinos are stitched together beautifully and are durable – much to the dismay of Curly.
The dinos contain dried lentils which are awesome if you’re looking for a fun sensory toy.
They also double as a cold or hot compress and I’ve found that they retain heat/coldness really well (you can stick them in the fridge or pop them in the microwave)Of course, Curly chose to taste them as well (everything goes to the mouth) so yes, if you’re looking for a teether, this would work too.
What I love the most about Oh!Boys range of bibs is that they are so original and really not “bib looking”, if you know what I mean. Let’s be honest moms, bibs can make or break an outfit 🙂
See pic for the degree of cuteness:
I am so chuffed to announce that Oh! Boy will be giving away an amazing prize consisting of a sensory dino and a ultra funky kiddie lounge pants and a matching bib.
Follow the rafflecopter prompts to enter!
xxxL
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Do amber teething necklaces work with voodoo?
I often find myself in mommy chat circles, debating whether or not the amber teething necklace actually works. Some moms claim that if you see results, it’s probably the placebo effect (i.e. your mind is playing tricks on you, crazy lady). Others swear by the amber beads and claim that it has done wonders for their teething toddlers. My hubstopher, on the other hand believes that it’s voodoo and that we should keep it as far away from our children as possible. My spreadsheet brain and I had to get to the bottom of this madness!So, I did what any sane ‘spreadsheet brained’ person would do. I Googled, of corse! Some websites (usually the ones who are promoting the beads) say that amber is reputed to boost the immune system and assists with reducing inflammation and accelerating the healing of wounds, because it contains and releases succinic acid. Apparently it’s been used as a soother for teething babes for many years now. As per Wikipedia, amber has been used for its healing properties since the time of Hippocrates in Ancient Greece through the Middle Ages and up until the early twentieth century. Interesting.
The packaging of my string of amber beads says that amber is not actually a stone, it is fossilized tree resin from forests that were flooded by the sea millions of years ago.The packaging also says “we believe that the power to soothe pain attributed to amber lies in the fact that it creates an electromagnetic field which enhances the human frame of mind.” Hmmm… sounds a bit voodoo-esque, right?
Opposing websites, such as Science or Not, de-myths the amber beads story. The website goes into detail, breaking down the components that make up amber. In their explanation, researchers explain that your baby would need to be exposed to quite a large amount of succinic acid, over a long period of time, in order for it to take effect. In a nutshell, many doctors and scientists say that the idea behind a string of amber beads reducing teething symptoms is ridiculous and a chocking risk (even though the string is really short and the beads supposedly break easily – to avoid strangulation).
Surprisingly enough a lot of moms swear that amber beads gave their baby a bit of relief during the terrible teething woes. I was willing to try it (while monitoring my baby closely), to see if it worked.
I tested the beads to see if they would assist with relief from
– Constant drooling
– Rash on my babies face
– Pain and uncomfortable behaviorThe result, after using it for 1 week
– The drooling seemed to ease up to the point where she did not have to wear a bib anymore. This was a big deal for me, since she had been drooling lots and I’ve constantly had to change her tops and bibs, to keep her dry. (Also, hello, bibs can totally like, ruin an outfit, darling!)– The rash is still there and comes and goes. Not a fan. I honestly thought the rash was due to the drooling. Hmm, it seems I don’t know it all – but shh don’t tell my hubstopher.
– She still has moments of discomfort, which is the norm. I cant tell if the levels of teething pains have decreased though. Unless I’m about to break out in baby babble, which I’ve graduated from, many years ago.
In conclusion
Although 1 of the 3 symptoms eased up, I’m not about to put my name on an official document stating that the stuff actually works, yo. But yes, the drooling stopped soon after using the beads. And no, I did not detect any signs of voodoo whatsoever.However, I must caution you to remove the beads from your sleeping baby and to monitor baby during “awake” times too. I don’t know, but having something around my babys neck gives me the jitters! And as one website asked: Is the (supposed) benefit of wearing these beads greater than the risk? That, Mommy, is a decision you will have to make for yourself.
