The newest member of the Ben and Jerry’s family is a play on a funny Saturday Night Live skit called “Schweddy Balls”. I have to admit, I have a hard time even writing that without feeling a little foolish, so I find it very hard to see myself asking for it at the supermarket! I am not a total prude but I am socially conscious and know I would have a panic attack thinking about asking the 17 year old boy at the grocery store where the “scweddy balls” were…….ice cream or not! So, the conservative families and mom advocacy groups (e.g. One Million Moms) are calling supermarkets and consumers to boycott this new ice cream feeling that Ben and Jerry’s has just gone too far this time.

Which brings me to this post: What do you think is too much or going too far with today’s products and their influence on our children? My two and a half year old is also an ice cream lover like her mommy and I can’t stomach the idea of her asking me for “schweddy balls” no matter how awesome the ice cream sounds! (And it does sound awesome! It consists of Fair Trade Vanilla Ice Cream with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls!) I have to say that I would have absolutely loved to try this ice cream and the adolescent teenager in me even finds it funny and ironic but the mom wins out and this ice cream will not be making it’s own debut in my home. So sad, too bad.

On the other hand, I can’t forsee myself banning Ben and Jerry’s altogether! I don’t know what I would do without my go to Cherry Garcia at that special time of the month and I think their new “Late Night Snack” flavor in honor of Jimmy Fallon was actually an homage to all pregnant ladies out there (Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Salty Caramel Swirl & Fudge Covered Potato Chip Clusters) but for now it’s being given a time out for bad behavior.

I’d love to know what you think – will “Schweddy Balls” be making an appearance in your home or just the homes of teenage boys that have a love of Alec Baldwin and SNL? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

My story is that my husband and I struggled a lot with this decision. We struggled with the pros and cons before my first child was born and even now once our second was born. Ultimately, we decided to vaccinate our first born on the advice of the doctors, family members and after much research from our end. That isn’t to say that we don’t still second guess ourselves – I would even venture to say that we have more doubts about our decision now than we did before!  After our second child was born, we decided with much thought and the support of our doctor that we were going to wait to vaccinate her. She is now 6 months old and we still have not started vaccinations for her. Thank God that both of our girls are happy and healthy. Choosing to vaccinate and now choosing to wait were not easy decisions by any means for us. There is always new research coming out, new studies, new stories – good and bad from parents that have had experiences of their own. It’s amazing how much you are really bombarded with on this topic! And it’s so hard to discern what is truth and what isn’t. My husband and I spent a few sleepless nights and many heated discussions on how to approach this matter!

But what prompted this query today was actually a story that a friend of mine posted on Facebook of all things about this incredible family that lost their son to an allergic reaction from the Hep B shot not long after he was born. The little fighter survived 47 days before the good Lord took him back into His arms. This family has been given the strength to use their story to help educate other parents on some of the dangers of this particular vaccine and to also help their cause of making safer vaccines. They specifically note on their website that they are not against vaccinations – they simply want to help make them safer for everyone.

I have to tell you that thinking about all of this information has been a constant source of anxiety and gut wrenching feelings on my part. I know that ultimately everything is in God’s hands but that doesn’t stop a parent from wanting to make the best/right decisions for their kids! All in all, I have spent countless numbers of hours researching this debate and I still don’t know how I completely feel on the matter! To help you check out both sides of the fight just in case you or someone you know is trying to find some answers, I’ve included some links below.

Click here to check out Ian’s incredible and heartbreaking story (I will tell you know that the parents did a photograph diary of his condition for medical purposes and that they have posted some of the pictures on this site. They are not easy to look at, so I am warning you now but I still feel their story and their mission are extremely important so I hope this doesn’t deter too many people from checking it out.)

Click here to check out an excerpt from Dr. Sear’s book on vaccinations and making your decision.

Click here to check out the book “Deadly Choices – How the Anti Vaccination movement threatens us all” by Paul Offit M.D.

If you have additional resources that you recommend, please let me know! I’d love to check them out myself!

Be safe!

Now I know that we live in a country that has strong beliefs about war and politics. It is my feeling that no matter what we feel about the war that we are in or who we feel is better suited to run this country, our men and women in uniform deserve our support, respect, admiration and most importantly, our prayers.

I ask that not just today but every day we take a few moments to give thanks to everyone that has given their lives to allow us to live ours. And that we remember to pray for the safety of those that are still fighting that fight.

Thank you service men and women for everything that you do. You are in our thoughts and prayers always.

Mamapedia – They offer sweet deals in most areas as well as a nationwide deal online! (I just recently snagged an awesome deal for a site that offered bags for kids that you can customize with names, initials, monograms, etc. as well as another deal for 60% off manicures and pedicures in my area for my sis & I for mother’s day!)

mom.com – The local deals are only in New York at this time since they are a brand new site but they always have a nationwide deal available too!

Gaggle of Chicks – Once again, the local deals for this site are only in Houston or New York but they have awesome nationwide deals! (I just picked up some coupons for Peeledsnacks.com which sells only organic – no sugar added dried fruits!)

Hopefully these sites are as helpful to you as they have been for me!