Another email from my mom. We got a Swiffer or a Clorox Readymop or something several years ago because Justin hated how nasty our other mop was getting and wanted something disposable. We both thought the smell of the cleaning pads was overwhelming, and I hate chemical cleaners and disposable products in general, so we compromised. We kept the mop, but instead of the cleaning pads they sell in the store we use an old sock with the mop and a spray bottle of homemade cleaning solution (1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, and 15 drops essential oil which is optional). Then we just toss the sock in the wash after each use.
>>>Recently someone had to have their 5-year old German shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated 'May be harmful to small children and animals!' He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the ingredients (actually, he was told it's a compound which is one molecule away from antifreeze). Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking its own paws, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog's death, his housekeepers' two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies weren't done on the cats, so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don't lose their animals. This is equally harmful to babies and small children that play on the floor a lot and put their fingers in their mouths a lot.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Baby Carrots
My mom emailed me this information. I don't buy baby carrots anyway (except sometimes organic ones for a party), because whole carrots are less wasteful and more cost effective (also the greens are good for you). Anyway, this doesn't surprise me in the least, but it is good to know.
> >>> >> The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for IGA, METRO, LOBLAWS, etc. The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots. Most people probably know this already. What you may not know and should know is the following: once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your pool) since they do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose of chlorine. You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots, this is the chlorine which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables which are practically plastic? We do hope that this information can be passed on to as many people as possible in the hopes of informing them where these carrots come from and how they are processed. Chlorine is a very well known carcinogen (cancer causing agent).
> >>> >> The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for IGA, METRO, LOBLAWS, etc. The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots. Most people probably know this already. What you may not know and should know is the following: once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your pool) since they do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose of chlorine. You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots, this is the chlorine which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables which are practically plastic? We do hope that this information can be passed on to as many people as possible in the hopes of informing them where these carrots come from and how they are processed. Chlorine is a very well known carcinogen (cancer causing agent).
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A Day In The Life...
(Got this idea from a friend's Facebook post.) Wouldn't it be fun to get a peek into what others do on any given day? Today, tell us what you did! All the details. Here is mine from yesterday:
6:00 - Alarm goes off. Turn if off and decide to sleep until it's time to get Jordan up. Reset alarm for 6:45.
6:15 - Decide I won't be able to get back to sleep, and I really need to get some freelance work done. Drag myself out of bed and turn on the computer. Check email, start this blog entry and transcribe notes from interviewing the Nelson brothers (twin dentists) on their retirement from their Oregon dental practice.
6:50 - Go upstairs, wake up Jordan and tell him to get dressed. Continue transcribing notes.
7:10 - Make Jordan breakfast (oatmeal with cherries). Continue transcribing notes.
7:20 - Finish with dental interview notes. Reply to an email from the Banana Lady (a freelance client) and do a little freelance book-keeping.
7:30 - Supervise Jordan's final preparations to school and send him outside to wait for the bus. It's pouring but he insists on waiting outside rather than in the garage. I can't send him with an umbrella because the school considers them dangerous.
7:45 - Check Facebook, make tea, and get Sasha up when she starts yelling for me. Get her in her high chair and give her the rest of the oatmeal. Throw some hamburger soup together in the crock pot for supper since I've got to take Jordan to the dentist late this afternoon. Wash Sasha's hands and face. Start the dishwasher.
8:30 - Change Sasha's diaper and get her dressed (she insists on eating breakfast in her pj's every day now). Go through the whole list of shows that are on that she's allowed to watch, and start the recorded episode of Peep that she finally chooses. Clean up the kitchen. Read part of the Practicing Hospitality book I'm reading for an online book discussion group while drinking my tea and eating the leftover oatmeal. More Facebook.
9:00 - Go through the whole TV show selection thing again with Sasha, settling on a recorded episode of Veggie Tales in the end. Give her the "this is your last show for the morning" warning. Get dressed, brush teeth, use dental pick in lieu of floss, rinse with homemade calendula mouth rinse, comb and straighten hair in an effort to remove weird bumps caused by sleeping on damp hair. Spend several minutes trying to decide if getting a hair cut qualifies as a necassary expense with Justin facing lay-off in May. Check email and decide to reply to a few Facebook posts later and get some things done around the house now.
9:30 - Go through fridge, freezers and cupboards to see what food we have and what we need. Edit meal plan and grocery list file accordingly; print it out. Do laundry. Sasha helps until she gets bored, says "I done helping now" and goes off to play. Answer an email from Ann checking to make sure I made it home alright from the airport Sunday night. Skin and chop the frozen tomatoes (from last summer's garden) I got out this morning now that they are partially thawed and add them to the crock pot. Wash the knife and cutting board and leave them out to dry.
10:30 - Check Outlook To Do list. Fill a pitcher with water and set it out to warm up so I can change the water in the goldfish bowl later. Back up My Documents file to my flash drive.
10:45 - Heat up leftover Mexican casserole and open a can of pineapple for lunch. Put Sasha in her high chair, eat, and try to convince her to eat the casserole after she demolishes the pineapple.
11:00 - Hang another load of wet laundry up to dry, keep feeding Sasha, clean the kitchen.
11:30 - Get Sasha out, wash her up, clean the high chair, give her the "you have 5 minutes to poop and pee before I change your diaper warning".
11:40 - Finally give up and change the diaper, even though she hasn't pooped yet. Leave for work.
12:00 - Put Sasha down for her nap in my boss's bedroom. Work - processing orders, sending renewal reminders, going over the extra things I need to know how to do when he's on vacation for 3 weeks, answer emails, issue registration codes, deal with past due invoices, etc.
2:15 - Sasha wakes up. Go get her and pack up the pack-n-play. Go back down to finish backing up the files. Leave. Go to the grocery store.
3:10 - Get home, put away groceries, eat a quick snack and tell Jordan to brush his teeth when he finishes the snack Justin gave him.
4:00 - Drive to the dentist. Make Jordan's next 6 month appt. even though I have no idea if we'll have dental insurance in 6 months. Wait.
5:00 - Drive home. It's pouring and I can hardly see anything. Jordan goes on and on about the two prizes he got from the dentist.
5:30 - Shovel in a bowl of hamburger soup and some cheese and bread with butter. Make fruit smoothies for everyone. Make blender waffle batter and leave to sit out overnight (per the recipe which requires soaking the grains to remove the phytates, whatever those are).
6:15 - Drive to the Oregon Library for my Healthy Moms meeting. It's raining even harder now. Check out a few books and then go to the meeting. This month's topic is juicing and sprouting. Drink fresh wheatgrass juice, fresh orange/apple juice, homemade kombucha (a fermented tea), and two different kinds of Mona Vie while discussing various things and joking about doing "shots" at the library.
8:30 - Drive to Beth's house (in Oregon). Still raining. Hold baby Violet and talk.
10:00 - Drive home. Still pouring. Finish the Amanda Quick book I'm reading for the 10th time at least while eating cold bacon. Turn on HGTV and watch the end of some show while eating a piece of chocolate and half a piece of bread and butter.
10:35 - Wake up Justin (who is asleep on the couch). Set alarm for 6:45 even though I know I should set it for 6:00 to do some freelance work before the kids get up. Brush teeth and go to bed.
6:00 - Alarm goes off. Turn if off and decide to sleep until it's time to get Jordan up. Reset alarm for 6:45.
6:15 - Decide I won't be able to get back to sleep, and I really need to get some freelance work done. Drag myself out of bed and turn on the computer. Check email, start this blog entry and transcribe notes from interviewing the Nelson brothers (twin dentists) on their retirement from their Oregon dental practice.
6:50 - Go upstairs, wake up Jordan and tell him to get dressed. Continue transcribing notes.
7:10 - Make Jordan breakfast (oatmeal with cherries). Continue transcribing notes.
7:20 - Finish with dental interview notes. Reply to an email from the Banana Lady (a freelance client) and do a little freelance book-keeping.
7:30 - Supervise Jordan's final preparations to school and send him outside to wait for the bus. It's pouring but he insists on waiting outside rather than in the garage. I can't send him with an umbrella because the school considers them dangerous.
7:45 - Check Facebook, make tea, and get Sasha up when she starts yelling for me. Get her in her high chair and give her the rest of the oatmeal. Throw some hamburger soup together in the crock pot for supper since I've got to take Jordan to the dentist late this afternoon. Wash Sasha's hands and face. Start the dishwasher.
8:30 - Change Sasha's diaper and get her dressed (she insists on eating breakfast in her pj's every day now). Go through the whole list of shows that are on that she's allowed to watch, and start the recorded episode of Peep that she finally chooses. Clean up the kitchen. Read part of the Practicing Hospitality book I'm reading for an online book discussion group while drinking my tea and eating the leftover oatmeal. More Facebook.
9:00 - Go through the whole TV show selection thing again with Sasha, settling on a recorded episode of Veggie Tales in the end. Give her the "this is your last show for the morning" warning. Get dressed, brush teeth, use dental pick in lieu of floss, rinse with homemade calendula mouth rinse, comb and straighten hair in an effort to remove weird bumps caused by sleeping on damp hair. Spend several minutes trying to decide if getting a hair cut qualifies as a necassary expense with Justin facing lay-off in May. Check email and decide to reply to a few Facebook posts later and get some things done around the house now.
9:30 - Go through fridge, freezers and cupboards to see what food we have and what we need. Edit meal plan and grocery list file accordingly; print it out. Do laundry. Sasha helps until she gets bored, says "I done helping now" and goes off to play. Answer an email from Ann checking to make sure I made it home alright from the airport Sunday night. Skin and chop the frozen tomatoes (from last summer's garden) I got out this morning now that they are partially thawed and add them to the crock pot. Wash the knife and cutting board and leave them out to dry.
10:30 - Check Outlook To Do list. Fill a pitcher with water and set it out to warm up so I can change the water in the goldfish bowl later. Back up My Documents file to my flash drive.
10:45 - Heat up leftover Mexican casserole and open a can of pineapple for lunch. Put Sasha in her high chair, eat, and try to convince her to eat the casserole after she demolishes the pineapple.
11:00 - Hang another load of wet laundry up to dry, keep feeding Sasha, clean the kitchen.
11:30 - Get Sasha out, wash her up, clean the high chair, give her the "you have 5 minutes to poop and pee before I change your diaper warning".
11:40 - Finally give up and change the diaper, even though she hasn't pooped yet. Leave for work.
12:00 - Put Sasha down for her nap in my boss's bedroom. Work - processing orders, sending renewal reminders, going over the extra things I need to know how to do when he's on vacation for 3 weeks, answer emails, issue registration codes, deal with past due invoices, etc.
2:15 - Sasha wakes up. Go get her and pack up the pack-n-play. Go back down to finish backing up the files. Leave. Go to the grocery store.
3:10 - Get home, put away groceries, eat a quick snack and tell Jordan to brush his teeth when he finishes the snack Justin gave him.
4:00 - Drive to the dentist. Make Jordan's next 6 month appt. even though I have no idea if we'll have dental insurance in 6 months. Wait.
5:00 - Drive home. It's pouring and I can hardly see anything. Jordan goes on and on about the two prizes he got from the dentist.
5:30 - Shovel in a bowl of hamburger soup and some cheese and bread with butter. Make fruit smoothies for everyone. Make blender waffle batter and leave to sit out overnight (per the recipe which requires soaking the grains to remove the phytates, whatever those are).
6:15 - Drive to the Oregon Library for my Healthy Moms meeting. It's raining even harder now. Check out a few books and then go to the meeting. This month's topic is juicing and sprouting. Drink fresh wheatgrass juice, fresh orange/apple juice, homemade kombucha (a fermented tea), and two different kinds of Mona Vie while discussing various things and joking about doing "shots" at the library.
8:30 - Drive to Beth's house (in Oregon). Still raining. Hold baby Violet and talk.
10:00 - Drive home. Still pouring. Finish the Amanda Quick book I'm reading for the 10th time at least while eating cold bacon. Turn on HGTV and watch the end of some show while eating a piece of chocolate and half a piece of bread and butter.
10:35 - Wake up Justin (who is asleep on the couch). Set alarm for 6:45 even though I know I should set it for 6:00 to do some freelance work before the kids get up. Brush teeth and go to bed.
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