GERMS

As mentioned in the prior post, our family has been sick over the past week. In fact, since both kids are sleeping, I really should be cleaning my entire house that has been neglected

Or catching up on the mountain of laundry in the basement.

Or taking the pounds of tissues we used out to the trash.

Or maybe napping?

Or the grand list of other to-do's.

But there's always tomorrow, right?

And it's raining and dreary here so who feels like cleaning then? More like a cup of tea and a good book? Or should I say a cup of tea and online shopping for Christmas?

Anyway, my severe cold hit me earlier in the week, and yet I had to do some grocery shopping so I loaded my pockets with tissues and chapstick and managed my way through the store.

You know, I'm not normally a germaphobe (liberty with spelling, friends), but there's nothing like blowing your nose every 30 seconds to really make you think about it. Everything I touched at the store, I almost felt guilty about. I couldn't wash my hands every time I had to use a tissue so I'm sure I was spreading my cold to the world. I really thought about it in the produce section of the store. And then, I thought about how little I think about it. How when I'm healthy, I don't really pay attention and stop to think how many people touch things in public places. And where the food has been exactly before it shows up at the store. And how it really IS important to wash produce (I mean I do, but I've been guilty of neglecting that from time to time). Even pre-packed food has been handled by many different people. When you really think about it, YUCK!

And yet, we can't wear gloves our whole lives or little martian helmets or live in a bubble, we have to deal with the germs. They are everywhere, even where we don't realize. And if we're too clean and crazy about avoiding them, we neglect to let healthy bacteria in our bodies and allow our bodies to build its own natural defenses.

But, thinking about it, is really gross. I've heard recently that shopping carts are actually worse than public restrooms as far as germs like fectal material...eewwww! And your kitchen sink is actually worse than your toilet as festering bacteria! Some things I just don't want to know, and yet, I want to be aware of them.

So, I've decided to just be more dilegent about washing my hands, which is one of the best things you can do anyway. And you don't need antibacterial soap, just regular soap and water. Just sing your ABC's or a slow version of "Happy Birthday" and scrub in between your fingers too.

What do you do to stay germ free?

Guess The Product

Anyone up for a game? I'll admit right away I am not the inventor of this game, but find it loads of fun. In Sally Fallon's cookbook (that I have learned quite a bit from), Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, she lists in various spots throughout the book, lists of ingredients to well known products and you read them and try to guess what product she's talking about. It's amazing when you isolate the ingredients, without knowing the product, that it's sometimes challenging to figure it out, but also it makes you THINK about the ingredients, what is really in food, and makes you second guess buying it ever again. Well, unless you're sick as today's post will indicate.

Sooo...here's your challenge for today. Actually this one's pretty easy, but fun nonetheless.

Water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar syrup, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, locust bean gum, guar gum, ascorbic acid, carrageenan, natural and articifial color (may contain one or more of the following: annatto, turmeric, caramel, blue 1 & 2, red 3 & 40, yellow 5 & 6).

I'll give you a few minutes.

If you're not sure, I'll give you a few clues as I explain why I'm using this particular product.

My family has spent the past week passing cold germs to each other and it hasn't been fun. I don't sick too often and usually not severe, but this cold really did me in! I could feel my glands popping out of my neck and was desperate for something cold on my throat so I asked my husband to please pick up the above product because I needed something to help! I knew the basic ingredients of this product but it wasn't enough to stop me from eating one.

OK, three. AND letting my kids eat one.

OK, two!

And yes, if you haven't guessed yet, we're talking about popsicles!

I threw the rest out after I remembered the yummy slushies from Laura at

heavenlyhomemakers.com. Check out her blog sometime. She has amazing recipes (that I think she comes up with on her own...amazing woman!) for homemade crackers, soft pretzels, dinners and lunches, all kinds of good healthy stuff. And a great series called "Getting Real With Food" that I enjoy reading. Here's the link for the slushies. Oh, and you can leave out the spinach and use whatever fruit combination sounds good to you! After remembering them and realizing we had frozen strawberries and peaches from the summer, we made some and they felt fantastic on my throat. Then I got the brilliant idea to turn them into popsicles by putting the slushies in little dixie cups. We have a juicer and were making our own popsicles with fresh orange and pineapple juice but these are great because they're already partially frozen and you can put the popsicle stick in right away and not have to remember you have a tray of frozen juice in the freezer.

So try them sometime. You're in for a treat!

Cloth Diapering 101

When I first told my husband I wanted to use cloth diapers after our daughter was born, he told me that was fine, but he would not be changing any diapers, thank you very much.

Now, he's a diaper champ!! He even swishes the poop out into the toilet! (OK, so not to be gross during this post, but it's about diapers so what do you expect?)

Some people think we're crazy to use cloth diapers.

Some people think it's really cool.

I'm amazed by how many people comment about our diapers. Most people have not seen the new and improved versions. When I first started doing research on cloth diapers, I went to ebay because I didn't really think many people used them. I was amazed by how much used cloth diapers were going for. So I wrote down the names of different ones and started to google them to do some research. I thought I was going to have to use a diaper service like my mom did, you know, with the pins and plastic pants. But let me tell you, cloth diapers have been revamped and are so easy to use!

There are lots of cloth diapers out there that I haven't tried and I know many people love but I'll share what kind we use and why we like them so much. We have used Fuzzi Bunz on both our children and LOVE them. So everything I write here is based on our experience with those diapers.

While I'm not a tree-hugger or anything, I do think it's insane how many disposable diapers go to landfills, approximately 27 BILLION diapers a year in the U.S. alone. And they sit for up to 500 years before decomposing...yikes! Even though the instructions on diapers say to dump the waste into the toilet, statistics say that 1/2 of 1% actually do. Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR. Disposable diapers contain traces of toxins and pollutants that can have harmful effects on the body.

The average baby uses 6000 diapers in 2 years which makes an average cost of 1600 dollars. Cloth diapers do vary in cost so figuring out the saving depends on how many you buy and what kind you buy. The average cost of a cloth diaper is about 17 dollars. That sounds like a lot of money and it is a lot up front but over time, the savings do really add up. For my family, we have 3 dozen cloth diapers in 2 different sizes. My daughter is potty-trained and my son can still wear both sizes. We spent a total of about 700 dollars on cloth diapers, cloth wipes, detergent, and a few other supplies. If we went with the average listed above, cloth has saved us a ton of money. Plus, when you reuse them for different children, you really save money because you're getting so much more wear out of them. Wipes add to that cost and if you use washable wipes, you save more money.

For more statistics and break-down of costs, check out http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php. There are some stunning stats on that site with all their sources listed.

There are also diapers called gdiapers which are a compromise between cloth and disposable. They sound interesting but Fuzzi Bunz worked so well for us it didn't seem worth the investment because they are bit more expensive in the long run. I don't know anyone personally who has tried them but I'd love to know if you have.

Cloth diapers are soft against the baby's skin. They are made with fleece that keeps your baby's skin dry. Fuzzi Bunz, like many other cloth diapers, are pocket diapers so basically you put an cotton insert into the pocket of the cloth diaper to catch the pee and the outer part is waterproof so you don't need to put plastic pants on top. The outer part has snaps to fit different sizes of a child so you can use them as they grow. Some other brands of diapers use Velcro. They come in so many adorable colors.

Just look how cute they are hanging out on the line.

A lot of people ask about the smell and do they leak and is it gross to clean them? Most of the time, I don't notice a different smell with cloth unless I leave the diaper on too long. And disposables don't cover up a poopy smell any more than cloth. We store them in a special cloth bag after we use them and for the most part, the bag doesn't smell. In the summer when it's warmer there is more of an odor but we keep the bag in the bathroom and really, it's not that bad.

As for leaks, there is an occasional leak, but nothing out of the ordinary. Usually it will happen if the diaper is not snapped on properly or if it's too big. While I've read that people don't have problems at night, both of our kids got rashes when we used them at night so we do use a disposable overnight. We like the Seventh Generation brand because they are made without chemicals.

Getting rid of poop isn't really a big deal, most of the time you can dump it in the toilet. Yes, sometimes you have to swish it out in the toilet but that kind of stuff doesn't really bother me. When it's your own kids poop, it really isn't so bad. I've told anyone who has ever watched our kids that they can just roll up the diaper with the poop inside and we'll take care of it at home. Some have done that, others clean them out. I guess it's just personal preference. And even though you can't swish out disposables, you should dump the poop in the toilet!

With just one in diapers now and with the amount we have we only do a load or two extra every week. You use a tiny bit of detergent (we bought a special kind) and no fabric softener. You can't wash the diapers with anything else or it will cause pilling. You can line dry them or put them in the dryer. We have very few with staining on them and usually the sun will bleach it out if any is left. It's nice to air them out when the weather is good. We then spend 5-10 minutes putting the inserts in so it really is very minimal extra time to take care of them.

If we go on vacation or go to an amusement park or some place where cloth would not be convenient we do use disposables out of convenience. I totally understand why people choose not to use cloth, but it's worth exploring if you are remotely interested. I really do LOVE using them and would encourage you to do some research if you are curious about it. Or if you currently use them, let us know what you think about it.

Oh, and if you think they look cute hanging on the wash line, just think how cute they'll look on your baby's bottom!

Organic Defined

Did you ever wonder what eating organic food really means? When you see the organic label, what are the requirements?


Organic food must be produced without the use of herbicides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals. Organic food has been proven to be more nutritious and taste better. Organic farming promotes good enironmental farming practices. The regulations for organic labels are pretty strict so when you eat organic food, you can guarantee better food is going into your body.


Organic food is not genetically-modified. I'm learning a lot more about this and am totally appalled by the trend of food. Genetically modified (GMO) food is food that has been created by a "fake" seed, a genetically produced seed, a copy of the real thing. It has altered DNA of the real thing. The effect of GMO's in our diet are untested. We've been eating GMO food without realizing it. Any food you pick up that is not organic most likely contains food that has been genetically modified. And why?? It all comes back to the same thing...money! GMO food is cheaper to make and mass produce so it's more money for the food companies. Because GMO's have been untested, they are particularly dangerous. In fact, Europe does not accept American GMO imports. Corn and soybeans are one of the largest GMO crops and they are in just about all processed foods in some form or another. Animals eat feed with GMO corn or soy and then it ends up in your meat. The best way to avoid GMO's is to eat whole unprocessed food as much as possible. Buy local and support quality farming.

As you experiment with reading labels and testing out the organic aisle in your local store, use these guidelines:

1. If a food is labeled 100% organic, that means 100% of product must be organic or contain organically produced products.


2. If a food is only labeled "organic," then 95% of the food must be organic.


3. Made with organic ingredients means at least 70% of the food must be organic.


4. If it says "all natural" or made with "all natural" whatever, it means NOTHING. There are no
guidelines for the natural label. So read the ingredients!

5. Conventional produce has 4 numbers on the PLU code. Organic produce has 5 numbers starting with 9. GMO produce has 5 numbers starting with 8. But just because you might only see 4 numbers doesn't mean it's the best for you because it still was produced with pesticides and chemicals. Local and organic are the best!

Some will argue that not all local produce is better for you because farmers might use unsafe practices. I think if you want to know, just ask them. Many farmers use organic practices but are not certified organic because the standards are very high and it is an expensive process. I'd rather buy something local when it's in season then something shipped across the country which uses more energy than a local farmer. But that's just my personal and humble opinion!

Since it's my blog, I get to write that!

Pesticide Control

I know you've all heard about pesticides that affect our food, but what are they really? And how can we avoid them?

Pesticides were created to protect crops from insects and other pests as well as control weeds and disease from hurting the crops. This would lead to increased amounts of production and more money.

But of course, anytime we try to do something that is unnatural, there are quite a few side effects.

One of those is soil degeneration which decreases the quality of the soil making it more difficult from year to year to grow crops. Which decreases the yield of the crop, which goes against the whole reason for using pesticides in the first place.

Another side effect results from human consumption of pesticides: herbicides (weed control), fungicides (mold control), rodenticides (rodent control), insectisides (insect control), and antimicrobials (bacteria control). The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has determined that between 30-90% of pesticides used, depending on what type, are cancer causing. Other side effects listed on their website include nerve damage, birth defects, long-term health effects, and blocking the absorption of nutrients necessary for healthy growth of children. Children can be affected more easily because they are still growing and developing and pesticide damage could cause permanent damage.

Pesticides can be found in fruits, vegetables, and animal products because the animals eat feed loaded with pesticides that builds up in their system.

This next part I'm quoting directly from mercola.com because it was stated so well.

"Of course the EPA notes that the government does regulate pesticides to determine "that they will not pose unreasonable risks to human health or the environment." For food items, the EPA sets limits on how much pesticides can be used and how much can remain on food. However, there is really no way to know just how many pesticides are left on the food you eat aside from having it lab-tested yourself.
Alarmingly, the EPA also says, "You and your family have a right to know under the law that in certain cases, such as economic loss to farmers, a pesticide not meeting the safety standard may be authorized." This means that in "certain cases" unsafe, unauthorized pesticides can legally be sprayed on your food!"

YIKES, right?

So the best way to avoid them is to buy organic fruits and vegetables and free-range meat. More on that on another post. (I think I write that frequently and don't keep up with my promises!)

If you can't afford to switch to all organic produce, check out this great website.

http://www.foodnews.org/

You can download a copy of a guide from the Environmental Working Group that tells you which produce has the most and least amount of pesticides so you know which ones are better to buy organically. For example, bananas and avocados are low on the pesticide list so you could choose not to buy them organically. Peaches and apples are high on the list so are best eaten organically.
Obviously, some people will say buy everything organic, but to me, that's not totally practical so I think this guide is quite helpful.

Cool, right? Enjoy!

I'm It

I was "tagged" the other day by another blogging friend.



This means I'm supposed to post 7 quirky things about myself and then tag someone else.



Hmmm, quirky. Well, I suppose I am quirky in some ways. We're all a little quirky when comparing ourselves to others. Since this is a blog on healthy eating and living, I'll try to relate the quirky things to that topic.



I need to think for a minute.



1. I love the smell of skunk. (OK, I know, nothing to do with the topic. But it's probably the quirkiest thing about me. And no, I wouldn't want to get sprayed by one, I just like the smell in the air. Must be the country girl in me).


2. I like to watch what people have in their shopping carts or on the checkout belt. Not to be judgemental or anything, it's just interesting to see what people buy. Sometimes I try to figure out what meals they might be having. That is, when I'm in line without my kids and am trying to avoid reading the annoying magazine headlines.


3. I never stop to eat fast food. Well, with the exception of when I was pregnant at the same time as my sister and she said she couldn't get enough of McDonald's sweet tea and had a fish sandwich that was amazing. So of course, I craved one too. And then I did get a lot of their sweet tea until my son was born. Maybe that's why he didn't sleep well for the first year? I can't believe I'm admitting that on a healthy eating blog...see, I am normal after all!


4. I love the way my freezer looks with all the meat lined up. We buy a 1/4 cow every year and a lot of chicken at once and use it throughout the year. I love the feeling of knowing it's there for the winter and just the way it looks when I open the door. I know, weird!!


5. I eat avocados with a spoon. I never thought this was strange until a lady I work with commented that she never saw anyone do that before. Yup, just twist, de-seed, and spoon away! And a little Celtic salt makes it all the better!

6. I get REALLY excited when I talk about health stuff with people...hence, the name of my blog. I know it's so boring to many but I love to hear about small changes people are making in their lives. I like to give them little cheers!

7. I have a pin on my bag for school that says, "I Geek Out on Organic Food." I made it when we were in Toronto visiting family. They had some neat stuff set up for kids downtown one afternoon and one of the crafts was to make a pin. Even though it was for kids, I thought it was fun to make one. The pins were pre-made with "I Geek Out on..." I filled in the "Organic Food" part of the button. I think I'm a little extra quirky for not throwing it away and wearing it with pride.

Wow, 7 already! I could put more but then I'd really be admitting some wild stuff so I'll just tag the next lucky blogger...Jaime, you're it!

Living Without a Spirit of Fear

We had quite a scary experience a few days ago.

Not to go on and on but my son had a seizure while at the babysitter's. I left work early and went with him by ambulance to the emergency room, knowing only that he had a seizure, but nothing else.

It's amazing what your mind will do when you don't know what's happening.

It's amazing how it automatically thinks the worst.

I was practically hyperventilating on the way to get him because I couldn't stop going over the "what if's." I won't list them because if you're a parent, you've probably gone over them in your head.

Maybe a few times.

Fortunately we only spent a few hours in the emergency room after doctors determined the seizure was a febrile one, which means it was induced by a high fever that came rapidly. It most likely will not reoccur but we just have to watch him a little more closely with fevers than we would have before. Apparently they are pretty common with young children.

Which only makes me feel a tiny bit better, because really, when it's your child, statistics don't matter.

Reflecting back on the whole experience made me think about something and was reflected in a comment from a friend.

Being a parent opens up a whole new world of fear.

Being a parent is amazing, no doubt. Watching your kids grow and change in front of you and become these independent little people, laughing at the crazy funny things they do, and wanting to give them so much because you love them so much. I have 2 children, the oldest is almost 3, so I haven't been doing this for long. But I don't think that matters. All parents I know, no matter how young or old, with 1 or 5 kids, love their children with all that they have and would do anything for them.

But being a parent can be scary. There is so much in this world that could hurt my kids and so many things that I can't protect them from. When I got the call from the sitter, my heart almost stopped beating and I lost focus on all else. Thankfully, all is fine, but it was a reminder that my world can change in a heartbeat. I could allow myself to be consumed by all the things there are to fear. Why list them? You probably know the list by heart.

But we are not commanded to live with a spirit of fear. We have an Enemy who wants us to be fearful of everything.

Take the economy for instance.

Maybe you feel the same as I do and are tired of the reporting and constant negative environment that has been created through the media. When you are inundated with all of that information, you really can give into the fear and have it affect your life.

Fearful living is not healthy living.

I'm choosing not to give into fear because I know that God loves me more than the lilies of the field and the birds of the air and if he will provide for them, he'll provide for me too.

I'm choosing to not live in fear, but to trust in God.

Some days are harder than others, but I know that trusting God is the only way to survive in this world. I know that my children are not my own, but they belong to God first. For me, there is the constant "giving over" of them to God, reminding me that while they are my children, they are His children, just as I am His child. So while I cannot protect them from everything, I pray for them daily, and trust that He began a good work in them and will be faithful to complete it.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13