3 days ago
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #2
My 13 Earliest Childhood Friends*
1 – Paul H (same age) – lived across the street when I was 3 & we later went to school together. My son is NOT named after him!
2 – Soraya S (older) – lived up & across the street for 13 years until they moved to the upscale custom homes on the other side of the GW Parkway. She went to Ascension Academy. She was the first person I knew that had colored contact lenses.
3 – Dominique C (same age) – lived around the corner when she was visiting her dad during the summers. Her baby brother was the first diaper I changed – he peed on us.
4 – Beth & Jay P (same age) – lived up the street but went to Saint Mary’s. We picked on their little sister a lot.
5 – Heather C (same age) – lived in another neighborhood and went to a different elementary school but we went to the same church and our moms were friends.
6 – Bill & Jim W (younger) – next door neighbors since I was 8 and Bill still lives there. We pretended that we were KISS on snow days.
7 – Anne P (same age) – lived in the neighborhood on the other side of our elementary school. We were in the same class (and the tallest ones) for most of elementary school.
8 – Joan C (same age) – lived around the corner but my mom didn’t want me to play with her (ha). I think she went to St Mary’s.
9 – Dan B (363 days older) – my brother.
10 – Suzanne B (same age) – lived down the street and around the corner but later (in jr high) moved to nearby neighborhood. Probably my first best friend after Paul.
11 – Stephanie P (same age) – lived in another neighborhood but she was in my brownie troop.
12 – Kim T (same age) – lived over in Pinewood Lake but got bused to our elementary school.
13 – Leslie H (older) – also lived in Pinewood Lake. The first slumber party I went to was at her house, there was pizza too (maybe from Shakey’s?).
* This is an incomplete list of friends acquired prior to and during the first half of elementary school. MANY others came along in the second half - so don’t scream at me Betsy!
1 – Paul H (same age) – lived across the street when I was 3 & we later went to school together. My son is NOT named after him!
2 – Soraya S (older) – lived up & across the street for 13 years until they moved to the upscale custom homes on the other side of the GW Parkway. She went to Ascension Academy. She was the first person I knew that had colored contact lenses.
3 – Dominique C (same age) – lived around the corner when she was visiting her dad during the summers. Her baby brother was the first diaper I changed – he peed on us.
4 – Beth & Jay P (same age) – lived up the street but went to Saint Mary’s. We picked on their little sister a lot.
5 – Heather C (same age) – lived in another neighborhood and went to a different elementary school but we went to the same church and our moms were friends.
6 – Bill & Jim W (younger) – next door neighbors since I was 8 and Bill still lives there. We pretended that we were KISS on snow days.
7 – Anne P (same age) – lived in the neighborhood on the other side of our elementary school. We were in the same class (and the tallest ones) for most of elementary school.
8 – Joan C (same age) – lived around the corner but my mom didn’t want me to play with her (ha). I think she went to St Mary’s.
9 – Dan B (363 days older) – my brother.
10 – Suzanne B (same age) – lived down the street and around the corner but later (in jr high) moved to nearby neighborhood. Probably my first best friend after Paul.
11 – Stephanie P (same age) – lived in another neighborhood but she was in my brownie troop.
12 – Kim T (same age) – lived over in Pinewood Lake but got bused to our elementary school.
13 – Leslie H (older) – also lived in Pinewood Lake. The first slumber party I went to was at her house, there was pizza too (maybe from Shakey’s?).
* This is an incomplete list of friends acquired prior to and during the first half of elementary school. MANY others came along in the second half - so don’t scream at me Betsy!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Two Birds With One Stone
I don't dislike cleaning, I just dislike doing it all of the time. That's why I only do laundry once a week. So a new solution that I have latched on to is that every day while Giselle sits at the table and does her schooling, I do the dishes and clean the kitchen/eating area. It's working pretty well for both of us so far.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I should have taken a picture!
I wish I had taken a picture but I just now thought of that - I made the most incredible Garlic Shrimp and Chard over Spaghetti for dinner tonight. WOW, the shrimp was cooked perfectly and the flavors melded just right - you could taste everything but nothing was too much.
1 lb super jumbo wild-caught shrimp (15 shrimp) peeled, tail-less, NOT butterflied
1.5 cups chard cut into 1/3 inch strips
2 medium cloves garlic pressed
6 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
5 cups al dente cooked long pasta
1/4 cup shredded Italian hard cheese
1/3 cup Daisy sour cream (no other brand will do!)
While the pasta is cooking prep all the other ingredients then heat a large wok-type skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 TBS butter to pan, when melted add garlic out of the press, salt, pepper and Old Bay. When bubbling add in all shrimp and stir until they are all coated with the seasoned butter. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes, turning them over every 30 seconds. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add 2 more TBS of butter to pan, when melted add the chard. The pasta should be done by now (8 min) so drain that in a colander and set it aside. Cook the chard until it's wilted then add the last 2 TBS of butter. When that has melted, dump in the completely drained pasta, stirring thoroughly to mix, then dump the shrimp on top - do not stir the shrimp in! Cover and cook for 1 min then turn off the heat, sprinkle on the cheese, dollop on the sour cream, cover it back up and let it sit on the stove for another minute. Uncover, gently fold all ingredients together and transfer into a pasta dish and set it in the middle of the table. It fed 4 people.
This would have been great with a bottle of red wine!
1 lb super jumbo wild-caught shrimp (15 shrimp) peeled, tail-less, NOT butterflied
1.5 cups chard cut into 1/3 inch strips
2 medium cloves garlic pressed
6 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
5 cups al dente cooked long pasta
1/4 cup shredded Italian hard cheese
1/3 cup Daisy sour cream (no other brand will do!)
While the pasta is cooking prep all the other ingredients then heat a large wok-type skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 TBS butter to pan, when melted add garlic out of the press, salt, pepper and Old Bay. When bubbling add in all shrimp and stir until they are all coated with the seasoned butter. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes, turning them over every 30 seconds. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add 2 more TBS of butter to pan, when melted add the chard. The pasta should be done by now (8 min) so drain that in a colander and set it aside. Cook the chard until it's wilted then add the last 2 TBS of butter. When that has melted, dump in the completely drained pasta, stirring thoroughly to mix, then dump the shrimp on top - do not stir the shrimp in! Cover and cook for 1 min then turn off the heat, sprinkle on the cheese, dollop on the sour cream, cover it back up and let it sit on the stove for another minute. Uncover, gently fold all ingredients together and transfer into a pasta dish and set it in the middle of the table. It fed 4 people.
This would have been great with a bottle of red wine!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Wow, great information regarding raising boys
PBS Parents . Understanding and Raising Boys PBS
Here's a quote from part of the guide:
"Boys in School
What's the Problem with School?
While there has been great (and valid) concern about the achievements of girls in our educational system, most of the gains in American education over the last thirty years have been achieved by girls. So what's happening to America's boys when they go to school?
The average boy is less mature than the average girl when he starts school. By school age, the average boy is less mature socially, less verbal, and more active than most of the girls. "We ask too much of boys developmentally in the early years and they taste too much failure and frustration in school," says Michael Thompson, Ph.D.
Schools, not boys, have changed. Children are now taught to read in kindergarten when many young boys are not as skilled verbally as girls. "At age five, many boys are not ready to learn to read," says teacher Jane Katch, author of Under Deadman's Skin. "When I began teaching in the '70s, children were not expected to read in kindergarten. Some first grade teachers actually preferred that children learn the alphabet in first grade, where they could learn to do it 'the right way'!"
The elementary classroom is four-fifths language based, and girls are, on average, stronger than boys in language. "Boys start slower in the areas of reading and writing. This is true not only in the United States, but also in each of the 30 countries involved in a recent international study. I feel that boys in the United States develop an idea early on that they are not good at the kind of literacy schools require. And then a deficit or problem becomes an identity. By the time boys reach middle school, or even the upper elementary grades, they lack the fluency and sometimes practice to be successful. When they reach high school they develop coping strategies where they fake it," comments Thomas Newkirk, Ph.D. author of Misreading Masculinity.
Boys are more active than many girls and have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. Experts agree that physical play is essential for boys and girls, particularly young children in the motor stage of development. In fact, moving around helps them learn. But many schools have cut down on recess and outdoor play in order to make time for meeting state academic requirements. "Today, most kindergarten curricula expect boys to sit still much of the day and to do written work that many of them cannot master. Our demand for more and earlier skills, of exactly the type that boys are less able to master than girls, makes them feel like failures at an early age," says Jane Katch. "The most tiring thing you can ask a boy to do is sit down. It's appropriate to expect for kids to sit still for part of the day, but not all of the day," adds Joseph Tobin.
Many schools don't offer enough hands-on learning opportunities. "There is evidence boys learn best when learning is hands-on. Boys may be disadvantaged when they don't get to learn through their bodies, by touching and moving. However, with the new academic push and focus on literacy we see that type of learning relegated to 'play areas,' and even these areas have been taken out of some kindergarten and even preschool classes. So with the emphasis on reading, there is an imbalance — an over-focus on reading instead of manipulating actual things," explains Tobin.
Most elementary school teachers are women. Therefore, there are few male models for learning as a masculine pursuit. "Many boys don't feel that they can grow up to be masculine men by being good at school. Girls often feel that you can be a successful girl and woman by doing well in school," adds Thompson.
Many female teachers may unconsciously prefer girls' interests (diaries and first-person narratives) over boys' interests like comic books and science fiction. "I've visited schools and taught teachers for over twenty years," comments Tobin. "I've observed that in many preschool or early grade classrooms, teachers will try to be balanced in their choice of read-aloud books, but it's only natural and inevitable that they fall back on favorites. Since almost all teachers of young children are women, books they are most enthusiastic about are generally more feminine than masculine in taste. It's not that boys aren't interested in a good story, but their non-narrative interests are not always supported and female teachers are often uncomfortable with the narrative themes boys find more interesting, like science fiction, robots, machines, etc."
Here's a quote from part of the guide:
"Boys in School
What's the Problem with School?
While there has been great (and valid) concern about the achievements of girls in our educational system, most of the gains in American education over the last thirty years have been achieved by girls. So what's happening to America's boys when they go to school?
The average boy is less mature than the average girl when he starts school. By school age, the average boy is less mature socially, less verbal, and more active than most of the girls. "We ask too much of boys developmentally in the early years and they taste too much failure and frustration in school," says Michael Thompson, Ph.D.
Schools, not boys, have changed. Children are now taught to read in kindergarten when many young boys are not as skilled verbally as girls. "At age five, many boys are not ready to learn to read," says teacher Jane Katch, author of Under Deadman's Skin. "When I began teaching in the '70s, children were not expected to read in kindergarten. Some first grade teachers actually preferred that children learn the alphabet in first grade, where they could learn to do it 'the right way'!"
The elementary classroom is four-fifths language based, and girls are, on average, stronger than boys in language. "Boys start slower in the areas of reading and writing. This is true not only in the United States, but also in each of the 30 countries involved in a recent international study. I feel that boys in the United States develop an idea early on that they are not good at the kind of literacy schools require. And then a deficit or problem becomes an identity. By the time boys reach middle school, or even the upper elementary grades, they lack the fluency and sometimes practice to be successful. When they reach high school they develop coping strategies where they fake it," comments Thomas Newkirk, Ph.D. author of Misreading Masculinity.
Boys are more active than many girls and have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. Experts agree that physical play is essential for boys and girls, particularly young children in the motor stage of development. In fact, moving around helps them learn. But many schools have cut down on recess and outdoor play in order to make time for meeting state academic requirements. "Today, most kindergarten curricula expect boys to sit still much of the day and to do written work that many of them cannot master. Our demand for more and earlier skills, of exactly the type that boys are less able to master than girls, makes them feel like failures at an early age," says Jane Katch. "The most tiring thing you can ask a boy to do is sit down. It's appropriate to expect for kids to sit still for part of the day, but not all of the day," adds Joseph Tobin.
Many schools don't offer enough hands-on learning opportunities. "There is evidence boys learn best when learning is hands-on. Boys may be disadvantaged when they don't get to learn through their bodies, by touching and moving. However, with the new academic push and focus on literacy we see that type of learning relegated to 'play areas,' and even these areas have been taken out of some kindergarten and even preschool classes. So with the emphasis on reading, there is an imbalance — an over-focus on reading instead of manipulating actual things," explains Tobin.
Most elementary school teachers are women. Therefore, there are few male models for learning as a masculine pursuit. "Many boys don't feel that they can grow up to be masculine men by being good at school. Girls often feel that you can be a successful girl and woman by doing well in school," adds Thompson.
Many female teachers may unconsciously prefer girls' interests (diaries and first-person narratives) over boys' interests like comic books and science fiction. "I've visited schools and taught teachers for over twenty years," comments Tobin. "I've observed that in many preschool or early grade classrooms, teachers will try to be balanced in their choice of read-aloud books, but it's only natural and inevitable that they fall back on favorites. Since almost all teachers of young children are women, books they are most enthusiastic about are generally more feminine than masculine in taste. It's not that boys aren't interested in a good story, but their non-narrative interests are not always supported and female teachers are often uncomfortable with the narrative themes boys find more interesting, like science fiction, robots, machines, etc."
pictures from The Storm
Native Texas Chrysanthemum bloom encased in ice
Giant Liriope encased in ice and icicles on the castle roof
Hill Country Hardy Rosemary encased in ice
Raspberry Crape Mrytle encased in iceand the front of the house with icicles
Diseases and Their Vaccines
The Vaccines
© Randall Neustaedter O.M.D. (The following materials are excerpted summaries from Dr. Neustaedter's bookThe Vaccine Guide: Making An Informed ChoicePublished by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California)
© Randall Neustaedter O.M.D. (The following materials are excerpted summaries from Dr. Neustaedter's bookThe Vaccine Guide: Making An Informed ChoicePublished by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California)
Tetanus
Tetanus is a potentially life-threatening disease.
Infection occurs through wounds.
Incidence of tetanus is approximately 50 cases per year for the past 10 years; less than 10 of these cases are under 30 years old, and these cases are rarely fatal.
A series of tetanus toxoid injections does provide protection from tetanus for at least 10 years. Tetanus immune globulin protects unvaccinated individuals if they receive an injection soon after injury.
Immediate vaccine reactions are usually mild, though many severe reactions have been reported, some of them causing permanent disability and a few fatalities. Long-term adverse effects are unknown.
Polio
No cases of wild polio have occurred in the United States since 1979. The risk of a child acquiring polio in the United States is zero, except from the vaccine itself.
The vaccines have questionable effectiveness.
Oral, live-virus vaccine (OPV) does cause polio in vaccine recipients and contacts. It has caused Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in recipients. It also may contain live monkey viruses that have been associated with human diseases, including AIDS.
Killed polio vaccine (IPV) may have some adverse effects, but does not cause polio in recipients.
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
The vaccine is associated with severe reactions including encephalitis, seizures, brain damage, and deaths.
The disease itself has these same risks, though the incidence of pertussis is now low in the United States.
The vaccine has limited efficacy—60-80 effective in various studies.
The disease can be treated with homeopathic medications.
Acellular Pertussis Vaccine
Severe reactions to the whole-cell pertussis vaccine have spurred worldwide efforts to produce a safer vaccine.
The acellular form of the pertussis vaccine seems to diminish mild-type reactions compared to the whole-cell vaccine.
Severe reactions to the acellular vaccine also occur, including encephalitis and possibly death.
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a potentially serious disease, but extremely rare in the United States, with an incidence of less than 5 cases per year.
The vaccine has questionable effectiveness.
Long-term effects of the vaccine are unknown.
Measles
Measles has historically been a common childhood disease with rare complications.
Mass vaccination has resulted in a dramatic decline in measles incidence, but outbreaks now occur in older populations and in infants born to women whose immunity from vaccination has deteriorated. Periodic epidemics continue to occur.
The vaccine is associated with serious adverse reactions including permanent nervous system damage and thrombocytopenia (a decrease in blood platelets responsible for blood clotting with accompanying spontaneous bleeding) all resulting from autoimmune disease triggered by the vaccine. Long-term effects are unknown.
Mumps
Mumps is generally a benign disease of children. Complications of mumps do occur, but an estimated 30 percent of cases go unnoticed.
Mumps has increasingly become a disease of adolescents and adults since the widespread use of the vaccine.
Complications of mumps occur much more frequently in adults.
The vaccine has caused significant adverse reactions, including vaccine associated meningitis, in as many as 1 per 1,000 doses.
Rubella
Rubella is a mild childhood disease which requires no treatment.
A woman who contracts rubella during the first three months of pregnancy risks abortion, miscarriage, or birth defects in her child.
Rubella incidence has shifted to older age groups since widespread vaccination.
Rubella vaccine is associated with significant adverse effects, including arthritis and central nervous system disorders (peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and transverse myelitis, a paralyzing disease of the spinal cord).
Parents have three options: avoid the vaccine entirely; vaccinate their child against rubella; or test girls for antibodies at adolescence or before considering pregnancy, and decide whether to vaccinate then. Since a child's health is not compromised by contracting rubella, there is no advantage to the child from vaccination.
Every adolescent girl and woman of childbearing age should have a blood test for immunity to rubella. If they do not have evidence of immunity, then they should decide whether they wish to have the vaccine. Susceptible women who decline the vaccine should attempt to avoid exposure to children with colds, fevers, and rashes during the first three months of pregnancy. Again, the consideration is whether the possible adverse effects of the vaccine are worth prevention of problems during pregnancy. Avoidance of the vaccine during childhood will eliminate the risk of untoward vaccine reactions in your child.
Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) Meningitis
Hib meningitis is a potentially life-threatening disease, and long-term sequelae of infections (hearing loss, learning disabilities) do occur.
Long-term effectiveness of the vaccines has not been determined, and reports of short-term effectiveness vary considerably.
Serious vaccine-associated reactions have been reported. These result from autoimmune processes apparently triggered by the vaccine, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), thrombocytopenia, and transverse myelitis (a paralyzing disease of the spinal cord).
The vaccine has been associated with an increased susceptibility to Hib meningitis in the first week following vaccination.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is primarily a sexually transmitted disease. Other common sources of transmission include exposure to infected blood, injected-drug use, and occupational or household contacts.
Infants can contract hepatitis B from their infected mothers.
Women can be tested during pregnancy to determine if they are infected, and infants born to infected mothers can receive hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis immune globulin at birth.
The practice of vaccinating all infants for hepatitis B is unnecessary since only those children exposed to infected mothers are at risk. Antibody levels produced by vaccination will probably decline to non-protective levels before children reach the age when they are sexually active or exposed to other risk factors.
Hepatitis B vaccine has been associated with severe, debilitating, and life-threatening adverse reactions. These include the typical autoimmune reactions common to other vaccines, arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), thrombocytopenia, and other paralyzing nervous system disease processes.
Varicella (Chickenpox)
Chickenpox is a mild disease of childhood; complications of the disease are extremely rare in healthy children.
Adults almost always have more severe infection than children, and disease complications are more common.
Long-term efficacy of the vaccine is unknown. Widespread vaccine usage may shift the age distribution of chickenpox from children to adults.
Adverse and long-term effects of the vaccine are unknown. They could be more serious than measles and mumps vaccines, because the chickenpox virus is associated with cancer and herpes zoster.
The only justification for the use of the chickenpox vaccine in healthy children has been the saving of parents’ time lost from work.
© 1996 Related HealthWorld Articles
More articles about Children's Health More articles from the Healthy Child Center More articles by Randall Neustaedter Dr. Randal Neustaedter has practiced holistic medicine for more than thirty years in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in child health care. He is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine, as well as education director of the Holistic Pediatric Association http://www.hpakids.org/, author of Child Health Guide and The Vaccine Guide, and the father of five children. Visit his website, http://www.cure-guide.com/ , to register for a free newsletter with pediatric updates.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
What's wrong with this picture?
I took this picture at the Houston Zoo because I was amazed that this addition error passed by the editors. Can you find the error?
Friday, January 19, 2007
woosh!
Yeah, we got rain, freezing rain, sleet and some snow but it's all gone now. I guess I'll post some pictures of our icicles later but I don't feel like it right now.
Park day is today but we'll go to someone's house instead of the cold wet park.
OH, I made an incredible pot roast with a 3 lb chuck blade from Finca Pura Vida on Tuesday night - it was sooo good and the potatoes, carrots and onions were just as good as I remember them being when my mom made pot roast when I was a kid. Sorry, I took no pictures of that.
Park day is today but we'll go to someone's house instead of the cold wet park.
OH, I made an incredible pot roast with a 3 lb chuck blade from Finca Pura Vida on Tuesday night - it was sooo good and the potatoes, carrots and onions were just as good as I remember them being when my mom made pot roast when I was a kid. Sorry, I took no pictures of that.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Who are they trying to fool
Ok like anyone that buys this tub of ready-made cheesecake filling is actually going to put it in anything other than directly into their mouth.
PHILADELPHIA Ready-To-Eat CHEESECAKE FILLING
•
With new PHILADELPHIA Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling, you can make a delicious cheesecake dessert in just one, easy step - no baking or setting required!
•
Just spread the filling into a graham cracker crust and you'll have a wonderful family dessert, even on the busiest weeknight.
Flavors: Classic Cheesecake
PHILADELPHIA Ready-To-Eat CHEESECAKE FILLING
•
With new PHILADELPHIA Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling, you can make a delicious cheesecake dessert in just one, easy step - no baking or setting required!
•
Just spread the filling into a graham cracker crust and you'll have a wonderful family dessert, even on the busiest weeknight.
Flavors: Classic Cheesecake
Monday, January 15, 2007
a little late but..
Saturday was the 25th anniversary of the Air Florida plane crash into the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Please take a moment to wish their families something. At the time of the wreck I lived 16 miles down the river from the bridges that the plane crashed between. It was a horrible day.
Help Save Our Environment
If you are going to do this, do it within the next 3 days please. And if it doesn't pass, let me know how I can get in on some of that $31 billion in subsidies!
I just challenged this Congress to use its first 100 hours to work towards a cleaner energy future and to stop taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry. Will you join me?
Click below to write your letter now!http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
This week the 110th Congress will be sworn in on Capitol Hill with new priorities and goals for 2007 and beyond.
The good news is that soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has stated that one of her top agenda items will be to cut the most outrageous taxpayer hand outs to Big Oil passed by the previous Congress. The House will invest the savings in efficiency and renewable energy.
If we are going to reduce our dependence on oil and protect the environment, we cannot afford to continue to squander billions in taxpayer handouts to Big Oil. According to a recent report by Friends of the Earth, "oil and gas companies continue to benefit from billions in handouts courtesy of American taxpayers. Between tax incentives, royalty relief, research and development subsidies, these companies will receive more than $31.6 billion from the federal government over the next five years."
With your help, we can ensure the success of the first step in the fight to reduce our dependence on oil, create a cleaner energy future, and reduce global warming.
Click below to tell your Representative to start the New Year off right by voting for clean energy legislation in the first 100 hours of the new Congress.http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
Please join me in telling Congress that we do not want our tax money lining the pockets of Big Oil any longer. Write your Representative today urging him or her to support clean energy legislation in the first 100 hours of the new Congress.http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
I just challenged this Congress to use its first 100 hours to work towards a cleaner energy future and to stop taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry. Will you join me?
Click below to write your letter now!http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
This week the 110th Congress will be sworn in on Capitol Hill with new priorities and goals for 2007 and beyond.
The good news is that soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has stated that one of her top agenda items will be to cut the most outrageous taxpayer hand outs to Big Oil passed by the previous Congress. The House will invest the savings in efficiency and renewable energy.
If we are going to reduce our dependence on oil and protect the environment, we cannot afford to continue to squander billions in taxpayer handouts to Big Oil. According to a recent report by Friends of the Earth, "oil and gas companies continue to benefit from billions in handouts courtesy of American taxpayers. Between tax incentives, royalty relief, research and development subsidies, these companies will receive more than $31.6 billion from the federal government over the next five years."
With your help, we can ensure the success of the first step in the fight to reduce our dependence on oil, create a cleaner energy future, and reduce global warming.
Click below to tell your Representative to start the New Year off right by voting for clean energy legislation in the first 100 hours of the new Congress.http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
Please join me in telling Congress that we do not want our tax money lining the pockets of Big Oil any longer. Write your Representative today urging him or her to support clean energy legislation in the first 100 hours of the new Congress.http://ga3.org/campaign/new_congress
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Sometimes NOAA Weather is a little TOO exact!
This is an excerpt from the forecast for the next 2 days as of 3:40 pm on NOAA Weather:
M.L.King Day: Periods of rain and sleet before 9am, then periods of freezing rain between 9am and 1pm, then periods of rain and sleet after 1pm.
Monday Night: A chance of freezing rain before 1am, then a chance of snow.
(this next one is the funniest one)
Tuesday: A chance of snow before noon, then a chance of rain and snow between noon and 3pm, then a chance of rain between 3pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 4pm.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of freezing rain before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow.
M.L.King Day: Periods of rain and sleet before 9am, then periods of freezing rain between 9am and 1pm, then periods of rain and sleet after 1pm.
Monday Night: A chance of freezing rain before 1am, then a chance of snow.
(this next one is the funniest one)
Tuesday: A chance of snow before noon, then a chance of rain and snow between noon and 3pm, then a chance of rain between 3pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 4pm.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of freezing rain before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow.
The Mountain Starts To Crumble!
7UP Drops "All Natural" Claim
Of particular interest: "High-fructose corn syrup is nutritionally similar to natural table sugar, which comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. But in to contrast to table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup is made through a complex chemical industrial process in which corn starch molecules are enzymatically reassembled into glucose and fructose molecules. "
Of particular interest: "High-fructose corn syrup is nutritionally similar to natural table sugar, which comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. But in to contrast to table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup is made through a complex chemical industrial process in which corn starch molecules are enzymatically reassembled into glucose and fructose molecules. "
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Another Small Appliance Has Died
My other 10 year old small appliance has now died. First it was my Black and Decker toaster oven and now it's my Oster mixer. Am I next in line for a pink Kitchen Aid mixer? I don't think so - I don't have the counter space and it's awfully heavy to be lifting it in and out of my bay window bench seat. But maybe a new semi-basic mixer - you know: beaters, dough hooks, and wisks - and one of those neat handheld blender/mixers for pureeing directly in the pots.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Friday Night Friends Night
Last FNFN we had tacos with ALL the fixings, I brought the fixings (lettuce, guac, pico, salsa, cheese, Daisy sour cream, tomatoes, olives). The prior time for Alva's birthday I picked up the cake - red velvet with cream cheese icing - HEB did a great job. I think the time before that I got dessert - Heath Klondike Bars and Blue Bell Krunch Bars. For tonight I'm assigned 'a side dish' - that's a tough one! I did a side dish another time - some Finca Pura Vida squash - that only some of the adults ate. No store-bought potato salad or coleslaw - blech!
It's raining right now so I'll look through my cookbooks, pantry and freezer to come up with something before we go to the park.
Wish me luck!
It's raining right now so I'll look through my cookbooks, pantry and freezer to come up with something before we go to the park.
Wish me luck!
KIX - The East Coast Motley Crue
My best friend Jamie Bestgen (Cha Girl, I'm still trying to find you again!) and I saw these guys so much when we were in highschool and the years after. YouTube - KIX - Blow My Fuse
The Itch is still one of the best songs in the world!! KIX are for kids! http://music.yahoo.com/ar-254534-bio--Kix
Ahh the days of 98Rock and the '80s.
Thank you Joe for being a KIX fan too! How cool to be this far away from where you grew up and still be able to talk to someone who listened to the same radio station and went to the same places and saw the same bands!
The Itch is still one of the best songs in the world!! KIX are for kids! http://music.yahoo.com/ar-254534-bio--Kix
Ahh the days of 98Rock and the '80s.
Thank you Joe for being a KIX fan too! How cool to be this far away from where you grew up and still be able to talk to someone who listened to the same radio station and went to the same places and saw the same bands!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Thursday 13
So there is this thing that I've seen called 'Thursday 13' on some homeschooling blogs that I visit, it seems really neat! So I went to the head website http://ThursdayThirteen.com and found out this:
There is all this other stuff like joining a blog roll so that you link to other people's blogs and they link to yours, but I'm not sure if I really want that much traffic here - are our lives really that interesting? Do I really have that much to say? BUT the true intent seems really cool! SO, I'm going to start doing it today and maybe my friends will too. I'm not linking to the mothership yet, just going it alone at first.
MY FIRST THURSDAY 13
What is the Thursday Thirteen?
Thursday Thirteen is a blog meme with one purpose - to get to know bloggers better. Thirteen is the magic number - because Thursday Thirty is too many!
Every Thursday, bloggers jot down thirteen things about their week, Thirteen secrets they have never shared before, Thirteen random things about themselves or their lives that give the reader a better idea of who they are. Then the fun begins, you go bloghopping! Find other Thursday Thirteeners, spend some quality time getting to know your fellow bloggers, interact with them through their lists and invite them to yours!
Is there a theme every week?
Nope! Your Thirteen Things can be about whatever you want. Just remember, most of your fellow Thirteeners expect to learn more about who you are or what you have been up to that week! If you do a themed list, you may want to keep that in mind.
Thursday Thirteen is a blog meme with one purpose - to get to know bloggers better. Thirteen is the magic number - because Thursday Thirty is too many!
Every Thursday, bloggers jot down thirteen things about their week, Thirteen secrets they have never shared before, Thirteen random things about themselves or their lives that give the reader a better idea of who they are. Then the fun begins, you go bloghopping! Find other Thursday Thirteeners, spend some quality time getting to know your fellow bloggers, interact with them through their lists and invite them to yours!
Is there a theme every week?
Nope! Your Thirteen Things can be about whatever you want. Just remember, most of your fellow Thirteeners expect to learn more about who you are or what you have been up to that week! If you do a themed list, you may want to keep that in mind.
There is all this other stuff like joining a blog roll so that you link to other people's blogs and they link to yours, but I'm not sure if I really want that much traffic here - are our lives really that interesting? Do I really have that much to say? BUT the true intent seems really cool! SO, I'm going to start doing it today and maybe my friends will too. I'm not linking to the mothership yet, just going it alone at first.
MY FIRST THURSDAY 13
13 things about the Casa De Galletti that you may or may not already know
- We are not Latino.
- None of us are fluent in any languages other than English.
- Other than going to the Bahamas, none of us have ever left the North American continent.
- Our dog's middle name is Moments.
- Joe and I love the shows Scrubs and My Name Is Earl.
- We love Sci-Fi.
- Joe and I were both in Young Life in high school.
- It works but we don't ever use our dishwasher.
- Joe and I were together for 8 years before we combined our CD collections.
- Our house was built in 1983, we bought it in 1995.
- We have never bought a brand new car.
- Joe and I have never gone to the beach together.
- We have the perfect life.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Don't Trust This Woman!
Either she doesn't eat ANY of her own food or she's a purger. She's not a exercizer either as evidenced by the lack of arm muscle definition.
Never trust an emaciated chef!
TV : Giada De Laurentiis : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network
Don't trust this one either!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/sandra_lee/article/0,1974,FOOD_16936_2294808,00.html
This one I trust!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/paula_deen/article/0,1974,FOOD_11023_1670938,00.html
Never trust an emaciated chef!
TV : Giada De Laurentiis : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network
Don't trust this one either!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/sandra_lee/article/0,1974,FOOD_16936_2294808,00.html
This one I trust!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/paula_deen/article/0,1974,FOOD_11023_1670938,00.html
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
IMPORTANT
If you have a child under the age of 10 who doesn't use a heavy-duty seatbelt then it's really important that you watch this video, but get out the kleenyx first!
After watching this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
and reading everything on the family's website
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org
we purchased this carseat for Giselle
http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm
Giselle has been in a backless booster seat for the last year but she will now be riding in this 5-point harness carseat until she is over 52 inches tall and she'll stay in the booster part until she we have a car with side airbags.
Paul will be staying in his Cosco 3-in-1 until he is too tall for the 5-point harness in it and then he'll switch to a Safeguard GO also.
After watching this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
and reading everything on the family's website
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org
we purchased this carseat for Giselle
http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm
Giselle has been in a backless booster seat for the last year but she will now be riding in this 5-point harness carseat until she is over 52 inches tall and she'll stay in the booster part until she we have a car with side airbags.
Paul will be staying in his Cosco 3-in-1 until he is too tall for the 5-point harness in it and then he'll switch to a Safeguard GO also.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Magic Garden Sources
http://www.4physics.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/40_63/products_id/229
Magic Garden - Science Gifts - Edmund Scientific
http://www.babyscholars.com/magafrsc.html
http://storeforknowledge.com/Lab-In-A-Bag-Magic-Garden-Kit-P7267C198.aspx
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/homeexperiments/gr/aapr111002.htm
Magic Garden - Science Gifts - Edmund Scientific
http://www.babyscholars.com/magafrsc.html
http://storeforknowledge.com/Lab-In-A-Bag-Magic-Garden-Kit-P7267C198.aspx
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/homeexperiments/gr/aapr111002.htm
History of Wet Nursing/Cross Nursing
From http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVJulAug95p53.html
Wet nursing and cross nursing have been controversial since the beginning of recorded history. About 2000 years B.C., the Code of Hammurabi became the law of the Babylonian Empire. Believe it or not, this oldest of written laws included rules for wet nursing. One of the rules stated that if a wet nurse had been feeding an infant who died for any reason, she was prohibited from taking on another infant to wet nurse.
The Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible, written about 1250 B.C., tells of a wet nurse being hired for Moses. (Unbeknownst to her employer, the wet nurse was Moses' own mother!) In 900 B.C., Homer referred to wet nursing in his famous epic poems. The Koran, written about 600 A.D., permitted parents to "give your children out to nurse." Hippocrates, the Greek physician, stated in 377 B.C., "One's own milk is beneficial, others' harmful."
As you can see, the practice of wet nursing has been controversial and has gone in and out of fashion throughout history. In Sparta during the fourth century B.C., women; including the wives of kings, were required to nurse their oldest sons. Commoners had to nurse all their children. In one instance a second son of a king inherited the kingdom because he had been nursed by his mother while his older brother had been wet nursed. In ancient Greece and Rome, while wet nurses were slaves, they held a position of respect within the household. They were boarded in the home of the infant and often remained as servants in the family home after the baby weaned.
In 1472 A.D., Paul Bellardus wrote the first pediatric text published in northern Italy. The book included a section on the qualities of a good wet nurse.
From the 16th to 18th centuries, well-to-do mothers in Europe and North America rarely nursed their babies. The infants were placed with wet nurses and returned home only when they were weaned, if they lived.
Fashionable women of the period wore corsets made of leather or metal with stays of bone. The corsets not only broke ribs but also damaged breast tissue and nipples, making breastfeeding impossible. Employing wet nurses was a sign of a family's high status in society, showing that the family had the resources to pay someone else to do any physical tasks.
It was expected that the noblewoman would provide heirs for the family. Even in 17th century England, there was knowledge of the contraceptive effect of breastfeeding; to nurse would have reduced the number of pregnancies, thus heirs. For a noblewoman to have 12 to 18 pregnancies was not uncommon.
Peasants, who not only breastfed their own children but wet nursed for hire and cross nursed in child care, rarely had more than a half dozen children. In addition, it was believed that a breastfeeding mother should not have sexual relations while lactating lest it somehow taint her milk. The conjugal needs of noblemen were more important than those of wet nurses and their husbands.
In 18th century France, wealthy and middle income Parisian women sought to keep their beauty by placing their infants with wet nurses. They believed breastfeeding would ruin their figures and make them old before their time. Also in this period, laws regarding wet nurses were enacted. A wet nurse could not nurse more than two infants along with her own. Each infant required its own crib so the wet nurse would not take a baby to bed and possibly suffocate it.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, bleeding was believed to he a remedy for most ills. It was used during pregnancy for various problems and complaints; as a result many women died in childbirth. The children whose mothers succumbed to poor prenatal care and obstructed labors were saved only by the services of a wet nurse.
During, the latter part of the 18th century, Dr. William Cadogan wrote an essay on nursing and the management of children from birth to age three. He observed that peasant women who nursed their own babies had healthier children and that early breastfeeding prevented mastitis and engorgement. He therefore advocated breastfeeding for the benefit of both mother and baby.
At various times over the centuries, societal support for breastfeeding waned. Mothers refused to take on the function of lactation. The social attitudes of urban women and their greater access to alternatives led to greater use of wet nurses and less focus on the adequate care of children.
In the mid-19th century, a number of physicians began seeking a breast milk substitute to replace the use of wet nurses. Wet nurses were believed to be the source of disease, especially syphilis. The wet nurse also feared being infected by infants with the disease. It was this widespread fear that motivated the development of artificial feeding.
The turn of the century also saw the establishment of human milk banks. Doctors sought to improve the prognosis for babies denied breast milk since their chances of death were six times greater than breastfed infants. This began the separation of the product from the producer and removed control of feeding from wet nurses.
During the Industrial Revolution through World War II, women began working at jobs in factories where babies could not accompany them. Thus, artificial feeding became well established and accepted.
In many countries today, wet nursing/cross nursing is common practice. Some cultures have strong beliefs and customs that dictate the practice of nursing a baby other than one's own baby. A baby whose mother has died or who cannot nurse is passed among nursing mothers or adopted by a lactating mother whose own baby has died. In Japan and Thailand, breast milk can be given only to a baby of the same sex as the mother's own. In other cultures, breast milk is believed to be the conduit through which the child receives his ancestry, thus only women of the mother's or father's family can be a wet nurse for the infant.
Wet nursing and cross nursing have been controversial since the beginning of recorded history. About 2000 years B.C., the Code of Hammurabi became the law of the Babylonian Empire. Believe it or not, this oldest of written laws included rules for wet nursing. One of the rules stated that if a wet nurse had been feeding an infant who died for any reason, she was prohibited from taking on another infant to wet nurse.
The Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible, written about 1250 B.C., tells of a wet nurse being hired for Moses. (Unbeknownst to her employer, the wet nurse was Moses' own mother!) In 900 B.C., Homer referred to wet nursing in his famous epic poems. The Koran, written about 600 A.D., permitted parents to "give your children out to nurse." Hippocrates, the Greek physician, stated in 377 B.C., "One's own milk is beneficial, others' harmful."
As you can see, the practice of wet nursing has been controversial and has gone in and out of fashion throughout history. In Sparta during the fourth century B.C., women; including the wives of kings, were required to nurse their oldest sons. Commoners had to nurse all their children. In one instance a second son of a king inherited the kingdom because he had been nursed by his mother while his older brother had been wet nursed. In ancient Greece and Rome, while wet nurses were slaves, they held a position of respect within the household. They were boarded in the home of the infant and often remained as servants in the family home after the baby weaned.
In 1472 A.D., Paul Bellardus wrote the first pediatric text published in northern Italy. The book included a section on the qualities of a good wet nurse.
From the 16th to 18th centuries, well-to-do mothers in Europe and North America rarely nursed their babies. The infants were placed with wet nurses and returned home only when they were weaned, if they lived.
Fashionable women of the period wore corsets made of leather or metal with stays of bone. The corsets not only broke ribs but also damaged breast tissue and nipples, making breastfeeding impossible. Employing wet nurses was a sign of a family's high status in society, showing that the family had the resources to pay someone else to do any physical tasks.
It was expected that the noblewoman would provide heirs for the family. Even in 17th century England, there was knowledge of the contraceptive effect of breastfeeding; to nurse would have reduced the number of pregnancies, thus heirs. For a noblewoman to have 12 to 18 pregnancies was not uncommon.
Peasants, who not only breastfed their own children but wet nursed for hire and cross nursed in child care, rarely had more than a half dozen children. In addition, it was believed that a breastfeeding mother should not have sexual relations while lactating lest it somehow taint her milk. The conjugal needs of noblemen were more important than those of wet nurses and their husbands.
In 18th century France, wealthy and middle income Parisian women sought to keep their beauty by placing their infants with wet nurses. They believed breastfeeding would ruin their figures and make them old before their time. Also in this period, laws regarding wet nurses were enacted. A wet nurse could not nurse more than two infants along with her own. Each infant required its own crib so the wet nurse would not take a baby to bed and possibly suffocate it.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, bleeding was believed to he a remedy for most ills. It was used during pregnancy for various problems and complaints; as a result many women died in childbirth. The children whose mothers succumbed to poor prenatal care and obstructed labors were saved only by the services of a wet nurse.
During, the latter part of the 18th century, Dr. William Cadogan wrote an essay on nursing and the management of children from birth to age three. He observed that peasant women who nursed their own babies had healthier children and that early breastfeeding prevented mastitis and engorgement. He therefore advocated breastfeeding for the benefit of both mother and baby.
At various times over the centuries, societal support for breastfeeding waned. Mothers refused to take on the function of lactation. The social attitudes of urban women and their greater access to alternatives led to greater use of wet nurses and less focus on the adequate care of children.
In the mid-19th century, a number of physicians began seeking a breast milk substitute to replace the use of wet nurses. Wet nurses were believed to be the source of disease, especially syphilis. The wet nurse also feared being infected by infants with the disease. It was this widespread fear that motivated the development of artificial feeding.
The turn of the century also saw the establishment of human milk banks. Doctors sought to improve the prognosis for babies denied breast milk since their chances of death were six times greater than breastfed infants. This began the separation of the product from the producer and removed control of feeding from wet nurses.
During the Industrial Revolution through World War II, women began working at jobs in factories where babies could not accompany them. Thus, artificial feeding became well established and accepted.
In many countries today, wet nursing/cross nursing is common practice. Some cultures have strong beliefs and customs that dictate the practice of nursing a baby other than one's own baby. A baby whose mother has died or who cannot nurse is passed among nursing mothers or adopted by a lactating mother whose own baby has died. In Japan and Thailand, breast milk can be given only to a baby of the same sex as the mother's own. In other cultures, breast milk is believed to be the conduit through which the child receives his ancestry, thus only women of the mother's or father's family can be a wet nurse for the infant.
The New Sara Hickman Video
Yes, it is a remake of the Tears For Fears song.
YouTube - Sara Hickman - Mad World
YouTube - Sara Hickman - Mad World
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Martha Scores Again
We - Giselle helped with all the measuring and Paul helped with all the cleanup and both licked the beaters - made Martha Stewart's Classic Blueberry Crumb Cake as a birthday cake the other day and it was a HIT! We changed it up a bit though = (1) we used frozen blueberries (self-frozen from the fresh blueberries bought at the Farmers Market this last summer) instead of truely fresh and (2) we used a 9-inch springform pan (which it filled COMPLETELY) and (3) we had to cook it for 1 hour and 25 min in the toaster oven - the first hour was on regular bake and the last 25 min were on convection bake - we did preheat it.
It was sooo moist - I guess all that butter and sour cream! Before he had a piece, Joe asked if he could put Shedds Spread on it (that's what he usually slathers all over his coffee cakes and pecan rolls and muffins - GROSS!) I told him that I would be totally offended if he put a single bit of that on the cake I just made and that it was totally unnecessary since the cake and topping combined have 3 sticks of butter in them. He had a giant slice then (I cut the cake in my usual 8 slices - quartered once and then quartered again - but they looked huge so I cut half of those in half) and another one about 3 hours later.
That's a serving platter not a regular-sized plate and it was at least 3 inches high
It was sooo moist - I guess all that butter and sour cream! Before he had a piece, Joe asked if he could put Shedds Spread on it (that's what he usually slathers all over his coffee cakes and pecan rolls and muffins - GROSS!) I told him that I would be totally offended if he put a single bit of that on the cake I just made and that it was totally unnecessary since the cake and topping combined have 3 sticks of butter in them. He had a giant slice then (I cut the cake in my usual 8 slices - quartered once and then quartered again - but they looked huge so I cut half of those in half) and another one about 3 hours later.
That's a serving platter not a regular-sized plate and it was at least 3 inches high
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Another One Bites The Dust
Tooth number 3 is out. Unlike the first two, Giselle pulled this one out all by herself - put her two fingers on it and just lightly tugged.
The current forecast for Park Day
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Check out the post for 12/28
I just posted a draft that I started on the 28th - it's a recipe for the lasagna that I made the other night for dinner.
trying out the new rain suits
The kids got new rain suits for xmas and on Friday morning we had the perfect warm gentle rain for trying them out in.
One of those cool things you see but never buy
So we bought one of those strange Asian made paper sculptures that 'grow' when you add the 'special liquid' and we made it the other day. 6 hours later it looked like picture #1 and 24 hours later it looked like picture #2. It was so worth the $3.99 that we paid for it!
Update on Beaujolais Nouveau
First off, if you still have a bottle throw it out because you aren't supposed to drink it after the new year has started. It's such a quickly bottled wine that the longer it sits, the worse it tastes - it DOES NOT age.
My final verdict on the 2006 vintage is that it was good with turkey and pumpkin pie but not with lasagna. We had our second bottle of it with Christmas dinner and dessert and it was fine. I drank the last glass with the lasagna leftovers and it didn't taste good. But the last swallows that I had while eating the last of the pumpkin harvest pie tasted great.
My final verdict on the 2006 vintage is that it was good with turkey and pumpkin pie but not with lasagna. We had our second bottle of it with Christmas dinner and dessert and it was fine. I drank the last glass with the lasagna leftovers and it didn't taste good. But the last swallows that I had while eating the last of the pumpkin harvest pie tasted great.
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