Chihuahuas Like Cheese

Chihuahuas Like Cheese

Written by: Janice Kingsbury

Illustrated by: Rachael Haffey

2015: Outerbooks Publishing, LLC

ISBN: 13:9780692378915

Audience: Pre K-Grade 3, or story-time/family reading.

‘Chihuahuas Like Cheese’ is a delightful story about dogs, adoptions and living happily with a life time supply of cheese.

This story is about one little Chihuahua named Bogie who finds himself homeless, staying in a shelter. Rescued from the shelter, his foster mom tries to have him adopted by nice people at the PetSmart adoption day. But Bogie has other plans.

Bogie comes to his foster home and doesn’t want to leave. Even though he’s the smallest, he lines up for treats with the other dogs: Beau, Lexi, Beemer, Jack, Rascal and Hannah. While the other dogs sit for their treats, Bogie feels too small at the end of the line. So he jumps up and down. He gets so into jumping around, he missed the cheese.

For a while Bogie feels sad. He hides under blankets and doesn’t play as much with the other dogs. One day, Bogie notices something out of the ordinary. He barks. He brings attention to events that have gone terribly wrong.

To find out how Bogie becomes a hero, read ‘Chihuahuas Like Cheese.’

Illustrations of dogs and all the action colorfully represent the story.

Wanna Play?

Board games date back to ancient times with forms of chess and checker numbering among the oldest games played from the ancient world until today.

Checkers dates to the 12th century. The game evolved from the English game 'Draughts' and the French game 'Alquerque'.

Benefits of board games 

• Provide a leisure activity for adults, children or mixed age pairing or groups
• Provide competitive play
• Require hand-eye coordination 
• Require strategy 
• Provide a venue to develop and improve social skills 
• Improves memory 

Synopsis 

Checkers basic rules set opposing the pieces on the same color board squares in two rows. Alternating turns, players move pieces forward on similarly open spaces. A player must jump and take a piece when an open spot exists beyond the opponents piece. Pieces move in one direction. Reaching the far side, a piece is crowned creating a two piece stack. The 'king' may then move forward or backward on the board. Last player with pieces on the board wins. 

Average game time: 10 - 30 minutes 

For more information: 

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draughts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alquerque

Reflections on the water

'Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind, Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time...' ~ Season Suite by John Denver

I find calm in watching the reflections on the water. There is something fascinating about the ripples, shadows and reflections that hold my attention to the point of calming my mind.

This is where stories are born...

From the depth of the water, the whisper rises up to the surface speaking of the secrets just below. 'Love,' says a voice. 'Hate,' says another. 'Choose,' says a third. 'Choose' sings the choir and the echo fades.

The choir begins with a quiet song, reaching crescendo before falling silent for seconds until the next song begins.

'Do this,' says one. 'Do that,' follows the next. 'What to do?' say the third. 'What to do? What to do?' they join together.

The beginning of the story comes into view:

A girl looks out onto the water. She sits watching the ducks, the bugs and the water. She comes to know all the creatures living near the pond. She comes to know their habits. She knows them so well, she begins to name them not only by their species name but also by their familiar name.

She began by calling the duck, 'duck'. After studying the duck, she learned it was a Mallard. Mallard became Mr. Mallard which became Mr. Merle Mallard. And when he waddled close to her, she resolved that Merle was a friend.

The story of 'Pond' waits to become real in the not so distant future.

In the meantime, you may like to listen to the Season Suite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q5197B_7iI

Bougainvillea: A Childhood Memory

Bougainvillea is firmly planted in my childhood memory. The pink flowering plant native to South America grows well in the warmer climates of the US.

Bougainvillea is a frost-sensitive so it grows best outside in warm, frost-free climates and in pots or baskets in cooler climates where the plant can be brought indoors. It’s a slow growing plant that flowers year-round when planted in fertile soil.

Start a Bouganvilla with a four to six inch cutting. Strip the leaves from the lower half of the cutting. Plant the cutting in a good potting mix. Water thoroughly. Place the pot in an area of filtered sunlight until the cutting starts to grow. At six weeks transfer the Bougainvillea into the garden.

In my memory, the Bougainvillea shaded the back porch, protected me from the hot summer sun and gave me a great place to play with my dog.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, drained and thaw
1 (14 ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste

In a glass bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Grease a baking dish. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle some mozzarella or Parmesan on top. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Caught Smiling

It happened again today, I was caught smiling.

I was talking with a woman with whom I'm acquainted. She commented, "You're smiling."

"Am I?"I asked.

"Yes," she said, "and you're talking about your 3 teenagers."

I thought a moment, "Oh, well, that's because I like them."

Thankful for Toddler Days

Toddlers are wonderful wow little people. There are few things as delightful, or tiring as a day with an energetic toddler.

Toddler To-Do List:

Chasing a ball
Blowing bubbles
Running with the dogs
Playing at the park
Going to the zoo
Drawing with sidewalk chalk
Digging in the dirt
Walking a nature trail
Running in the yard
Batting
Pulling a wagon
Climbing up the slide
Sliding down the slide
Running through the sprinklers
Swinging
Riding the merry-go-round
Jumping in a puddle
Pushing the stroller
Climbing the jungle-gym
Singing and marching to “We’ve off to see the Wizard.”
Drumming
Walking in the museum
Running to feed the ducks

This is only a partial list of a typical toddler day. What wonderful things are on your toddler to-do list?

My toddlers were capable of going, and going, and going, then falling asleep in an instant, >snap<, then awake for more! I had thought I was going to fall over exhausted when they were 1, 3 & 5. We all made it. Now, when I see toddlers I think of all the fun energy of running, running, running.

Yummy, Sun Butter!

Sun Butter

Sunflowers like other weeds that yield food have a history of bring esthetic value to an otherwise dreary area. The sunflower has the habit of turning up in unusual places, sometimes unwanted but often to the delight of children and Nature’s admirers.

The Sunflower is native to the Americas, there is archeological evidence of Sunflower use dating to 2600B.C. It did not traveling to Europe until the 16th Century where it became immensely popular in the 18th Century.

As an annual, the sunflower grows best in moist fertile soil with heavy mulch. It grows best in full sun. Traditional gardens grow sunflowers within the combination of beans, corn , squash and sunflowers.

As a food, the sunflower seed is processed, roasted and salted. A favorite food in Germany, sunflower seeds are made into Sun Butter, similar to peanut butter. The seeds are a good source of protein.

Notes about Sunflowers:
In the US, Kansas is the sunflower state.
One of Van Gogh’s most recognizable paintings is Sunflowers.

A Precious Little Boy

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who was very precocious. Rarely, did he sit still, he was very curious indeed. He loved to learn new things. He laughed at the way the water bounced on the sidewalk. He danced with the butterflies and bees. He talked to his dog about the beautiful sky. And sometimes, he brought flowers home to his grandmamma.

At the age of three, he started writing. He learned to write his name. He wrote his name everywhere, even on the wall which wasn’t a good thing, but he did spell it correctly. He read everything with words: junk mail, signs and cereal boxes.

One day he discovered there was a place where he could learn more. He could learn about math and writing and the wonders of the world. He was very excited about this new place of wonder. It was a place called school.

Finally, the day came, the little boy was very excited about learning even more things about the world; he was excited to go to school.

When he arrived, he was told to sit in a chair and not to move until the bell rang. Luckily, he sat near a window so he looked out to the world. When the teacher noticed he was gazing out the window, the little boy was given a note for his parents that said he wasn’t paying attention.

The next day, he was given a new seat away from the window near the hamster cages. He watched the hamster run on the wheel and he talked to the hamster about how much he liked running. When the teacher noticed he was talking to the hamster, he was given a note that he was disruptive.

The next day, he was given a new seat in the middle of the class. By now the other children noticed he was a problem child, so they teased him and pushed him and pulled on his hair. He yelled at the mean kids and hit them back. When the teacher noticed, he was given a note that said he didn’t know how to get along with others.

The next day, he thought he would bring flowers to his teacher. He didn’t understand why he was the only child given a note each day, but he sensed it wasn’t good. As he walked to school he saw a variety of flowers, so he gathered one of each kind. There was a daisy and an iris, a lily and a rose.

He waited by the door for the teacher to show him to his seat, it had changed so many times he wasn’t sure where to sit. When the teacher approached, he held out the flowers. The teacher took them and placed the flowers on her desk. The teacher placed him in a chair in the corner facing the wall.

That afternoon, the teacher gave her a note that said he destroyed property and was not welcome at school until he learned how to behave.

That night, the little boy’s mother and father discussed what they should do with their little boy. They decided perhaps he wasn’t ready to behave like the other children. They liked him better laughing at the water bouncing, dancing with the butterflies and bringing flowers to his grandmamma.

Have you eaten your Roses today?

Not only are roses beautiful but they contain significant amounts of vitamin C.

In the 19th century, small town doctors prescribe roses as a regular remedy. The apothecary rose was a frequent suggestion for home treatment of common ailments such as stomach disorder, diarrhea, constipation, gallbladder & kidney problems, gout, fever and exhaustion.

Long standing philosophical traditions find Rose garlands strewn around altars of Gods and Goddesses. The rose was one of the flowers which had cross culturally represented love and health throughout the World. Many are the brides who held roses in their bouquet as they entered into marriage with the well-wishes of life-long health and love.

It stands to reason that the ancients understood the relationship between the beautiful flower and its health giving properties. The flowers’ fragrance provides for a method of relaxation. The beauty and cultivation of the flower offers tranquility for all to behold. The internal properties of the flower, in the rose hip, offer to the health practitioner a potent and reliable source of immunity boosting properties.

The following is a brief review of the versatility of the Rose.

Rose petals make a light and fragrant tea which settles stomach upset and provides a soothing aroma.

Rose hips in vitamin form offers an extra boost for people needing to fend off colds and fevers.

Rose jams and jellies offer sweetness and vitamin C to boost children’s immunity to the everyday ails found in most daycare and school institutions.

Rose water is added to ice cream and cookies in the Middle East to give added flavor.

Rose water also adds moisture to skin preparations, Middle Eastern and European traditions.

French chefs add Rose syrup made from rose petal extract to pastries.

Chinese apothecaries are among the few practitioners who still use this remedy for stomach ailments.

As all things go full circle, scientists harkened back to a more intuitive time and are testing rose and rose hips in the treatment of some cancers.

Re-discovering Home Birth

At the turn of the 20th Century, 95% of US women birthed at home, attended by a doctor or a midwife. By mid-1950s approximately 1% of women birthed at home. During the 1970s a home birth revival movement began with women realizing that births, in fact, most births don’t require hospitalization.

In the second decade of the 21st Century, a growing number of women are staying home to birth their babies. So many that the movement has reached main stream media. One news source recently reported a 20% increase in home birth.

As any woman who have had a baby in the hospital will tell you, the experience is turned into a medical procedure with clinicians coming & going, medical intervention (and increased insurance billing) just moments away regardless of the situation.

Women are questioning the medical involvement in birth and many are choosing to forgo the unnecessary procedures for a natural birth. The best way to insure the least amount of medical intervention is to skip the trip to the hospital.

Certainly this is not a promotion for risky behavior. If there are complications involved, by all means get the help needed. But be aware of the statistics.

C-sections are more likely to happen in the hospital. Depending on the particular hospital c-sections are 30 – 60% of births. Home-births with complications requiring transport and c-section are 3% of births.

Attendance in a hospital is often the floor nurse and the on-call physician unless you keep a appointment with a scheduled birth. You’re likely not to know anyone in the room behind the many masks that come and go.

With a home-birth the midwife attends the mother until & through the birth. In most cases, unless there an another birth, the midwife stays for a while after the baby arrives to insure a good start for mother and baby.

Cost for homebirth is a $3,000 - $4,000 for a midwife including all the pre-natal and post-natal visits. OB-GYN attended hospital births start at $10,000 and only go up.

As for this author:

Three of my four children were born at home. I believe each woman needs to educate herself to decide how she wishes to birth her babies.

I had a horrible and completely unnecessary c-section experience in 1981 at age 18. When I found I was pregnant in 1991 at age 28, I did my homework & decided to have my baby at home. It was difficult to find a midwife who would help with a VBAC but well worth the research and interviewing. There was no comparison between the two experiences. So it was easy to decide to have my subsequent children in the comfort of my own home.

Resources:

Feminist Breeder
http://thefeministbreeder.com/
Home Birth Kits
http://homebirthkits.com/
WIC
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/breastfeeding/mainpage.HTM
La Leche League
http://www.llli.org/

Dog First-Aid Kit 'Cuz Ya Never Know

Well-meaning intensions aside, procrastination can be profoundly revealed when a pet is injured. My story is simple: my pets never get injured, so why have a first aid kit? Because never can turn into rarely in a blink of an eye.

My little dog has a small head. She can poke her head through the fence to gaze at the neighbor’s beautifully manicured and dog-free yard. The rest of Tippy, the little dog is too wide to make it through the fence. My neighbor, an older lady actually likes to talk with Tippy. So I figured no harm, no foul.

Until one day when Tippy’s ear got caught on the fence as she pulled her head back through. It is amazing how much blood is in a dog ear. There was blood all over the yard, blood all over Tippy, and when I went to help, blood all over me.

I won’t keep you in suspense. It was a flesh wound, no stitches required but it was a mess.

Had I had a dog first aid kit, things might have been less messy. Instead, I was yelling at child one and child two to look in the various household cupboards for gaze, for tape, for antiseptic.

End result: I’ve made a list for the dog first-aid kit and will keep it readily available for the potential future occurrence. Now that I’m prepared I do hope we’ll just return to the “my dog never gets hurt” status.

Dog First Aid Kit

Muzzle (even when they love you, they nip when you make their ouch worse)
Roll of Gauze
Gauze Squares
Non-stick Pads
First-aid tape
Vet-wrap/bandage roll
Sterile Saline Solution
Tube of Antiseptic
Scissors
Tweezers
Cotton Balls
Cotton Swabs
Gloves
Pet Carrier
Leash
Cold Paks
Heat Paks
Syringe
Pliers
Thermometer
Pedialyte
Bitter Apple Product (to discourage licking)
Vet’s phone number

For humans
Band-aids
Sterile Saline
Antiseptic cream
Doctor’s phone number


Diane Harrison of Wild Side Kerry Blues sent this message.

"Great article! Things to add to your dog first aid kit: Benedryl (for bug bites, stings, hot spots and any allergic reactions. and very good to use to calm your dog down), Tagamet,(great for large breed dogs that can or get, gastric torsion aka: Bloat) Tums, Aspirin, Clavamox (a very good antibiotic that you could get from your Veterinarian. Any good Vet will sell this to you if you tell him/her it's for your dog first aid kit) Pedialyte is great, but so you won't have to worry about it going bad, get an Electrolyte powder. Gold bond powder, Kwik Stop Powder, Super Glue, And a Bulb syringe. Just my 2 cents worth! :-)

For more information about Kerry Blue Terriers:
http://www.wildsidekerryblues.com/contact.html

Book Review: The Surprise Doll

The Surprise Doll
Author: Morrell Gipson
Artist: Steffie Lerch
©1949

Forward thinking children’s books come from all eras. Even though this book written in the 1940s, before the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, it is an excellent example of the understanding that we humans are more alike than different.

One girl wants a special doll. She visits a doll maker with the hope that she will have a doll for each day of the week. She has to leave her dolls with the toy maker. She misses her dolls.

When she returns to the toy maker on the appointed day, her surprise doll has qualities of each of her dolls. I won’t give away the biggest surprise.

This is one of my personal favorites. My father used to read it to me often. When I read it to my kids, I can remember the sound of his voice like an echo, “just like me.”

Value of Volunteering

The value of Volunteering in life is directly relational to the project to which we volunteer. Volunteering for a mandated number of hours has its value, perhaps to alleviate some penalty. This volunteering is good but it’s not out of desire to do good works, it’s from the desire to avoid penalty.

Volunteering as a responsibility to our community or out of desire just to be of service creates the most value because the motivation is positive to positive. The positive, not avoiding penalty plus the positive of the action creates a greater good.

Particular to this thought is the need for mentors, whether the mentorship within a business situation or for youth in the community. Mentors or Masters are necessary so society moves forward. If the new or young people to a trade or craft are always reinventing the wheel, we as society fail to move forward from our current status.

4H was introduced a little over a hundred years ago via the University Extension Services to help boys with growing crops and girls with canning produce. Since that time 4H has expanded into all areas of farm and animal husbandry as well as technology, science, art, crafts, public speaking, theater arts, and more.

I am privileged to mentor several girls through the learning process of quilting. This uniquely American textile art which was once part of most women’s creative outlet has waned in the last 50 years.

Recently, there has been increased interest in the art. With few mentors in the craft, I’m pleased to share the joy of creating beautiful and useful items.

It came to my attention that many volunteer projects are creating a difficulty by taking what was a paid position and making it a volunteer job or internship. I’m not taking anyone’s job by volunteering in this way. In fact, much of what was considered women’s work, aka unpaid, is just not done. The field is wide open to volunteer in what past centuries labeled as women’s work. These venues of volunteerism are still available, still necessary. They are the fabric of our society.

The fact is many of the ways in which our foremothers related with one another, supported each other and the greater society are just what we find lacking in today’s world. It could be considered nostalgic by the uncreative, but I beg to differ. The remnants of a once great textile industry are ready for resurgence but we need society to value the creation of hand-made items as well as the value the volunteers who pass on such knowledge.

4H is an excellent program for youth. It provides learning experience for young people in a many different fields of knowledge. It also provides the opportunity to share sports, crafts, gardening, animal and technological knowledge with the next generation.

http://www.4-h.org/

A Good Omen: Ladybug

When a good omen visits, it’s nice to tell nature or the world thank you for sending the message of balance this day.

Ladybugs are good omens. Since the Middle Ages, ladybugs have been connected with saving crops from being overrun by other insects.

Depending on your local history, Ladybugs may be responsible for predicting how much money you’ll have, how many children you’ll have, a cure for tooth aches or improvement of your overall health. But no matter where you live, it’s considered bad luck to kill a ladybug.

Some of the amazing fact about ladybugs includes: Ladybugs are beetles. There are at least 400 different kinds of ladybugs in North America and nearly 5,000 different varieties around the world.

Without the ladybug we’d be overrun with aphids. Aphids are a favorite food of the ladybug. Contrary-wise, Ladybugs are not a favorite food to any predator. They release a chemical so they don’t taste very good.

Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home
Your house is on fire,
Your children are gone.

Gerenuk

Watching Gerenuk (genus: Litocranius) eat is a calming experience. The East African antelope also known as the giraffe-necked antelope have a beautifully muscular, yet slender body. Their movement is delightfully graceful.

Indigenous to the African continent, it may be surprising that the Gerenuk are picky eaters. They tend to select the juiciest leaves available, leaving the rest behind.

Nature has uniquely situated these elegant animals at just the right height for the best food selection: fruit, flowers and leaves. Taller than the most gazelles, their selection is greater and higher on the bush or tree than their smaller food competitors. Since they average 4-5 feet in length, they are far smaller than giraffes that graze further up the tree.

Male Gerenuk have horns, females do not. They are otherwise very similar in size, shape and coloring. Both the male and the female stand on their hind legs to feed.

A well-cared for Gerenuk can live up to 13 years in captivity, while the average lifespan in the wild is only 8 years.

Watch and learn more about Gerenuk: http://www.lazoo.org/animals/mammals/gerenuk/

American Quilts

Some of the oldest quilted items in museums today are in Egypt and Sicily, these items were created in their entirety. What makes American quilts unique is that women created them out of bits and pieces utilizing scraps which later developed into the American Quilt we know today.

Each quilt begins with a variety of color complimentary fabrics which allows the quilter to imagine patterns and designs to create a unique item. Handmade, each quilt has variations which can be delightfully individual and hopefully pleasing to the eye.

A remnant for the aesthetics movement, quilts are both useful and beautiful. Depending upon the level of detail in the design and the skill of the quilter, quilts can be created in as little as a few hours.

Creating sample miniature designs hearkens back to an era when large Manors were first made in miniature for architectural approval. If approved by the Master then the miniature house was finished and given to the children as a house warming gift.

Small samples of larger items were also created as sales aids throughout the frontier era. A smaller version of large equipment or furniture designs traveled with the sales men by train across the country. Salesmen sent orders back East for the full-size version.

Today, as I completed one section of a full size quilt, I noticed the scraps were large enough to create a miniature just right for a toy-size comfort quilt.



Resources for Dollhouses and Miniatures: http://www.achildatheart.com/

Rebellion

Revolt, uprising, insurgence, upheaval, mutiny, revolution, by any other name it’s still rebellion. For the most part, it doesn’t exist within my home. My spouse, my children and I pretty much get along, with disagreements, sure, but rebellion, no.

We, the parents haven’t created the environment from which our children wish to rebel. The dynamic has created an ever changing and interesting experiment in human development.

Old thoughts: As a youth growing up in a difficult household, I rebelled. While everyone said they were surprised, no one was surprised, there would have been something wrong if I hadn’t rebelled. The dynamics created in that house were of conflict, argument/debate, picking on and putting down. Rebellion was mentally healthy. How it all rolled out, maybe not so healthy. But I've done the work to put it in perspective and correct my errors.

New thoughts: When our three were little. I remember looking at each of them and thinking, I don’t want my children to have all that conflict in their lives that I had growing up. Then I had a thought: wouldn’t it be nice if we had a house where we got along, where we have love and mutual respect.

Matching my actions with my desired goal has provided a space for our kids to be kids without conflict. As young adults, they have a home that is not a battleground, so there is no reason to rebel.

Has It Really Been a Year?

Some call it reflection, others call it inventory: I think it’s just a part of moving forward in life: Review.

Periodically, my mind reviews a particular segment of life: Work, Relationships, Location, Health and Inner Stuff. When I started this process in earnest more than 25 years ago, I followed direction to put it on paper. Through the years the need to put things to paper decreases as the problem to solution or goal to fruition methodology has become ingrained within my neuro-net. So ingrained is this that it would better be described as a continuing stock inventory system rather than a yearly goal setting session.

So it was not surprising when there is a “problem” my brain goes into hyper-drive to find a solution. This trait, call it Type-A personality or liken it to the Rabbit character in Winnie-the-Pooh, is helpful at minimizing situations so that they never become real problems.

The demarcation for this particular inventory came quickly in that it’s been a year since my last cross country move. Logical to look at the state of things/life, as the dust has settled and scramble has turned to routine.

Work ~ this year has marked more regular writing work than ever. With more than 50 ghosted articles sold and a regular technical writing gig, I’m pleased with the quality and the level of output. The downside is the ridiculously low pay. My son said yesterday, “That’s great money for 1856!” and he’s correct.

Relationships ~ really the key to a happy life are the people around. It may be old age creeping up on me hopefully, just wisdom probably a bit of both. But honestly, if it’s difficult, I’m really not interested. Relationships are so much better when they’re easy. Things are easy if everyone is polite.

I’ve noticed there are two kinds of people, probably more but for this example there are two: the kind of person that accepts an apology and the kind of person that continues to tell you how awful you are after you apologize.

Disrespect just leads to hard feelings, or in tough places, mortal peril. Personally, I choose to be polite for social cohesion. It’s easier to navigate situations if everyone cooperates and is forthright. I know, some would say I’m trying to live on Cloud Nine. And I would reply: If Cloud Nine requires manners then, yes. I require good behavior from myself when I make a mistake, I apologize and so expect the same from others.

Then of course, there are the people with whom I have no business being around. Take my ex, please! Seriously, we are ex, we don’t talk, we aren’t friends. If people ask me why? He's my ex, duh... Those who knew us should attest that the world is a happier place for the distance between us. After a number of years, I had a dream where I discovered he was doing really well. I woke really hoping the dream was true that he was doing well. I don’t know if he is or isn’t. It’s none of my business, that’s the ex-part. I consider this segment complete.

I learned a long time ago a relationship takes two people with a similar vision for the relationship for both people to be happy. I remind myself of that periodically as I continue life’s construction.

Location ~ Location, Location, Location… it’s true. Wishing to be somewhere and being somewhere are two entirely different things. Make a decision. Be there.

Health ~ As an issue health has come to the fore in the news as the overweight people outnumber the physically fit. The percentages coincide with the level of poverty and unhappiness, though not by simple equation. A simple way to live is healthfully: Eat right, sleep enough, avoid anger, and love daily.

Health is one of my favorite topics. I’ve been published on this subject more than any other in the last 20 years, probably because I love eating. I love good food. The flavors, spices, and textures of good food made into a fabulous dish is one of the things that make life enjoyable.

Memorable food moments this year: avocado off a tree, orange juice from personally picked oranges, Churro @ Olvera St, Soup in a Bread Bowl @ New Orleans Square, my daughter’s potato soup, ripe jalapeños, my neighbor’s lentil soup, my husband’s veggie burgers, my son’s quesadilla, my son’s rice & beans… I just discovered, the way to make my list of favorite people is to cook a tasty dish.

Inner Stuff (old & new) ~ I have these things called thoughts and feelings. Sometimes they’re old, sometimes their new, sometimes useful, sometimes just clutter… I decided to de-clutter the old and useless, just let it go, don’t beat the dead horse. Life got lighter, calmer, happier.

I liken the inner stuff to a closet. When I started my Fibber McGee closet was full. If I opened the door stuff would tumble out with a crash. Life went from one crash to another. It also made seeing today in reality difficult, if not impossible. Reality is where it’s at baby. Reality is today!

At a moment of clarity I realized I didn’t like the way a bunch of the old stuff felt when it crashed and I set about throwing out the stuff I didn’t want anymore. Some of closet junk I gave back to others, it wasn’t mine to keep. Some of the junk was mine and I had to face it, deal with it and move on. Some of the stuff was useful, some stuff was pleasant so I tidied up and placed those items in a mental file: Things Worth Remembering.

Things Worth Remembering:
Like the Kitty: Allergic to Kitty: Don’t pet Kitty.
Kids, like vegetables, spoil if you put them on a shelf & forget about them.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Share good things, it makes the world a better place.

Food Chemicals, Hyperactivity & Illness

A continuing study released findings that children’s behavior problems may be linked to or exacerbated by food dyes and other unnecessary ingredients in their food.

Any mother worth her stuff knows what foods work well and what foods send her children into crying fits, climbing mania or complete melt-down. It’s easy to blame sugar and for some kids that is the cause. But a recent release of a continuing study lists other food additives as the primary culprits.

Colours – Yellow 5 has been directly linked to hyperactivity in children with food sensitivities.

Other colour dyes approved by the FDA were linked to ailments within laboratory studies using lab mammals: Blue 2 led to brain cancer; Green 3 led to bladder and testes tumors; Red 3 led to thyroid tumors.

MSG can cause headaches, wheezing, and nausea among other symptoms. Research in the 1960s showed MSG destroyed nerve brain cells.

Olestra or Olean found in some Fat Free products is a synthetic fat that is not absorbed in the digestive system. In regular language, it causes diarrhea abdominal cramps and flatulence. If you have suffered these symptoms after eating a product with Olean you can file a report on the Center for Science in the Public Interest website: http://www.cspinet.org/olestraform/index.htm

Many of the ingredients on the sides of packages are completely unpronounceable. I usually wonder, what does that do to the food? Then I’m distracted by my child’s urgent need for something. Besides, where would I get the information about all the words I can’t pronounce and still ingest? The quick list is available http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#mycoprotein in a listing called Chemical Cuisine.

For more information about the foods we eat everyday visit the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit which is celebrating 40 years of public service. http://www.cspinet.org/