Angels Come when you least expect it

A few weeks ago, my daughter needed a medical test performed at a well know NYC Hospital. It was a non -intrusive test but would be very long. She was testing for lactose intolerance with a breath test. It was negative our search goes on. Prior to the test she was on a restricted bland diet. Little girls on restricted diets don’t do well. All the cartoons had a food theme that day. Little brother only wanted to talk about ice cream and very good foods. We had him on a restricted diet to limit the foods she saw.

Towards the end of the day it occurred to me that I was not sure if she could drink water in the morning. Could she brush her teeth with toothpaste? Simple questions but if I choose the wrong one I could invalidate a test and have to do this all over again. It is an hour and a half drive to NYC and we needed to leave before the testing center opened. I doubted that I would hear back from them in time.

I called and e-mailed my contact anyway. And would you believe it! I got a response right back. Our pediatric Nurse Clinician Aris A. sent me back a detailed e-mail and a text message. He was even able to accommodate us from our long trip. As soon as we got there we rested and freshened up and the test started. He knew children. She was very scared even though we all said that it would not hurt. He told her Daddy could try the drink first and then she would drink it all up. Daddy did and gave her a big smile and she ended up asking for more. I knew she was thirsty as not even a drop of water could she drink.

It was a long test, about three hours. We played on her DSI, read books, Mom crocheted a shawl and Dad read and read. Yet every time that Aris came by he would walk right up to her and explain to her what was happening. He taught her how to blow up the balloon and what a good job she was doing. He even thought to bring her books to read that were at her level.

His kindness and professionalism of answering a late placed email impressed me. Too often, we do not praise or acknowledge the little things in life. I call them the little angel acts. A kind word comforts a frightened child. A smile relaxes one. A return of an email or phone call comforts a distraught mother. Each action in and of itself is small and yet if even one were missing the result would not have been so good.

I have a little girl who knows she needs more tests and is not afraid to go back. She knows she will meet with friendly people and be safe. I only wish and hope that everyone she meets is as kind and professional as Aris. Thank you Aris for a job well done.

Food for thought

This is not the post I intended to put up today. I am working on one about my daughter medical test and helpful hints on that and a great nurse practitioner.

But then I saw this from the FDA. Food Recall Link  It made me think how lucky I am. I buy most veggies from the farmers at the farmers market. My meat is from within 100 miles at the Whole Food store. My milk from a local dairy. My eggs from the small farm a few miles over where they are free range.

Point is I know where my food comes from. I have it fresh and if there is a nationwide recall I am pretty safe from where I get my food. There are enough local farmers where I am at that if one has trouble I just buy from the others down the road. They take pride in their food and will tell me when something is damaged. For example, “ the melons are very soft but they are good to eat take two for the price of one”. “ Tomatoes are strange looking but good for sauce”.

Due to necessity and convenience, we usually have no idea where our food comes from and so we increase the danger of the recalls. I do not know how the spinach is packed or the eggs are handled at our supermarkets. I have to trust them. I see how the food is packed at the local farmers market and see the care they have for the food.

If you can buy local. Help our farmers. You are not only helping the environment but keeping you and your family safe.

Back to School

Here are some back to school tips that I thought you would like and a chance to dosome good for the environment and our children:

1.Art supplies.  Paints should be water-based to avoid solvents and colored with non-metal pigments.          Polymer clays that stay soft at room temperature or can be hardened in a home oven --  are made from  PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and often contain phthalates.  When possible make your own clay. 

2.Hand washing. Plain soap and water is great but if you have to choose a sanitizers use one that has ethyl
 alcohol but no fragrance

3.Backpacks.  Natural fibers are the way to go. Skip those made with PVC that is no #3, the symbol for
   PVC, or look for "no PVC" on the label.. Second best are the  polyester and nylon ones.
4.Lunch boxes. Make sure they do not cntain lead  paint, PVC, BPA and antimicrobial chemicals. Some      options are: cotton lunch bags, BPA-free plastic or unpainted stainless steel. Reuse utensils from home and pack food in reusable, rather than disposable, containers (such as lightweight stainless steel or #1, 2, 4 or 5 plastics). The Safe Landing  has great products including drinking containers.

5.Pencils and pens. Pick plain wooden pencils (no paint or glossy coating) made from wood or recycled       newspaper. Skip the scented ones.

6.Notebooks and binders. Plastic covers on binders and spiral notebooks are usually made from PVC (#3    plastic).  Avoid these.

7 .Paper products. Look for recycled paper, no  bleach. Avoid added lotion, fragrance and dyes.

8.Glue. Good options are: glue sticks, white/yellow/clear "school" glue. No rubber cement.

9. Clothing.  remember to label everything.  I usedto make my own labels but I have enough to do without
 that so now I buy mine and get to stick them on and peel off when I am through with an item try them at Children's Labels.

Okay Mom's you have the information to make better choices for your children.  Mine like the binders and folders with the plastic and designes.  So I cut out the pictures from gift wrap and use my glue stick to glue on their books and notebooks.  This worked and then it is also handmade with extra touches.  Hope this helps.  Let me know what else you need info on,

Hockey Equipment Cleaning Tip

Hockey Moms,


I think I have a solution for the stinky protective gear. First, stink is caused by bacteria that love moist places. Our kids stuff gets moist just by being used. They need to wear it to get protection but they do not need that stinky smell. You need to let them dry thoroughly. That means not in the back of the car or piled on the floor. I made a mannequin out of scrape wood and wire we had. Not that pretty but I can store the gear on it and know I have not lost anything. The wire on most of it lets the air circulate around the equipment and dry it out.

When I have a long break between practice and games, I use a solution of bleach and warm water to rub on the equipment. That seems to kill much of the smell. When I do not have time for that, which is usually the case, I spray the equipment with a natural disinfectant. I use  Mela-magic by Melanuca product that kills germs. On the mannequin, I dry out the equipment and yeah the smell is gone.  Contact me on how to get this product if you like.

I have a little guy in the atom or mite division and they are picky about the smell of things. As they get older I think they just think it is natural but I will see how long I can keep battling the stink. Let me know what you do.

Whats in our Cosmetics?

As a Mom, I always worry about what ingredients are in the products I use. I did my research on the cosmetic and bath products that my family uses. I was shocked to discover that manufacturers can put any ingredient in their product and without any government review or control. That means that some products may contain harmful ingredients. I learned that personal care products, including children's products, may contain a cancer-causing ingredient, 1,4-Dioxane, and 60 percent of sunscreens contain oxybenzone, a potential hormone disruptor. There are reports of hidden substances in fragrance and preservatives in personal care products.


Recently there was a report that the increase in learning disabilities may be linked to all the chemicals we are exposed to in uterus and out. So I was glad to hear that the Congress introduced a bill to help solve this problem. The bill is Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (H.R. 5786). It is intended to expand the review and control of ingredients used in the cosmetic and bath products. It may allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit dangerous ingredients that have already been banned in Europe.

If you want to support this bill and I urge you to click on the link below. Thank you.




Click to support the Bill

Do Cleaning Products Cause Breast Cancer?

ScienceDaily (July 19, 2010) — Women who report greater use of cleaning products may be at higher breast cancer risk than those who say they use them sparingly. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health asked more than 1500 women about their cleaning product usage and found that women who reported using more air fresheners and products for mold and mildew control had a higher incidence of breast cancer.

Julia Brody, from the Silent Spring Institute, USA, worked with a team of researchers to carry out telephone interviews with 787 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 721 comparison women. She said, "Women who reported the highest combined cleaning product use had a doubled risk of breast cancer compared to those with the lowest reported use. Use of air fresheners and products for mold and mildew control were associated with increased risk. To our knowledge, this is the first published report on cleaning product use and risk of breast cancer."

The researchers questioned women on product use, beliefs about breast cancer causes, and established and suspected risk factors. They found that cleaning products, air fresheners, and insect repellents were associated with breast cancer, but little association was observed with overall pesticide use. Women with breast cancer who believed that chemicals and pollutants contribute 'a lot' to the risk of developing the condition were more likely to report high product usage.

Speaking about this potential bias to the study, Brody said, "When women are diagnosed with breast cancer, they often think about what happened in the past that might have contributed to the disease. As a result, it may be that women with breast cancer more accurately recall their past product use or even over-estimate it. Or, it could also be that experience with breast cancer influences beliefs about its causes. For example, women diagnosed with breast cancer are less likely to believe heredity contributes 'a lot', because most are the first in their family to get the disease."

In order to avoid possible recall bias, the researchers recommend further study of cleaning products and breast cancer using prospective self-reports and measurements in environmental and biological media.

See this link: More Info

Organic or Not

We always look for the best foods to buy for our family.  After much research I found that it pays to buy these foods from the organic section.  On my next post I will tell you which ones to buy from the regular section.  We have grown many of these in our gaden to make sure they are organic.

Celery
Peaches           The animals eat ours before we pick them
Strawberries   A few plants go a long way and are fun to grow.
Apples
Blueberries (Domestic)  In NJ we have organic farms and freeze the berries.
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers  We grow our own.  Not hard and great to grow.
Spinach
Cherries
Potatoes  We tried growing them this year in planters.  Not hard and now we have some to store.
               Next year we will plant more.
Grapes they are growing on the side of our home.

Why should you care about pesticides? There is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood. We know that chemicals are bad and now we learn that they can affect birth defects.

Of the 12 most contaminated foods, seven are fruits.

More than 96 percent of peaches tested positive for pesticides, followed by nectarines (95.1 percent) and apples (93.6 percent).

Nearly 86 percent of peaches contained 2 or more pesticide residues ‚ followed by apples (82.3 percent) and nectarines (80.6 percent).


Among the vegetables:
Some 95 percent all celery samples tested positive for pesticides, followed by imported cucumbers (84.5 percent) and potatoes (84.2 percent).

Nearly 85 percent of celery samples contained multiple pesticides, followed by sweet bell peppers (61.5 percent) and collard greens (53.2 percent).

Also keep in mind that maintaining your family's health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and may be a contributor to "colony collapse disorder," the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply. Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.