Live with no regrets...

Are you young? Are you just starting out as a wife and mother? Or, are you somewhere in your busy thirties? If you have yet to see your fortieth birthday, it may be hard for you to imagine a time when you have more years on earth behind you than you have ahead of you. However, if the Lord blesses you with a long earthly life, the day will come when you do reach middle age and beyond. At that time, you may find yourself reflecting on how you've lived your life so far.

Sadly, for some, the middle years are filled with regret regret. In fact, the current issue of AARP says that it's common for midlife people to mourn over lost opportunities. The article lists these as the five most five most common regrets listed by middle-aged Americans:

1) Not pursuing educational opportunities.
2) Wishing for more success in his or her career or wishing that he or she had chosen an entirely different career.
3) Regrets related to long-lost loves, unrequited affections, and broken or painful marriages.
4) Not spending enough time with their children, wondering if they were good parents, making poor child-care choices, and estrangement from parents or siblings.
5) Regrets about their own failures, abilities, attitudes, and character flaws. Surprisingly, a large number wish specifically that they had had more self-control.

According to Hamilton Bezley, Ph.D., an expert quoted in the article, the years between 40 and 65 are a time when people reevaluate their lives. That means that the huge numbers of baby boomers are now within this period of life-assessment.

Beazley thinks that boomers are even more likely to focus on regrets than previous generations, because they were raised with the expectation that increasing prosperity and advances in technology were going to fix the world's problems. According to Beazley, boomers often have the idea that hard things -- even getting older -- just shouldn't happen to them.

Now, these are just my opinions, but here is my response to the article:

1) No matter whether you are 18 or 88, heed Ephesians 5:15-17. Make the most of every opportunity you have on earth, because the days are fleeting. Understand and follow the Lord's will. In every stage of life invest your heart and your treasure in heaven. Matthew 6:18-32. Spend your life on things that will last for eternity.
2) Count your blessings! Every day of your life, you will wake up with blessings and challenges. You will have to choose which you focus on. If you live your life with a problem-centered focus, you will look back on your life and remember mostly problems. If you can learn to praise and be thankful, even in hard times, you will look back and remember riches.
3) Even for the faithful woman, there may come a time when she looks back and wishes she had done some things differently. We all make mistakes. We may need to mourn some losses while, at the same time, accepting the Lord's grace, comfort, and gift of repentance. However, it's one thing to work through griefs; it's another to get stuck in regret. Read 2 Corinthians 7:8-16 to understand the difference between worldly sorrow, which leads to death, and godly sorrow, which leads to life and joy. Also, remember Paul's attitude. He left whatever belonged to yesterday -- good or bad -- behind him and he pressed on to the goal of being like Christ and with Christ. It's fine to cherish wonderful, happy memories and to come to grips with sorrows or sin. But, we are not to dwell in the past. We are to press forward, to take hold of the hope that the Lord has in store for us.
4) Every one of the regrets listed in the AARP article can be a blessing: Education, Career, Romance, Family, and our own Life. However, if you put your hope in any one of these things to the point that it becomes an idol for you, you are sure to be disappointed. The only perfect and true foundation for our life is Christ. Matthew 7:21-27; I Peter 1:13. With Christ, you can enjoy blessings in their proper perspective.
5) Cherish relationships. Love your husband. Love your children. Don't let yourself get out of joint over trivial irritations. Don't waste any precious moments nursing bitterness in your heart. Ask yourself, "Will this really matter to me 100 years from now?" Get help from the Lord and from godly people if you have problems in relationships. If you need to reconcile with anyone, do it while you have the chance. If the other person doesn't respond to your overtures of love and peace, you are not in control of that. Live in such a way, though, that you know you did what you could on your part. Romans 12:18.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

A Day in the life of...is hostessing another book club. This time, the group is reading "Thrift in the Home". In keeping with the subject of thrift, you can read it online -- rather than having to purchase a selection.

Here's the link in case you want to check it out for yourself. Book club.


Enjoy!
Elizabeth

S&H Green Stamps and Green Points?

Do any of you remember S&H Green Stamps from when you were a child? I remember that everyone (including my mother) used to collect them. People got them when they made certain purchases at certain grocery stores, gas stations, and other stores. Then, they pasted them into booklets. S&H provided a catalog of items, and each item "cost" a certain number of Green Stamps. You could turn the Green Stamps in as if they were cash to obtain the item. Or, you could go to the Green Stamps store, view the item in question, and "pay" for it in Green Stamps on the spot if you wanted to. The program offered all sorts of things, including small appliances if I remember correctly.

Green Stamps. Follow this link to learn more about the old Green Stamps program.
The article says that the reason the old Green Stamps program worked is that more people were given Green Stamps than actually turned them in. Apparently, this is what retailers who offer rebates count always on, even today. They depend on there being a lot of customers who will never bother to redeem the rebates. However, in my memory, it seems to me that lots of women actually turned the Green Stamps in, and, by dong so, obtained nice little items for their home. I know that both my mother and my mother-in-law did, at any rate.

My mother-in-law is downsizing and is trying to find a home for an item she got through Green Stamps. So, I decided to Google the item to see if I could find out if the item had any value today or if anyone would want it.

To my surprise, my Google search turned up a home page for S& H Green Stamps. I had thought that Green Stamps were a thing of the past, but apparently, they're still around in the form of a Green Points program. (This Green in Green Stamps or Green Points has nothing to do with being environmentally "green".)

Guess what! The Green Points program is still taking the old Green Stamps. You can use the Green Stamps alone or you can combine them with the newer green points. I would imagine that there are some older women out there with completed Green Stamps booklets lying around in a drawer, so maybe they can get some use out of the old stamps.

The old Green Stamps had just about disappeared by the time I married, so I never got a chance to use them for myself. It seems to me, though, that the homemakers of my mother's generation found them to be a great value. I think this was because you were given the stamps for lots of purchases that you need to make anyway, such as gasoline, and because Green Stamps catalogs and stores were such a large program with lots of offerings. I remember picking out items with my mother and helping her save toward them.

I wonder how the new Green Points program stacks up. Is it a thrifty plan, too, or does it actually end up costing you money?

Until very recently, Betty Crocker used to have a points program, sort of like Green Stamps except that you got points only when you bought their products. I did collect Betty Crocker box top points at various times throughout twenty-seven years of marriage. However, with the exception of flatware which I didn't need, I never thought that the Betty Crocker bargains were that great. While you could actually "buy" an entire item using only Green Stamps, the Betty Crocker points generally gave you only a discount off of an item and you had to pay to make up the difference. It took a whole lot of box top points to get the best discount that BC offered for an item. And, the item was priced so high to begin with that the discount only bought it down to fair market value, in my opinion.

The catalog was enticing, though, because it offered some items you could only get through Betty Crocker. So, I started saving the points again. But, wouldn't you know? Betty shut down her program.

(Betty is a real woman who lives in a 1960's kitchen and who teaches real children how to cook. I have held on to her children's cookbook since I was ten years old, and it has quotes from her students and from Betty herself in it, so I know this is so. If you think otherwise, please do not disillusion me. Yes, Virginia, there is a Betty Crocker...)

Back to the Green Stamps and the Green Points: Hey all you thrifty readers out there, tell us what your findings have been. Have you used the new Green Points program? If so, what do you think of it? How do you think it compares to the old program? Do any of you have any memories of the old Green Stamps? Tell us about them.

Here's the link in case you want to check it out for yourself: Green stamps

Keep in mind, I have not tried this yet. So, I can't comment one way or the other about whether it's a good program or not. I'm depending on some of you thrifty experts to weigh in on this for us.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

More Thoughts on Goal Setting

1) Keep a master to-do list. You can keep this in your overall planning notebook/calendar if you have one. Or you can carry a small notebook with you throughout your day to jot down ideas. Organize this list anyway you find to be useful.

This list is where you jot down items you'd like to accomplish, but not necessarily today. For example, let's say you go to your storage area to put one item away. While there, you notice that the entire space could use a good dusting and re-organizing. But, it's not on your agenda right now, and there are other, more pressing needs at hand. Jot down, "Clean storage space" on your master list, and list all of the separate steps you'll need to do a good job. Review your master list later on, and work these steps into your future daily to-do lists. It's good to give yourself some sort of deadline so that "Clean storage space" doesn't stay on your master list forever.

What are the advantages of a master to-do list?
a. It helps you get ideas down on paper, so that you can clear your mind and you can focus on the tasks that need doing right now.
b. It's invaluable when you find yourself unable to sleep because you're excited about some project. If you toss and turn while mentally planning your project, get out of bed. Jot down your exciting ideas on your master to-do list, and let these ideas go for the night. Crawl back into bed and get a good night sleep.
c. It captures good ideas so that you don't forget about them.
d. This can serve as a tool for brainstorming. If you write down whatever comes to mind, you can take time later to evaluate your goals. For example, if in a fit of spring fever, you jot down, "Paint bedroom buttercup yellow", you have the freedom to cross that off your list if you change your mind later on.

2) Follow the Rule of Three. Since I made this rule up, I arbitrarily chose the number 3. Put in your a number of your own choosing, provided that you keep it small.

Here's the principle: If you have a lot to do, pick three things you want to accomplish. These can be little things or big, super important things or just things that could use some attention. Don't think too much about which three you choose. Then, do those three things without being side-tracked by anything else.

Once you've accomplished those three things, be thankful. Then, if you have time and strength, choose three more things and do them and so on. You'll find your momentum building, and you'll get more done than you ever thought you would.

When to use this rule:
If you're playing catch-up, say after the holidays or when a new baby is in the home or after you've been ill, this helps you whittle away at things until you start to feel more on-top of your tasks.
If you are in a situation in which you have limited time or strength, say if there's an unusual family medical emergency going on, this allows you to focus on just a few things that need doing without feeling that you must keep up with your usual schedule. If all you get done are three things, congratulate yourself.
Planning experts suggest that we prioritize our daily to-do list according to #1 most important task #2 most important task and so on. They suggest that you work down the list so that you get the most important things done. In that way, whatever you don't get done will be of low priority, and you can either decide not to do it at all or to move it to the next day's to do list. This is a fantastic time management principle. However, some of us have days when it seems to us that everything on our to do list is a #1, and we have trouble putting our tasks in order of most important to least important. In that case, following the rule of 3 helps you at least get started. Generally, by the time you've gone through a few cycles of accomplishing 3 tasks, the priorities for your day will come into sharper focus. At that point, you can switch to the traditional prioritized to-do list.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Definitions and interesting thoughts...

Have you ever thought about just how the world -- U.S. culture in particular -- defines the role of women and their relationship to the home? It seems to me that this has become a struggle in recent years.

In a 2003 article in the Atlantic Monthly, entitled "Housewife Confidential", Caitlan Flanagan made this intriguing observation:

I pore over descriptions of ironing and kitchen routines; I have never made a solution composed of one part bleach and nine parts warm water, but the idea of such a solution and its many practical uses—wiping down an emptied refrigerator once a month, sanitizing a kitchen sink—commands my riveted attention. The notion of a domestic life that purrs along, with routines and order and carefully delineated standards, is endlessly appealing to me. It is also quite foreign, because I am not a housewife. I am an "at-home mother," and the difference between the two is vast.

Consider the etymology. When a woman described herself as a "housewife," she was defining herself primarily through her relationship to her house and her husband. That children came along with the deal was simply assumed, the way that airing rooms and occasionally cooking for invalids came along with the deal. When a housewife subjected herself and her work to a bit of brutally honest examination, she may have begun by assessing how well she was doing with the children, but she may just as well have begun by contemplating the nature and quality of her housework. If it had been suggested to her that she spend the long, delicate hours between three and six o'clock squiring her children to the array of enhancing activities pursued by the modern child, she would have laughed. Who would stay home to get dinner on? More to the point, why had she chosen a house so close to a playground if the children weren't going to get out of her hair and play in it? The kind of childhood that many of us remember so fondly—with hours of free time, and gangs of neighborhood kids meeting up after school—was possible partly because each block contained houses in which women were busy but close by, all too willing to push open a window and yell at the neighbor boy to get his bike out of the street.

But an at-home mother feels little obligation to the house itself; in fact, she is keenly aware that the house can be a vehicle of oppression. She is "at home" only because that is where her children happen to be. She does not define herself through her housekeeping; if she is in any way solvent (and many at-home mothers are), she has, at the very least, a once-a-month cleaning woman to do the most onerous tasks...

The at-home mother defines herself by her relationship to her children. She is making sacrifices on their behalf, giving up a career to give them something only she can. Her No. 1 complaint concerns the issue of respect: She demands it! Can't get enough of it! She isn't like a fifties housewife: ironing curtains, shampooing the carpets, stuck. She knows all about those women. She has seen Pleasantville and watched Leave It to Beaver; she's made more June Cleaver jokes than she can count. (In fact, June Cleaver—a character on a television show that went off the air in 1963—looms over her to a surprising extent, a sickening, terrifying specter: Is that how people think I spend my time?)

Hmm. Is there a gap in how the at-home woman of the fifites, sixties, and seventies defined her role and how at-home women describe their role today? I hadn't thought of it exactly in those terms. After all, as a baby boomer who was reared by a sixties and seventies housewife in an area filled with sixties and seventies housewives, I can attest that my peers and I received a generous amount of parental attention.

However, I do think that our mothers saw homemaking as being more than mothering. They put heart and intelligence into all aspects of marriage and home. The majority were at home before children arrived. The majority also did not view their work as being over simply because children matured and left home. As I've mentioned before, when I first got married, empty nest homemakers contributed much to church and neighborhood.

On the other hand, I think that a good many women of my mother's generation initiated the charge out of the home as soon as the last baby chick had left the nest. I think it was also in that generation that the former view of home management as a noble profession began to change. A few notable women of that era publicly argued that homemaking is limiting to women, and it took a surprisingly short time for that idea to take hold of "modern" thinking.

Now, many twenty-and-thirty something women are reversing the trend. Many question the idea that the only way a woman can define herself meaningfully is through a paycheck. So, quite a few are choosing to be in the home. Some want to be at home only as long as their children are younger than school age; others plan to be at home as a lifetime career.

I think that in a culture in which women almost have to apologize for making homemaking their career, having children at home is the most "acceptable defense". So, perhaps, today's women at home do define themselves more as being an "at-home" mom, rather than as keeper of the household. On the positive side, it's great that so many younger women are meeting their children's needs for a full-time mother.

However, I suppose that subtle terminology of "at home mom" could affect a woman's way of thinking. What if a woman sees her main purpose for being a keeper at home in terms of her baby? Will that lead her to neglect her marriage in favor of parenting? Possibly. If so, that's neither healthy for her husband, for her, or for her children. Children really do flourish best when Mom and Dad maintain their marriage as a high priority. Defining one's role in the home simply in terms of raising children also sets a woman up for depression once her nest empties. Plus, she may cling to her children too much, refusing to let them grow up and leave and cleave as they should.

By contrast, the Proverbs 31 woman conducted all of her activities either within the home or with the home as her base of operations, and she had a full life. You could even argue that she came to full fruition in her middle years. After all, her husband was old enough to be an elder in the land, and her children were old enough to rise up and call her blessed.

Today, many operate home businesses in order to have more flexible time for the family. In some cases, this supplements the income so that the wife can be in the home. In other cases, it allows a business-minded woman an outlet for her talents. Perhaps, as with having small children in the home, it also provides an at-home woman with a defense against critics who question, "Just exactly what do you do all day?"

The Proverbs 31 woman lived, as most women throughout history have lived, in an agrarian society. In a farm-based economy, women are needed in the home, but they also have venues for conducting some commercial business -- such as selling produce or handwork or working alongside their husband in a small-town business.

The unfairly negative stereotype of the American housewife, however, is based on upper middle-class suburban lives from about 1945 to about the 1980's. Or, at least it's based on our culture's perception of that lifestyle. It's ironic that becoming an increasingly high-tech society, which enables more business to be conducted via the personal computer and the Internet, has put us back in a position where a woman can be in the home and engage in some enterprise, as well.

For the woman who can manage it, an at-home business can be a boon; for the woman who feels pressured into it to justify her role at home, a home business can backfire.

It's been my observation that working outside of the home full-time is no guarantee that a woman will escape the trials ascribed to the homemaker or at-home mother. Likewise, though it is my personal opinion that a married woman does best to regard home management as her primary career, I can see that merely being in the home doesn't guarantee a woman fulfillment. In order for her to be happy, her heart must also be there.

No matter what her situation, any woman can become discontent with her lot. Any woman can struggle when her children grow up and leave home. Any woman can feel like her talents are being underutilized or under-appreciated. Any woman who hits the middle years can question the choices she made earlier in life.

So, if we do take on the worthy vocation of being full time keepers of our home, it's good to define why we are doing so and what we, along with our husbands, see as our purpose for being in the home. If we have a clear purpose in mind, we are more likely to see our work at home as fulfilling. And, we will continue to grow through the years, rather than to stagnate as critics claim homemakers do.

If you want to do some extra reading about how our culture sees the woman at home, see Homemaker on Wickipedia. (I enjoy Wickipedia, but I keep in mind that it's written by volunteer contributers and that is, perhaps, not as carefully researched as a true encyclopedia is.)

What about you? What term do you use to define your role at home? Do you see yourself as an at-home mommy or as a manager of your household? Do you think it makes a difference?

If you do some type of paid work in addition to your role at home, do you see yourself primarily as a working woman who also has a domestic life or primarily as a home manager who also happens to have a paid job or business? Do you think that makes a difference, as well?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Setting Goals and Making Resolutions -- Part II:

3) In the last post, I mentioned that the more specific a resolution is, the more likely you are to keep it. This is where goal setting comes in. A true goal is measurable, according to homemaking expert, Emile Barnes. It involves a specific action, and it has a time-frame. For example, let's say that I have resolved to get in better shape. A measurable goal would be to do 50 crunches a day, five days a week, until March 1. Or, I could set a goal of losing ten pounds by March 1 through a combination of diet and exercise. Whatever I choose, I need to be able to look back on my goal date and see how I'm doing.

Though we don't want to be overly methodical when it comes to relationships, setting measurable relationship goals helps us love others. For example, let's say that I want to be a more loving wife to my husband. That involves finding out what my husband's current needs are and thinking about how I might meet them. Then, I can set a specific goal. I could decide, for example, that I will ask him every Monday morning for a month if he would like me to run any errands for him, and I could fit these errand's into my week's schedule. Or, I could determine that I will prepare a candlelight dinner for just the two of us some time before the end of January.

Some resolutions may not lend themselves to being broken down into specific goals, but most do. Since goals are concrete, measurable steps toward a larger end, they can be the nuts and bolts of our resolution process.

4) No discussion of resolutions and goals is complete without talking about repentance. Making resolutions and setting goals are wonderful tools. Sometimes, however, we try to resolve ourselves out of situations where what we really need to do is to repent. If the issue involves putting away a sin and attaining to a righteous quality, repentance is called for.

The original Greek word in the Bible for repentance is metanoia, which means a total transformation of our mindset. (Meta means transformation, as in metamorphosis, and noia means mindset, as in paranoia). Metanoia follows being cut to the heart about our sinfulness before a holy God, and it involves our faith in the forgiveness offered through Christ. It is a change of mindset in which we urgently turn from sin and turn whole-heartedly toward the Lord. Repentance may be triggered by godly sorrow, but it does not end there. It ends in joy!

Some scriptures that help us understand repentance are Acts 2:36-47, Acts 3:19-21, I Timothy 1:19-21, II Corinthians 7:1-16, Matthew 3:8, and Luke 3:10-14.

Why is repentance important in a discussion about resolutions and goals? Well, here's an example. Every January, nearly everyone in the U.S. sets a goal to lose weight and get in shape. The question is, are we motivated by faith in the Lord, or out of selfish reasons ?* Are we relying on God's strength to help us change, or are we trying to gut it out (no pun intended) on our own determination? Most of all, are we confronting any underlying sins that might contribute to being overweight and out of shape -- such as gluttony or laziness -- and are we replacing sins with godly fruit -- such as self-control?

People can achieve a lot through determination. But, without godly repentance, whatever changes we make won't bear lasting fruit. As in our example of getting in shape, I have known people who have gone from flab to extremely fit, but in such as way that diet and exercise and even eating disorders have become their consuming idols.

It's interesting to study the topic of repentance in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. It's also helpful to note how many times in the Bible that this pattern is laid out for us: a) Remember our Lord and Savior b) put off the things in our life that are ungodly and c) put on the qualities that are like Christ.

When we are turning away from a sin and putting on righteousness, we may make useful goals and resolutions to help us carry out our repentance. However, these work only if we have first changed our hearts and if we are acting in faith.

5) That brings us to the next and final point: Understanding our ultimate priority. If we truly belong to the Lord, we derive our goals and our resolutions from him. Jesus gives us a guiding principle here: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33.

God is a loving father who wants our plans to succeed. Proverbs 16:33. However, he sees the big picture. Sometimes, we plan something and we want to see it come into action a certain way. However, God may know that it's better for it to happen another way. In setting goals and resolutions, we must stay flexible to the Lord's will, whether it's his direct will or if it's circumstances that he allows to come into our lives.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

*We do look forward to the personal benefits of accomplishing goals like losing weight, and I think that's perfectly OK. God wants us to enjoy the blessings that come with achieving goals and from making wholesome changes in our lives. However, my point is that true repentance arises out of respect for the Lord.

How to Set Goals and Make Resolutions, Part I:

It's a new year, and many of us are drawing up resolutions for things we'd like either to accomplish or to change during 2008. January is a great time to make a fresh start, and I think that's why we always look forward to the first month of the year.

However, for those of us who are keepers at home, goal-setting is a daily part of our lives. Managing a home -- indeed managing anything -- requires us to assess where things are at any given moment and to decide where we want to go from here. Even when jotting down a daily to-do list, we are making resolutions for that day.

For some of us, making and keeping goals is easy. Others of us have trouble. We either struggle with bringing our goals into clear focus, or we lack the follow through to accomplish them once we've set them.

I suppose that my biggest bugaboo when setting goals is to make too many at one time. It's better to concentrate on a few things until you've accomplished them, and then to move on to the next thing.

A good place to begin is to define goal-setting terms. Many times, if we are not effective in reaching goals, it's because we don't know how to state them clearly in our minds. Here's where it helps to go over some basic concepts. We'll tackle three in this article and two in the next:

1) The first building blocks of resolution and goal setting are conviction and principle. Dictionary.com defines conviction as a fixed or firm belief. Regarding principle, it offers these definitions: an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived; a fundamental doctrine; a personal or specific basis of conduct or management ; guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.

What are your convictions and principles? Spend some time thinking and praying about this from time to time. Your life will be more effective and satisfying if your resolutions and goals flow from and are in harmony with your convictions.

Having crystal clear convictions also helps us set priorities for our goals and resolutions. Sometimes, we have to make a choice between greater goals and lesser ones, and it's important to know which is which.

Clear convictions also help us make wise decisions on the spot. Planning is an essential tool in life, but much of life happens outside of our plans. In such moments, we need to have firm convictions and firm principles to guide us. An example of this is the time that Martha became fretful in her worthy efforts to serve Jesus, while Mary sat peacefully at Jesus' feet. Mary understood that time listening to the Savior was more important at that moment than the meal, and she made the better choice.

2) Next in our list of definitions is resolution. Dictionary.com helps us out here again: A resolution is a resolve or a determination, to make a firm resolution to do something; the act of resolving or determining upon an action or a course of action, method, procedure, etc.

Resolution can be closely intertwined with conviction and principle. Our convictions and principles motivate us to determine certain courses of action.

The more specific a resolution is, the more likely we are to achieve it. For example, I may resolve to organize my household this year. That's a good resolution, but it needs some fine tuning: Exactly what is it that I need to organize? My time? My closets? My craft area? What course of action, method, or procedure will I follow in order to achieve my resolution?

Tune in to part II!

Enjoy!
elizabeth

Don't forget to vote for your favorite 60's style inspiration....


Wouldn't it be great if we could reinterpret some fifties/sixties classic and feminine fashions for our day?

I do think there is something wrong my mirror, though. I'm sure that I am a dead ringer for Audrey, Grace, Doris, or June Cleaver. However, the image that stares back at me is definitely Aunt Bea. And, I can't seem to find the "Change the Channel" button on the mirror to tune into the right image.

At any rate, I did vote for Audrey and Barbara (June). Though I didn't vote for Aunt Bea, I do have a soft spot in my heart for this lady, with her cheerful and kind domestic ways, her apron and her strand of pearls, and her neat appearance. May we all age so well! Being from the South, I can relate to Mayberry. The characters may be fictional, but we've all met them in real life. Those Mayberry folks are just like my peeps!

Who did you vote for and why?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth.

More Products to Consider -- Share, Share, Share your Experience!

Happy New Year, Everyone!! DH and I just got home from a party, and we're checking email before ringing in 2008 together.

In the comments section of my earlier post, Porkchop's Mommy, http://cmswanson.blogspot.com
suggests a line of natural products -- Holy Cow -- that she found at Wal-Mart. She included the link to their home page. Apparently, the Wal-Mart prices are lower than what is listed on the home page. Read her comment for more information.

I haven't tried these, myself, but they sound interesting, and I thought I'd throw them out there for discussion. I'd love to get a bottle in this line and compare the ingredients, price, and effectiveness against the Chlorox Green Works.

Thanks, Porkchop's Mommy, for telling me about this line.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

My verdict's in, but I still want to hear from other users of Chlorox Green Works...(See previous post)

Tonight, I wiped down my upstairs bathrooms with the Chlorox Green Works All-Purpose Cleaner, and earlier this day, I used it in the first floor powder room.

Here's my first impression:

PROS: Wonderful fresh and safe all-purpose cleanser.
Fantastic for areas such as kitchens, bathrooms.
All natural plant-based products.
Scent is fresh without bothering my asthma or respiratory allergies at all. Sometimes, other products -- even "natural" ones -- do bother my lungs, so this is a big plus for me.

CON: Great for tidying up areas that are basically well maintained, but I think you need
a stronger product to tackle stains or mold or some other tough project. Of course,
all-purpose cleaners aren't meant for deep cleaning, anyway, so that might not be an issue. Even so, I think that there are some other all-purpose products on the market that would outperform
the Green Works cleaner when it comes to stubborn cleaning problems.

CONCLUSION: This will definitely become a part of my cleaning arsenal, provided that it stays in a price range that doesn't bust my budget.

READ ALL ABOUT IT: http://tinyurl.com/2p7d77

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Trying a new product by Chlorox...

I don't know if I'm the last person in the U.S. to come across Chlorox's new line of "green" cleaners, or not. Yesterday, however, when I ran to our local Neighborhood Wal-Mart Market for a few items, I saw Chlorox Green Works products on a display that was separated from the rest of the cleaning products. Of course, displaying a line of products in this way is marketing ploy to inspire you to pick up an item without going back to compare it against other lines. It's also a way of calling attention to a new line of products.

Well, yesterday, the marketing ploy worked for me! I was intrigued by the idea of Chlorox offering green products, and I decided to give their line a try.

I bought the all-purpose cleaner, though there are a number of other offerings in the Chlorox Green Work's products. It cost me about $2.98 for a 32 fluid ounce bottle. The label claims the product is natural and all-purpose.

The ingredients listed on the bottle are largely plant based, and the spray has a wonderful nice clean smell. I did a quick little clean-up, and it worked fine. However, I haven't used it enough yet to know how it will hold up long-term on tough germs and dirt. But, if it works, I may end up liking this line of products even better than Mrs. Greenday's. I think it will be a less expensive option than Mrs. Greenday's, too.

I don't always buy green cleaners. One reason is that they can be pricey, though that is not always so. Another reason is that I've researched the issue and have found (to my surprise) that some regular, traditional cleaning agents -- such as bleach -- aren't so bad for our health and the environment -- provided that you don't overuse them and you do follow the directions.

So, I treat myself to certain "green" cleaners, but I don't use them exclusively. However, if given the option of buying safe "green" products at reasonably competitive prices, that might change my buying habits.

Have you ever used Chlorox Green Works products? If so, how do they work for you? How are they priced in your area?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Gift Cards


Speaking of gift cards (See the previous post), I guess we've all heard by now that Consumer Reports suggests that gift cards do not make the best presents. The thinking is that many people never use their gift cards. Businesses actually count on selling far more gift cards than are actually redeemed. From the consumer's point of view, that's like walking into an establishment and handing money over for the fun of it, without receiving anything in return.

One other thing to consider with gift cards is that they must be chosen carefully, with the recipient's needs and likes in mind. Otherwise, a gift card can seem like an impersonal gift. The recipient may get the feeling that you just popped into one of those gift card kiosks and grabbed something, rather than taking the time to choose something especially for them.

Now, in our household, we do appreciate and use gift cards. This is especially true now that our children are grown, and we're long past the days of "Toys R Us".

Besides, dear hubby's and my personal budget and our children's budgets are such that any of us can always use a gift card. It would be foolish and ungrateful of us to toss one aside and never claim it.

We also have some elderly members of our family. They don't have much as much shopping stamina as they used to. and they aren't always up on things that teens and twenty-somethings like. We find that gift cards are an easy way for them to give something to the younger generations in our family.

Having said that, dear hubby's birthday is in January, and so we often end up with some larger Christmas gift cards and several birthday gift cards for smaller items at places we love -- such as Starbuck's or Cracker Barrel. We've found that we can forget the smaller cards, even though they are generally to some place that we greatly enjoy.

My husband figured out that we are better at redeeming these cards if we stick them in our wallets as if they were credit cards. That way, we always have them with us when we pop into one of our favorite establishment. At the cash register, we see the gift cards in our wallets, and we use them.

I know that some of our friends and extended family enjoy receiving gift cards, just as we do. Since I have a pretty good handle (I think) on the gift cards that our nearest and dearest would enjoy, I do sometimes give them as Christmas, birthday, baby, or wedding gifts.

So, I'm pretty much in favor of gift cards having their place in giving to our friends and family. If chosen thoughtfully, they can make some of the most useful presents. Still, I think it's wise to keep Consumer Reports' advice in mind. Before giving a gift card, we need to be sure that the recipient will actually enjoy and use the card.

What do you think? Do you like to receive and/or give gift cards or not?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Don't worry...I didn't buy these!

This photo is of a Marc Jacobs spring 2008 shoe. I'm not sure if it's intended for anyone to actually wear, or if it was designed to be an attention-catching item at fashion week.

At any rate, it's a good thing that I'm no super model. If I had been handed that shoe to wear down a runway, I'd have spent forty-five minutes back stage just figuring out how to put my foot in it. And, if I had managed to get it on, I'm sure I'd have taken only a few wobbly steps forward before tumbling into the audience.

I'm too old-fashioned to be a true fashionista, I guess. I like the heels of my shoes to be at the...well...where the heel of the shoe is supposed to go.

But, each to his own taste, and there may be some graceful readers who really love the shoe and who would find it easier to get around in than I would.

I did, however, go shoe shopping with my Christmas gift card last night, and I found some great deals. I brought home some forest green suede AK Anne Klein pumps with kitten heels, Naturalizer wine colored ballerina flats with matching grosgrain ribbon, ivory ballet flats with a black toe and little black ribbon, and a wine colored leather bag. I got these items for great prices, and I still have money left over on my gift card.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Five Fun Fashion Links.

I received a gift card, which I want to use to buy some investment shoes -- the type that I will keep for some time and use often. So, I figured I'd better check out the fashion scene, as I do want to at least look like I know what decade it is. :)

Here are a few fun fashion links that I found. (Please note that just because I link to a certain article, that does not mean that I endorse the whole blog):

1) Here's some great information about trends for 2008. I had to laugh, though, at one article that showed jewelry for "real people". I don't know any "real" people who would wear the chin- to-collar-bone bronze necklace in the accompanying illustration.

http://www.fashiontrendsetter.com/content/style_notes.html

2) The Budget Fashionista weighs in on the colors that will be popular in 2008. It looks like there will be two color groups to choose from this year: bold, jewel type colors and pastels. If you have vibrant or dark skin tones, you may do well in the bolder colors. With my light coloring, I'll be looking to the pastels. If you don't look your best in either of these groups, don't despair. There will be something out there for you, if you keep looking. For those of you who do a lot of thrift shopping, using 2008's colors as a guide can help you pick selections that will look fresh and up to date.

http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/spring_2008_color_forecast/

3) Here's a blogger who's compared several styles of shoes at four different price points each. Whether or not these price points fit into your budget, it does illustrate how you can re-create a look at different price levels.

http://preppychicblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/basics-shoes.html

4) Dress fans and vintage fans will love this one:

http://dressaday.com/dressaday.html

5) The top ten fashion must-haves for 2008, otherwise known as ten reasons why I will choose classic style over fashion fads this year. (They're bringing back the tent dress! Don't tell me that it come to that!)

Oh well, at least, at least it looks like American women's passion for wearing low jeans with too short tops is finally over. We have to be thankful for small things.

http://talkfashiontome.blogspot.com/2007/12/tuesday-talk-must-haves.html

Once again, let's run through the definitions of style, trend, and fad. It always helps me to keep them in mind.

Style (at least in the Merry Rose dictionary): a woman's personal fashion stamp. While our style does evolve somewhat as we mature, our basic style generally stays with us for life. Some examples of personal styles are classic, traditional, romantic, artsy, sporty, crisp, soft, etc. Also, the colors that flatter your complexion the most will likely become part of your personal style. You'll also gravitate towards fashions that flatter your body shape, though this is harder during some fashion cycles than others.

Trend: a fashion silhouette that lasts anywhere from five to ten years or so -- usually ten years.
The trend has to do with how garments are cut, and it affects hair and makeup as well. For example, are jackets basically longer or shorter? Are skirts A-line, tulip shaped, pleated, or sleek? Are shoulders padded and broad or are they more natural? Are hairstyles "big" or are they sleek? Is jewelry bold or dainty? Does makeup emphasize the eyes or the lips?

Fads: a fashion offering that lasts about a season or maybe even a year. Seldom will a fad last more than two years.

Fads are seldom worth chasing. On the other hand, taking note of both your personal style and the season's current fashion trend will help you dress in a way that is up-to-date and approachable.

Sometimes, we over-thirty ladies get stuck in old fashion trends so long that we start looking dowdy. It's easy to do for reasons that range anywhere from having a tight clothing budget, to being too busy with life to notice changes in fashion trends, to feeling comfortable in what made us look good when we were younger, to thinking older styles are more modest, etc. Younger women can be put off if we look too out of touch. They can think we look unapproachable and as if we don't have anything relevant to say to their lives. Of course, we don't want to dress like teenagers. And, mature-minded younger women will look past our outward appearance to our character. But, keeping within the current fashion trend is one tool can help us to inspire a greater number of younger women, particularly if we lead the way in wearing current trends modestly. Our husbands also enjoy it when we put in the time to keep a fresh appearance.

Remember, there is nearly always a way to interpret current fashion trends in a way that preservers your modesty, your femininity, your dignity, and your age-appropriateness -- not to mention your personal style. You just have to be creative about it.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Sam Walton and Homemaking?...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, as we did. The day after Christmas, I always get the urge to spring clean -- a tad early, I know. I'm slowed down this year, as I contracted a bad cold. And, happily, there are even more family festivities to come.

Last night, when I was searching for some little bit of a Christmas movie to watch, I saw a few minutes of an article about Sam Walton. For good or for ill, he turned Wal-Mart into the empire it is today.

Here's the little snippet about Sam Walton that interested me. He once begged the head of a council of businesses to let him have ten minutes of the man's time. The head of the business council reluctantly agreed to see Sam -- for those ten minutes only, as he was squeezing Sam into a very busy day. He ended up being so mesmerized by Sam that he was still talking to him two hours later.

The council head, who is still alive, commented that he realized that Sam would do something "great". The reason he cited was that Sam always looked for people who had some expertise, and he learned everything from that person that he could. He was more interested in finding out what somebody else knew than in expounding his own opinions.

He carried this over to the "associates" (clerks) in his Wal-Mart stores. He believed that they had the best pulse on how to make Wal-Mart the best company it could be. So, whenever he traveled to a store, he spent lots of times talking to them. As the associates dealt directly with the customers, their input usually was right on target, and his willingness to listen to them was part of Wal-Mart's early success.

Sam's goal was to improve just one thing a day in his life, mostly regarding his business.

So, how does this apply to homemaking?

Well, the home keeper is vice-president and manager of a mini-economy. If we continue to look at our home management as an evolving, growing process in which we are continually improving, we will mature in our role. That means talking to women we see doing things well in the home, learning from them, and putting at least one thing from their example into practice. It also means talking to the people who actually live in our home -- our husbands and children, for example -- to make sure that we are really meeting their needs.

Of course, being a keeper at home is not a self-improvement project. There are times to just enjoy our families. Plus, we have to depend on the Lord to mold us and shape us in our role, as we need his help in everything.

Still, following Sam's example with regard to our homes can help us greatly improve as keepers of our home.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Christmas Fun and Progress on my House Sprucing to Boot!

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I'm on a campaign to do the little extras that need doing to make our house clean and well-cared for. I had put that aside for the holidays. However, yesterday was warm, so I seized the day and spent an hour or two, puttering about yard and neatening things up.

This afternoon, our son arrived for the holidays, bringing a cat and a bonsai tree. In a few hours, our daughter and her husband will be here, and they will be bringing a dog. Tomorrow, my dad is coming to stay with us for a few days. That, plus dear hubby and I and our own cat makes for a full and happy house! Well, at least the people will be merry. I can't speak for our kitten, who is being a pet hostess for the first time. I think we have little work to do on her feline hospitality. :)

Christmas arrangement: If I get around to it, I'll take a picture of my stab at a creative Christmas arrangement. First, I draped a Christmas lace mantle cover over the antique dresser in our entryway. Then, I placed the larger of two silver bowls on the lace. I turned a little glass bowl upside down and placed the smaller silver bowl on it.

I got the idea of using the upside down glass bowl as a stand for the smaller bowl from the blog Like Merchant Ships.

Then, I placed silver-looking ornaments in both bowls, enough to make both bowls look full and to hide the upside-down glass bowl. I had plenty on hand, because I hung them from the chandelier over my dining room table last year.

Finally, I added little bits of Christmas tree branches that my husband had trimmed off to make the tree work in our living room. I can't decide if I like the arrangement better with or without the little bits of Christmas greenery, but I've decided to keep the greenery, anyway.

My original idea was to do a centerpiece of lemons and herb sprigs in a white pedestal bowl, loosely modeled after an example I saw of a holiday table setting in Southern Living. I put one together, and I thought it looked very pretty and fresh and cheerful. The only problem was that, on my table with my other decorations, it didn't look very Christmas-y. So, I took it apart. I'll do another one later on in the winter or in the spring.

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving, by virtue of its name and history, is a time when we all remember to be more grateful -- or, at least that's the idea.

It's important to keep this thankful focus throughout the holiday season. Of course, for the person who walks with the Lord, gratitude should be a 365 day of the year way of life. In some ways, this is even easier during December and early January, because this time offers so many opportunities to experience joy.

On the other hand, the holidays can be a trying time. For me, the temptation is to fret about how much I have to do and about unexpected family needs that keep popping up, despite my efforts to keep things running on schedule. You'd think I'd remember that God has always been gracious to me and I that He always works things out. In twenty-seven years of Christmases together, dear hubby and I have never had a holiday ruined because of something on my to-do list that didn't get done.

Without realizing it, I've been following one of Mrs. Fussypant's sure-fire suggestion for making yourself (and others) miserable: constantly remind people about how overloaded your schedule is. What do you know? It works. But, who needs misery? It's time to repent.

For other people, holiday stress may come from missing loved ones who cannot be home for the holidays, not being able to go home yourself, dealing with old family hurts that need to be healed, wondering how to work out holiday plans to please both sets of in-laws, or loneliness that seems all the more hurtful because everyone else is surrounded by family and friends.

Even secular psychologists recognize the value of taking a few minutes each day to be grateful. Last year at this time, an expert advised people who were feeling holiday stress to spend two minutes a day reflecting on the good things in their life.

Because God knows our nature and the nature of our temptations, his word if full of commands to praise Him, to rejoice, to be thankful, and to fix our thoughts on him. If we thank and praise God only when things are going well, then we are really praising our circumstances and not the Lord's essential glory. God is God, whether whether our current lot is easy or tough. He is worthy of our praise no matter what is happening in our lives. If we learn to praise him consistently, we will be training our minds to focus on him, instead of letting our thoughts just drift along on the winds of life. He promises that if we keep our minds stayed on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace.

This post came about because I noticed my neglected gratitude journal lying on my desk. Now, my journal is not the only venue that I use for thanking and praising God. However, there is something about the act of writing a gratitude list that cements it in my mind. So, for the next few weeks, I'm going to take it up again.

Singing is another great way to express our gratitude. And, what better time is there to sing than at Christmas? Don't we all want to be the wife and mother who hums or sings as she goes about her day, filling the house with music rather than whining. To this day, I remember the way my mother often sang when she performed some little task, such as washing the dishes. A woman's songs can have a powerful impact on the mood of her family.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

It's not pretty, but it worked!...

I needed some unleavened bread in a hurry for a communion service for a small group. I had intended to buy unleavened crackers, but couldn't find any in the store. So, I looked up recipes for unleavened bread, and I found this one on Recipes.com.

The recipe was so quick and easy to make. I wasn't sure from the directions how thick to make the loaf. The recipe just said shape in a round loaf. So, I patted it down just a bit to be on the flattish side. It came out looking a little funny, but it did bake well.

Actually, the unleavened bread tasted pretty good, though that was not the purpose. I might even prepare this recipe some time just to enjoy.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

More on Detoxing the House:

Alas, air fresheners are on the doctors' list of things to avoid if you don't want to sneeze, wheeze, or otherwise pollute your airways. Apparently they contain certain gaseous chemicals, which are not the best for us to breathe.

Walk down any cleaning aisle of any grocery store, and you will certainly find an array of alluring air freshening products. I can't imagine that every single one of these many products would be harmful, but, given the docs' advice, it would be good to do your research before purchasing one.

I read in the real estate section of a our local paper some years ago that one reason air fresheners are so popular now is that people of today spend less time cleaning than our counterparts of fifty years or so ago. So, today's manufacturers oblige us by creating new ways to cover up smells that Grandma would have just cleaned away.

That's probably true. But, if you go back even further in time, people used natural fresheners -- flowers, potpourris, and such -- to cover up odors in dirty city environments. Those cities of yore would make even today's worst slob shudder. This was before personal and collective hygiene was properly understood and before items like soap were readily available to the masses.

Of course, potpourris and other natural scents have become popular again today. Next to cleaning, they're probably our best bet in the war against odors.

Also, with scented candles, air fresheners, potpourris, and the like, allergies can be a factor here. One woman's favorite scented product is another woman's trigger to sneeze.

Another item to avoid are those blue blocks of cleanser that you place and leave in the toilet. They, too, produce chemicals that aren't the best. It's better to clean keep toilets clean with some other cleanser and a little elbow grease than to rely on the blue stuff.

I love those new scented candles that have the wooden wicks. The wicks crackle as they burn , and if you listen closely, you will hear a faint sound like that of wood popping in a fireplace. In light of the doc's information, though, it's probably wise to check out the chemicals even in scented candles. Many candles use "natural" ingredients. But, some do seem to have a heavy odor and may give off irritants.

What's your favorite body-friendly, environment-friendly air freshener?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Favorite Quote for Christmas:

From a Christmas Carol --

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him."

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

De-Toxing the House...De-Tox your Heart

A good de-toxing of the house begins with de-toxing our hearts and minds.

We are alert to the toxins outside of ourselves, such as germs and harmful chemicals. If someone offered any one of us a glass of water with just one teeny, tiny drop of poison in it, we'd shrink back in horror.

But, how easy it is to accept just a teeny tiny amount of sin. Sometimes, we do this without even realizing how damaging this will be to our relationship with God. We also don't foresee the hurt it can cause to our relationships with family and other, our own souls, and our physical health as well. We allow seeds of worry, bitterness, gossip, doubt, lack of trust, discontent, envy, irritability, lust, and unforgiveness to take root in our hearts.

At first, we are scarcely bothered by these seeds, but if we nourish these seeds to maturity, we reap a bitter harvest. If we sow to please the Spirit, however, the harvest will be sweet.

Keeping the air, water, and food in our homes clean is vital to our family's physical health. Moreover, we should we try to be faithful stewards of the good earth that God has given us. There's no doubt about that.

However, the wise woman keeps this in perspective, for she knows that spiritual and emotional purity is even more important than environmental purity. Right now, our culture places a premium on creating and following rules to eliminate physical toxins from our environment, as well as putting great emphasis on eating or not eating certain foods. Paradoxically, we regard striving for purity of heart and soul as being old-fashioned, irrelevant, or even restricting.

We can all get swept along in our culture's mindset to some degree. It's always easier to focus on some outer threat than it is to deal with the condition of our hearts. Yet, it's only when we get our priorities right with the Lord that we find true life and peace. Saving the environment and keeping our homes clean will do some real good for a finite period of time. Godliness, however, has value for eternity.

This sort of reminds me of Jesus words when the Pharisees got on him for not observing their tradition of ceremonial handwashings:

"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean."

There's a saying that helps me with this: If you bump a cup filled with pure and sweet water, only pure and sweet water can spill out. God often shows me by how I react to the little "bumps" in my life whether I've allowed the Lord to fill my heart and my mind with pure and sweet things or if I've been filling them with things that are bitter and impure. If the first words out of my mouth are testy, I can always trace my irritation back to negative thoughts that I've been nursing at the back of my mind.

Similarly, if I've been focusing on the bitter, all the house cleaning in the world won't soothe my soul. If I've been focusing on the sweet, then whatever I turn my hand to flows from better motives and is more satisfying.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Addendum to question in prior post...Otherwise known as, "What's up with that?"

In my post below, I asked for your input about how you work safe household products into a thifty budget.

Here's a pondering for you...

Perfumes and dyes in detergents aren't the best for my respiratory allergies or for my dear hubby's skin. For years, I have used an unscented, natural, very economical laundry detergent. The detergent is made with a certain natural ingredient that is a skin-soothing laundry freshener.

Recently, this company that makes my favorite brand of laundry detergent has started marketing several variations of their product, each one with a different type of added bleach and/or a different scent with an enticing name.

Of course, the company charges a little bit more for these new variations of their detergent. I can understand that. After all, it does cost them something to ADD to a product.

However, in light of our needs, I continued to look for the good old original detergent -- without fancy scents or other new additives. In my way of thinking, adding other ingredients to this detergent takes away from the fact that it already has a very natural laundry freshener added to it. "Why mess with nature's cleaning agent?" I ask.

On my last excursion down the laundry aisle of my local market, I stared and stared at this company's display, looking vainly for the same detergent that I've always bought. Finally, I realized that the original detergent is now marketed as the company's special "unscented" detergent. And, suddenly, this "unscented" detergent costs more than it used to!

I suppose some marketing person is thinking, "This detergent is great because it has no irritating additives! Shouldn't the consumer be willing to pay for something so wonderful?"

Huh?! This "unscented" detergent is just the company's basic product, before scents and bleaches are added. It doesn't cost them any extra to market it as is, without adding anything to it.

I suppose this was just the company's way of raising the price on their entire line of laundry detergents, including their original formulation. I suppose it was time for them to charge a little more, as their prices had hovered about the same low point for a long time.

Even so, I miss my good old ordinary, additive free, natural, lower-priced detergent.

Hmm...

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

De-Tox the House: The Kitchen

1) Within reason, avoid consuming too much aluminum -- Did you know that the brains of Alzheimer's patients contain more aluminum than is normal. Scientists and doctors have gone back and forth about whether this is a cause or an effect of the disease. In other words, do people contract Alzheimer's disease at least, in part, becuase they have consumed too much aluminium over a life time? Or, does the disease itself cause the body to build abnormal aluminum deposits in the brain?

When the link between Alzheimer's disease and aluminum was first recognized, experts naturally urged people to limit their exposure to aluminum ingestion. Later on, the consensus changed. Doctors decided that avoiding aluminum had little real benefit in stopping someone from developing Alzheimer's disease.

A book I'm reading on aging, written by Drs. Oz and Roizen, has brought back up the idea that if we want to preserve our memories -- particularly as far as Alzheimer's disease is concerned, we do need to limit our exposure to aluminum.

As a lay person, I tend to come down somewhere in the middle of this controversy: I would not use aluminum cookware. However, I haven't been too picky about other sources of aluminum. Perhaps, I should pay a little more attention to this.

What are the sources of aluminum exposure, you ask? Well, aside from cookware, you can ingest aluminum in many antacids, nondairy creamers, and canned foods. Also, experts suggest that the skin can absorb the aluminum that is found in many antiperspirants.

Drs. Oz and Roizen also recommend switching to sea salt instead of table salt, which is processed with aluminum to avoid caking. I have not yet taken that step. I might investigate this -- not just because of the aluminum, but for other reasons, as well. However, as someone who is hypo-thyroid, I'm going to do some research before I try this out. Table salt is one of the major sources of iodine in the American diet, and I don't want to fool around with my iodine levels without asking my doctor first.

2) Check your cookware. Many types of cookware deposit fine particulates in food. As mentioned in suggestion #1, there is some fear that using aluminum cookware will cause you to ingest more aluminum than is healthy for you.

Did you also know that in times past, doctors observed that people who cooked with iron cookware were less prone to anemia than those who didn't. Why? Because some ingestible iron actually deposited in the food.

In the case of iron cookware, the consumption of iron particulates has a potential benefit. I use a cast iron skillet, myself, and I also have a cast iron mold for making cornbread cakes. However, even with iron, there is such a thing as consuming too much, for excess iron can deposit itself along the walls of your arteries, constricting your blood flow. This is especially true for men and post-menopausal women. If you use cast iron on a daily basis, you're probably fine. But, be sure to have your blood levels check before you take vitamins with iron or iron supplements. It's possible that you are getting enough iron from the cooking process, and you may not need any extra.

While iron cookware might have a beneficial effect, think twice before microwaving food in plastic contaiers. I know, we've all done it. But, Drs. Roizen and Oz state that the plastic actually gets into our foods.

Additionally, my husband heard about studies indicating that chemicals used to harden plastics are harmful to the endocrine system. This means that the plastic sports water bottles many of us carry might leach some harmful particles into the water. I haven't thrown all of my plastic water bottles and pitchers away. However, I am giving this issue some thought.

If you use Teflon cookware, I'd toss it if the Teflon coating begins to flake or if it looks scratched.

Again, we don't want to be neurotically fearful, here. We have to cook our food in something! Most cookware is probably safe. However, it does pay to give your pots and pans some thought. Whatever type you use, keep the items clean and in good shape to cut down on particulates that might contaminate your food. If you ever need to buy a new pot or pan, do some research before choosing what type you will purchase.

3) Toss your sponges and use dish rages, instead. Wash the dish rags with bleach. Try as you might, you will not be able to keep sponges as clean and sanitary as dish rags. This is true even if you stick them in the dishwasher. Because sponges naturally hold water, they attract germs as they dry.

Cheryl Mendelson, the author of Home Comforts, says to sanitize your scrub brushes in boiling hot water, rather than sticking them in the dishwasher. I have to confess that I still pop mine in the dishwasher. However, I do understand her reasoning. Scrub brushes tend to hold little tiny particles of food that either get stuck in the bristles or land on the other items in your dishwasher.

4) Know your food safety rules. Know about how to maintain your refrigerator. Keep your fridge and freezer clean. Toss out food before it becomes science experiments.

This is one area where I need to step up. At Thanksgiving, my dear son scrounged in our fridge for a snack, and he pulled out a few bottles of condiments with expired sell-by dates. Oops.

5) Dr. Roizen and Oz recommend using dishwasher soap without phosphates or chlorine or nonylpheol ethoxylate (NPE). NPE is known to "feminize" fish in the waters where it is dumped. I'm not sure if scientists know the effects it has on human hormones. But, why take chances?

Anyhow, I've never given much thought to the chemicals in my dishwasher detergent. So, I'll have to check this out.

Now, I have a question for you: How do you buy "green" and/or "safe" household products and cleansers, while staying within budget? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

De-Toxing the House:

A good place to start fighting toxins is by improving your and your family's immune system. A healthy immune system is better equipped to fight off germs and other toxins than an unhealthy one.

Here are four things that you can do to improve your and your family members' immune systems:

1) Laugh Often -- Yep, you read that one right. We've all heard that laughter helps lower blood pressure. According to the book I've been reading by Drs. Roizen and Oz, laughter also increases cells that kill tumors and viruses, and it produces disease fighting antibodies, to boot. It also increases oxygen in the blood, and helps counter the effect of mental stress on the arteries. Tis' the season to be merry!

2) Help each member of your family get the required amount of quality sleep. Among other benefits, snoozing soundly through the night supports the immune system's work.

Here's a chart your can look up to see how much sleep a child needs for each year between the ages of 2 and 8:http://tinyurl.com/32oz3r

Don't forget about your teens, who need more sleep than many parents' realize. There is a theory that this is because hormones that deal with teens' growth and sexual maturation are produced mostly at night. (See http://tinyurl.com/38tt62 ) This means that teens need more hours of sleep than adults, who have -- we hope -- reached full maturity. I've read different figures for teenagers, but your teens will probably do ok on anywhere from 9 to 11 hours of sleep.

When my children were teens, they used to love to tell me about all of the studies that said that teens need to sleep later than adults. There is some evidence that their sleep cycles are slightly different than adults. For that reason, some educators advocate later starting times for high schools. That's probably a good thing. If you home school, you can keep that in mind, as well. But, rural teens have been getting up early to do farm chores for centuries upon centuries. So, it's my lay person's opinion that you can find a way for your teen to get the sleep he or she needs, even if you just can't avoid an early wake-time.

If all else fails, your teens may need a short afternoon nap to compensate for sleep deprivation. A nap can be helpful. But, napping isn't as beneficial as getting a good night's sleep. It can also backfire if your child naps so long that he or she is wide awake when bedtime comes.

Please note that parents often mistake signs of sleep deprivation in children and teens for behavioral and attitude problems. A lack of good quality sleep can lead to moodiness, sluggishness, poor concentration, falling asleep at inappropriate times, sleeping really late on the weekends, and having difficulty remembering things. Also, oddly enough, if you are sleep deprived, it can interfere with your ability to go to sleep and stay asleep, which leads to more sleep deprivation. If you detect these signs of sleep deprivation in your child, please note that his or her immune system may be being compromised, as well.

If you experience some of these symptoms, yourself, check your own sleep habits. We adults have our own issues with snoozing through the night -- from nursing babies to dealing with the changes that come with aging. So, for your own immune system's sake, do some research about how to improve your quality of sleep and take whatever steps you need to make sure you stay as rested as possible.

3) Breathe correctly and relax: These two elements help your vagus nerve, which is highly affected by both stress and by shallow, tense breathing. The vagus nerve is one of the most important and largest nerves in the body, and it controls many things in our bodies. In this article, we're talking about one of the vagus nerve's many duties: helping to regulate the immune system. It not only helps with the body's defenses, it keeps those defenses from getting out of control. It's not good for your immune system to be on red alert all the time, so the vagus nerve tells it when it's ok to relax for a bit.

See my archives for articles about how to breathe correctly.

4) Eat foods such as yogurt, keifer, buttermilk, and sauerkraut that have helpful bacteria in them. I know it's yucky to think of bacteria and fungi taking up residence in our digestive systems. The fact is, however, that they do. Some of these little critters are friendly and some are not. We want enough of the friendly infection fighters in our system to keep the unfriendly critters from taking over.

It's important to replenish the helpful little bacteria often, as they are short-lived. This is doubly true if you have been on an antibiotic for a bacterial infection. Antibiotics can save our lives by fighting off the bad guys. The only trouble is, they can't distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. They fight any foreign substance living in our bodies. So, it's vital to re-populate the good guys asap after finishing your prescription. If you can't get the helpful bacteria from foods, supplements can help.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth