Three Wisdoms

Dealing With Kids and Lice

2012-05-02T16:32:00.001-07:00

My 6-year-old daughter's school recently dealt with a lice outbreak that made many parents, including myself, shocked to find out about the school district's lice policy. Until that happened, I never knew that the school district had changed their lice policy. I remember when I was a kid, if you had lice, you were sent home until you came back with a doctor's note stating that you were lice-free. The school policy has long changed because lice is considered not a health hazard so a child with lice can still go to school. It was because of this change in policy that caused the outbreak. Little kids love to touch, grab, and hug each other. It is so easy for one infected child to pass to another.

Luckily my daughter didn't get lice. I took every precaution possible to make sure she stayed lice-free while a few of the students in her class had them. I checked her hair everyday for nits and lice. I also tied her hair until a tight bun and had her wear a cap or hat and of course, reminded her everyday not to hug or touch anyone at school until the lice problem was gone A few of the moms whose kids had lice told me their daily routine: Wash bed sheets, blankets, and pillow cases in hot water. Buy lice shampoo and lice comb. They recommended natural lice shampoo because most of the brands out there contain pesticides to kill the lice. You definitely don't want to wash your kid's hair with pesticide. Some parents opted for home remedies such as slathering mayonnaise or olive oil on the hair for an hour each day until you can't find anymore nits or lice. After washing the hair, use a lice comb and pull out any nits and lice you find. Store all the stuff animals and sofa pillows that the kids came in contact with for at least 4 weeks to kill any nits or lice that may fallen on the items.

A washer load for the bedding and blankets cost about $5 at the laundromat and $1.50 to dry at a laundromat. Just imagine how much money you have to spend to contain the problem at home. Another mom I spoke to brought her daughter to Lice Fairies. I never knew such a business existed that catered to lice. She paid $95 per hour for a lice specialist to wash her daughter's hair and to do the dirty work of finding the nits and lice. This does not include the store natural lice shampoo to get rid of the lice.

Many parents called the school administration to complain about the lice policy in place but they all were told the same thing, lice is not considered a health hazard so they won't change it. One mom said that she was told about the financial burden for parents to take off work to stay home with their kids if the school reverted back to the old policy of keeping kids with lice out of school. I personally think it would make more sense to keep one or two child at home than to have those kids spread lice to 20 other kids and pass the financial burden to 20 other families.

My Thoughts On The Organic Trend and Green Living

2011-06-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Recently, I read an interesting post about organic shampoo at Natural Organic Products. I wouldn't say I've completely switched over to an organic lifestyle because of the cost factor. I have, however, embraced green living and do my best to conserve, compost, and using green products. Green living isn't hard but it requires effort and changing our habits which is not easy for some people to do. For example, sorting our trash to reduce the amount of garbage we dump in our landfills isn't hard but it takes effort. I mentioned in my older post about recycling and composting in San Francisco and how the residents get a free green bin to compost their leftover foods and hundreds of other things. San Francisco has a free compost program unlike other cities that require a pick-up service fee. Even though the idea of composting doesn't seem like a big deal and it's free, many residents don't bother to do it. If people would just take a bit of time to do their part for our environment and future generations, we will help alleviate a huge burden off the backs of our future generations.

Now as for switching over to an organic lifestyle, I do try to buy natural products and eat organic foods. I have become an avid label reader and I think because of what I have been learning about ingredients in our products, I'm more conscious about what I use and eat. The cost factor of organic products does restrict me from buying everything organic though. A certified organic shampoo for instance can cost over $30 and that's for only 8oz. A regular drugstore shampoo costs around $5. It's the same with organic and non-organic foods. Big price difference. I understand why an organic shampoo would cost more than a regular shampoo. Regular shampoos contain cheap synthetic ingredients whereas an organic shampoos, certified organic shampoos that is, contain naturally derived ingredients. In addition to this, organic products are not mass produced which can bring down the cost because the demand is low. I hope as demand rise, the prices for organic products will be more affordable. Maybe then, we will see a decline in cancers and other health problems that have risen in the past 20 years.

Common Deadly Ingredients In Skin Care and Cosmetics

2010-11-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

After reading this list of 10 things we should know about ingredients in our products, things are starting to make sense to me now. Like why my kids scalp gets itchy after they washed their hair and why I sometimes get skin irritation after putting on a certain brand of moisturizer. Yes, moisturizer! So now I know that some moisturizers actually dry out your skin depending on what stuff gets thrown inside the bottle. Worst yet, the bad stuff could be absorbed by our skin and into our bloodstream. If our body can not process these chemicals, they are stuck inside and that's when damage to our organs occur. Funny thing is up until today, I've always suspected that maybe it's the ingredients in the moisturizer that is causing my allergic reaction but I never really gave it much thought. I also know to avoid using products with ingredients like parabens and sulfates because these chemicals have been linked to several types of cancers and other health issues. A while back, I wrote about why paraben and sulfate free shampoos are good for us. So back to the 10 things that I read, I encourage everyone to read the ingredients label of their skin care and personal care products. Our health is priceless and it's way too important for us to assume that the products we use are safe for us. I used to think that in the United States, the government regulates the industry that makes our makeup, shampoos, deodorants, and etc. but the truth to the matter is, they don't. Good thing is we have organic and natural alternatives that are safe and healthy.

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol - petroleum derivatives that act as solvents, surfactants, and wetting agents that can easily penetrate the skin, and can weaken protein and cellular structure.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - foaming agents and dissolve the oil in our skin. They are known to cause eye, scalp, and skin irritation as well as damage to the hair follicle. These chemicals are used in engine degreasers, laundry detergent, and carpet cleaners.
Diethanolamine(DEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA) & Ttriethanolamine(TEA) - these chemicals are already restricted in Europe due to known carcinogenic effects. They are used as emulsifiers, thickeners, wetting agents, detergents, and alkalizing agents. Repeated skin application of DEA was found to cause liver and kidney damage in laboratory animals.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) - PEG compounds often contain small amounts of ethylene oxide. According to experimental results reported on in the National Toxicology Program's Eighth Annual Report on Carcinogens, ethylene oxide increases the incidences of uterine and breast cancers and of leukemia and brain cancer.
Sodium Hydroxide - an additive that is a strong irritant and corrosive to the skin, eyes, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal system if ingested.
Triclosan - artificial antimicrobial chemical used to kill bacteria on the skin and other surfaces. Recent studies suggest this chemical may disrupt thyroid function (Veldhoen 2006) and may also disrupt other critical hormone systems.
DMDM and Urea (Imidazolidnyl) - a preservative used to to prevent molds, mildews, and bacterial spoilage. It may irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions and trigger heart palpitations.
Parabens (Begins with: Ethyl, Methyl, Butyl, Propyl, Isoprobly, Isobutly) - antimicrobial preservatives to help products last longer. Samples of breast cancer tissues have shown six different parabens used in cosmetic products.
Alcohol (Ethyl, Ethanol, Isopropyl) - a solvent and denaturant (substance that changes another substance's natural qualities) and has a drying effect on your skin or hair.
Phthalates - used to moisturize and to help chemicals absorb into the skin. Phthalates are considered hazardous waste and are regulated as pollutants in air and water buts are unregulated in food, cosmetics, and medical products in the U.S. In contrast, the European Union restricts use of some phthalates.
FD&C Color Pigments - "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic" artificial color pigments that are usually made from coal tar that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation.
Fragrances - 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum that are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. (Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986. (Report 99-827))

Source:

Organic List

Our Dragon Jack-O-Lantern

2010-10-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

You know the saying, the more you do, the better you become? Motivational indeed but not necessarily true. Every Halloween, I hope to raise the bar a bit by carving a better jack-o-lantern than last year with my kids. We brainstormed for some pumpkin carving ideas and decided on carving a dragon like these:

Photo credit
Before we began on the big project, we carved some relatively easy (so we thought) jack-o-lanterns first. I found myself struggling to carve even the simplest one, the happy face jack-o-lantern, and by the time I finished with the third pumpkin, my hands were hurting so much that the idea of carving the dragon one was out of the question. The level of carving difficulty rated for the stencils we used was EASY. I think I need to fine tune my carving skills a whole lot more before I set out to carve a dragon. These are our jack-o-lanterns, a (supposed to be) haunted house, happy face, and an owl sitting on a branch.

Happy Halloween everyone!! Have fun and be safe!!

UFO Sightings In Mongolia

2010-10-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

On July 7, 2010, an unidentifying object appeared in the sky of Hangzhou in China. It looks like a comet or space debris burning after it entered earth's atmosphere than a UFO to me. Hangzhou closed its airport after the sighting of the strange object.

On September 11, 2010, another unidentified object sighting in Baotou, Mongolia, forced the city to shut down its airport to prevent airplane collisions with the object.

Is it me or do you notice that UFO sightings have been making headlines lately? There seems to be an increase of sightings just this year alone. Of course, some of the UFO sightings videos that I've seen look very fake but there are a few, quite frankly, that do look very real.

I can think of three explanations as to why there have been so many UFO sightings around the world:

1) There's too many space debris orbiting around earth. The small ones will burn quickly as it enters our atmosphere so we don't see anything. The bigger ones will burn pretty brightly and these are the ones that may look like a UFOs.
2) Countries are testing their superior and secretive military aircraft more frequently thus the increase in strange flying objects.
3) The prophecy of 2012 is starting to sound more and more real with everything that has happened lately from the climate change to increased in natural disasters, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Seems like our out of this world visitors are desperately looking for something before our planet enters the dark age.

What do you think?

Marriage Humor

2010-09-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

I received this forwarded marriage humor email today. Hope it puts a smile in your heart...

Wife: What are you doing?
Husband: Nothing.
Wife: Nothing...? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour.
Husband: I was looking for the expiration date.

Wife : Do you want dinner?
Husband: Sure! What are my choices?
Wife: Yes or no.

Wife: You always carry my photo in your wallet.. Why?
Hubby: When there is a problem, no matter how great, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.
Wife: You see how miraculous and powerful I am for you?
Hubby: Yes! I see your picture and ask myself what other problem can there be greater than this one?

Girl: When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.
Boy: It's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or troubles.
Girl: Well that's because we aren't married yet.

Son: Mum, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a lady.
Mom: Well, you have done the right thing..
Son: But mum, I was sitting on daddy's lap.

A newly married man asked his wife, 'Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?'
'Honey,' the woman replied sweetly, 'I'd have married you, NO MATTER WHO LEFT YOU A FORTUNE!'

Girl to her boyfriend: One kiss and I'll be yours forever.
The guy replies: Thanks for the early warning.

A wife asked her husband: 'What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?'
He looked at her from head to toe and replied: 'I like your sense of humor!'

A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him on the head with a frying pan.
'What was that for?' the man asked.
The wife replied, 'That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket'.
The man then said, 'When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on'.
The wife apologized and went on with the housework.
Three days later the man is watching TV when his wife bashes him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious.
Upon re-gaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again.
Wife replied, 'Your horse phoned'.

What Grows Inside the Observatory of Flowers

2010-09-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by the name, the Observatory of Flowers isn't just a greenhouse filled with flowers. I chaperoned my daughter's 4th grade class field trip to the San Francisco Observatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park this past Wednesday and much to my surprise, I found that there were more than flowers inside this historical building. The Observatory was built in the late 1800's and is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park as well as the oldest observatory in the U.S. The building was painted white to prevent too much sunlight heat from penetrating through the glass.

The first thing I immediately felt was the heat and humidity inside the Observatory. Our tour guide led us to the Aquatic Plants area first. I love the beautiful lotus and waterlily pond with koi fishes. Look how big those lily pads are!

Musa Velutina Pink banana...

I find this orchid species, Coelogyne Pandurata, interesting. It grows on the trunk of a tree and through adaptation, it stores water in pods to sustain itself during dry seasons.

Sorry, I have no idea what this huge plant or flower is...

Next, we went to the Highland Tropics area or room. The Dioon Spinulosum tree was around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. If memory serves, I believe the tour guide says it's the oldest tree in the world.

The third room was the Lowland Tropics where different species of plants grow on tree logs or trucks.

I forgot which room Vanilla Planifolia was in. I never knew the vanilla beans we use in cooking was from the orchid family. It's not blooming season for the fruit which is why there is no vanilla bean pod shown in the picture.

The potted plants and flowers was the last room we visited. This is the cobra plant.

Tropical butterflies...

Gold and Red Beets Salad

2010-09-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Wendy's Green Thumb weekly fresh garden recipe. I like her idea very much because I get to check out other blogger's recipes for dinner ideas and inspiration. Now if you have been following along my blog for some time, you know that nothing grows in my garden, unlike Wendy's garden.

I saw these gold and red beets on my recent trip to the supermarket which reminded me of a really nice gold and red beets salad I had at the Academy of Sciences. Here's what I had at the Academy that day:

I love the salad very much except for the chunky blue cheese. When I made my salad, I used feta cheese instead of blue cheese, omitted the fried onions, and added boiled eggs.

Ingredients
1 gold beet
1 red beet
2 eggs, boiled and diced
4 arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
balsamic vinaigrette
crumbled feta cheese

Boil the beets for about 30 minutes or until tender. Do not peel the skin to retain the color of the beets. I cooked both beets varieties together. Dice the beets. Mix all the ingredients together.

The Art of Negotiation

2010-09-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

After a long negotiation with my eldest daughter who really wanted a dog, we agreed on a suitable pet for her. So from this pup...

...we bought her this dog instead:

She took these pictures. I found them after uploading my camera pictures.

Animal Fats In Hair and Cosmetic Products

2010-08-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Some things when I hear about them, I'd stop and try to make sense of the logic behind it. Case in point: animal fats used in hair care and cosmetic products. According to Hair Finder:

"Animal fats in particular have been used as emollients, thickeners and solidifiers for everything from shampoos and conditioners (to give smoothness and shine), lotions and creams (to soften and protect) and lipsticks and waxes (as base ingredients to give form to the products). Animal fats have been used to help repair damaged hair, bind split ends, smooth the cuticle layer of the hair shaft, and moisturize overly-dry hair.

Why animal fats and not plant oil? I mean, wouldn't it be healthier and cleaner to use plant based stuff? And how and where do the animal fats come from? The answer: dead animals that died from natural causes. This past weekend was a really eye opener for me after watching an episode of Discovery Channel Dirty Jobs.

The process works like this:

50-55 dead animals are picked up daily by a company that specializes in recycling dead animals.
Animals are skinned first at the factory.
Each animal is then put into this huge grinder. Yep, the entire animal goes right into this big hole and within seconds, every bits of it is mush meat.
Some of the meat is used to make chicken, turkey and other livestock feed. Some are used to for pet food.
This company also picks up leftovers from slaughterhouses. Everything goes to this huge pot to boiling. The fat content from this pot is what some hair care and cosmetic manufacturers use to make our shampoos, facial cream, and so on.

So there you have it. I tried searching on Youtube to see if I could find some segments of this episode but I could only find one clip of it. This is when the host of the show blows air into a dead cow before skinning it. Please note, the graphics are pretty gross. If you think you can stomach watching dead and maggots infested animals, please proceed.

Here are some of the words I found at Beauty Products Suite 101 indicating that the product contains animal by products:

carmine
collagen and elastin
keratin
stearic acid
tallow

PETA website has a more comprehensive animal derivative word listing. If you are interested, please click here.

Things Were So Much Easier Back In The Days

2010-08-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Back when I was in school, I remember my parents bought school supplies way before school started. I don't remember ever needing additional supplies afterward. Nowadays, each teacher gives their students a list of class, home, and donation supplies. My son, who is in 10th grade this fall, texted me on the first day of school immediately afterschool with a MOM - I NEED SAFETY GOGGLE!!! NEED BY TOMORROW!! Then he texted a list of supplies he needed the next day. I went around town looking for safety goggle for him. I ended up buying safety glasses because none of the stores I went to sold safety goggles. I told my son to show it to his teacher first before opening the package. Before we went on the goggle search, we were at Office Max looking for the rest of school supplies for my son and daughter. My youngest daughter didn't need anything except for a box of Ziploc bags for the class but the two older ones need A LOT. There were so many students and parents at the store, it was like an after Thanksgiving sale! When we found everything we needed, we went to get in line. My golly, the line stretched so far back, I couldn't even see the end of the line. When it was finally our turn to pay, my eyes nearly popped out when I saw the total: $116.00!! I was looking at everything the cashier scanned so I knew he didn't miscanned any item. When we were walking out, my eldest daughter who was with me asked me was the total $16. How I wish it was only $16 :(

Kindergarten - First Day!

2010-08-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

My daughter started kindergarten this Monday and this is the first time when all of my kids are in school. I've always had one child at home to take care but now it feels strange. Really strange. After I dropped off my kids and returned home, I looked around and, well, the first thing I felt was the utter silence in the house. Suddenly I remember my mom who spoke about the emptiness and quietness in the house when we all moved out.

Several weeks ago, my little girl asked what I would do at home and if I'd go back to work. I asked her if she wanted me to go back to work and her response was yes because she didn't want me to be lonely. On the first day of school, I stayed in her classroom for about 10 minutes and I could tell she was scared and wanted to cry but she's tough cookie, she was holding back her tears. When I told her I was leaving soon, she looked horrified. I thought to myself, oh no, here comes the tears but right then, one of her classmates bursted into tears. He asked for his mommy and wanted his mommy. The teacher assistant quickly walked over to the little boy and tried to calm him down. I looked at my daughter and she looked right back at me and smiled. I felt so relieved because I thought she was going to cry along with the boy. On the second day of school, she did fine too. I'm so relieved that all went well.

Did you cry on your first day of school?

Why Do Government Agencies Lack Customer Service?

2010-08-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

I was at the Department of Traffic to help my brother make a payment for his expired meter citation. The line was long to the door and there was only one window open while the other 3 were closed. The man at the cashier window was asking like a million questions about his ticket. The customers in line were getting pretty restless and many of them started blurting out comments like "why are the other f***ing windows closed?" "you've got to be f***ing me!" When the man at the window was done with his questions and transactions, the cashier pulled out her 'CLOSED' sign. She looked at us and gave us a "Yeah, gotta a problem?" look. She went to the copier and made some copies. There were some other employees chatting in the back. They would glance at the line occasionally. A few minutes later, the cashier reopened her window. A few more minutes later, another window was opened. I was probably in line for 20 minutes and I was third in line! When it was my turn, I asked the cashier for the manager's name. He pointed to the wall and so I turned around and saw the picture of the director. I overheard a customer venting to the other cashier about the wait and demanded to know why there were only 1 window opened earlier. I was done with my transaction and walked away so I didn't hear the cashier's response. I told my friends out with me that day what happened and they said to save myself copy toner and paper if I wanted to write in a complaint letter because government agencies are notoriously known for 1) stuck up employees and 2) zero customer service. I know and I agree. One of my friends said she used to write lengthy complaint letters and nothing happened. Hmmmm....how about a letter to the director and let him know that the mayor and district supervisors will also get a copy of the complaint?

Just A Yellow Lamborghini

2010-08-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

When we walked to our car, we found this yellow baby parked one parking space away from us. I didn't know or care what kind of car it was. To me, it was only a y-e-l-l-o-w car. What caught my attention was guys stopping by and looking at it. Even drivers slowed down to check it out. My husband didn't start our car engine and asked if I could take a picture of it for him. I was like 'what?!'. Before I could ask him what was the big deal about that super bright yellow car, he hopped back outside to check the car out. When we pulled out of our parking space, my husband stopped right behind that y-e-l-l-o-w car and asked me what was the word in the back of it: Lamborghini. Geez, no wonder it drew so much attention. And you know what? Not a single woman looked at it. It was only the guys.

Gel And Hair Serum On Their Hair

2010-08-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

While waiting in line to pay at a store today, I happened to look down at my 5 year old's head and saw a section of her hair looked stiff. I touched it and asked her what she put on her hair. The reply: Gel!. I asked her where she got the gel from and she said her sister. So I asked my eldest daughter about the gel and she said auntie (my sister) gave it to her. She then asked if I noticed anything on her hair. I looked and saw one spot that had a blob of oil. She had put hair serum on her hair. You know the saying, monkey see - monkey do? Yep, the little one saw her sister putting something on her hair and did the exact thing. Next on my to do list: call sister and ask about the gel and hair serum.

Shopping With A Crying Baby In Tow

2010-08-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was at Office Max doing some back to school shopping with my kids. The moment I walked inside the store, I heard a baby crying hysterically. Needless to say, I wasn't the only shopper looking around to find where the baby was. My mommy mode immediately turned on. I scanned around the store to see if I could spot the baby and at least know that everything was fine. I wondered if the baby was hungry or hurt. Moments later, the crying stopped. I was relieved. Then the baby started crying again. It was hard to concentrate on my shopping. I think I spent 10 minutes browsing up and down the aisles and during the entire time, the baby was still crying. When we were at the checkout stand, we saw the mom with the crying baby at the nearby customer service desk. She was with her daughter who's probably 2 or 3 years old. Her son was sitting on the stroller crying. I guess he didn't want to sit on the stroller! The little girl asked if she could buy a candy bar and the mom took it away telling her she already has candies at home. The girl cried. By now, both of kids were crying. The mom looked super stressed out. She knelt down trying to calm the daughter. The daughter did stop crying for a minute before resuming again. When we drove up the street, we saw the mom with her kids and yes, her daughter was still crying. Seeing this, I'm sooooo glad I didn't have to deal with this when my kids were younger.

Clipart Courtesy: Statue Forum

2010-08-04T13:21:00.003-07:00

2010-08-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

Q & A Clash of the Titans From a 5 Year Old

2010-08-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

Our Saturday movie night at home was Clash Of The Titans. I have seen the original version when I was a kid. If my memory serves me right, I think the 2010 remake omitted a lot of stuff from the original 1981 version. My youngest daughter kept me entertained throughout the movie with her questions and thoughts. She was making side comments so often that I had to turn on captioning because I couldn't hear what the characters were saying.

My eldest daughter had a sleep over at her cousin's house leaving my little one quite bored. At first, she didn't want to watch Clash Of The Titans with us so she stayed in her bedroom. She must of heard the thunderous sound effects from her room because she walked into the living room and stood there watching the movie for a minute before climbing on my laps. Here's courtesy of a 5 year old take on the characters in Clash Of The Titans:

When Pegasus - a winged horse god - first appeared in the movie, my little one asked:
Daughter: Is that a dog?
Me: A dog doesn't have wings baby.
Daughter: Is it a pony with wings?
Me: Close. It's a horse with wings.
Daughter: Can I have one?
Me: Shhhh....
Daughter: Mom, can you buy me that?
Me: No, shhhh....
All the while, I was trying to figure out if it was indeed Pegasus because Pegasus was white in the original Clash Of The Titans.

Medusa scene...
Daughter: Is that a girl?
Me: Yes.
Daughter: How come her hair is moving? Mom, is her hair snakes?
Me: Yes.
Daughter: How come her head has snakes?
Me: Because she was a bad girl.

I have no idea what this creature is...
Daughter: What's that?
Me: Don't know.
Daughter: Is that a smoke face?
Me: Huh?
Daughter: His face is smoke face.
Me: Yeah. (Agreeing with her so she'd stop asking anymore questions)

And finally, Kraken!
Daughter: Is that a chihuahua head?
Me: LOL! No, it's a monster.
Daughter: A chihuahua head monster?
Me: It's not a dog. It's a monster.
Daughter: How come he has a lot of teeth? Do he eat people?
Me: Yes. He eats people.

Have you seen Clash Of The Titans?

Growing Flowers In Her Stomach

2010-07-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

While eating breakfast this morning, I noticed my little belle just licking the jam off her toast. I thought she was going to eat the toast afterward as sometimes she does that but no, she put her toast down and then said she was full. Perhaps she was full I thought because she finished all of her scrambled eggs. I looked at her toast and noticed that she pinched off some parts of it. I then asked her what was wrong with her toast and she said she didn't want flowers growing in her stomach. Flowers? She pointed to the seeds on her toast. It was flax seeds. We had flax seed whole grain bread. After telling my daughter that flax seeds are good for her and promised her that no flowers would grow in her tummy, she still wasn't convinced. Okay, maybe next time.

5 Pound Zucchini and Garden Pests

2010-07-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

My brother's boss gave him a 5 pound zucchini this past weekend. The thing is so huge! I placed a fork next to it to give you a good perspective of the sheer size of it. His boss says that when he came back from vacation, his zucchini quadrupled in size. He doesn't use fertilizer or anything to induce growth yet all of his vegies grow abnormally big. Every year, his garden yields a bounty of fruits and vegetables without fail. I think he has a combination of good sunlight and super soil.

My garden on the other hand requires a lot of hard work and yields nothing edible. My cherry tomato plant grows nicely every year but none of fruits are edible. There's just something weird about those tomatoes. They don't seem to progress to the ripe stage. I've had it for 3 or 4 years now and I'm thinking of just yanking the entire thing out because it has grown quite big and is taking up a big space. Aside from my tomato plant, I once had a zucchini plant. It did well for one growing cycle and then got infected by a disease or something. I don't know if it's my soil pH balance or if it's because there's simply not enough sun to grow stuff in my garden. It's mostly cloudy and foggy in my neighborhood.

I'm most proud of my red rose bush since it is the only plant thriving while all the others have stagnant or no growth at all. The roses are very fragrant. I've had the rose bush for a year now and it has continuously blossomed. The only problem is pests eating on the leaves and the roses. I have to figure a way to get rid of those critters without the need to use insecticide.

Do you know of a safe way to get rid of garden pests?

San Francisco Two Bridges

2010-07-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Length: 7 miles long.

Links San Francisco to Marin County.

Opened on May 27, 1937

Toll in 1937: $0.50 USD

Toll in 2010: $6.00 USD

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

Length: 4.5 miles long

Opened on Novemeber 12, 1936.

Links San Francisco to Oakland.

Toll in 1936: $0.65 USD

Toll in 2010: $5.00 USD

Sources Credit:

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Plastic Containers Danger and Safety

2010-07-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is a follow up to Wendy from Greenish Thumb comment on my last post "Teflon and Other Nonstick Health Danger" about the safety of plastic containers:

"...I've also recently thought about bringing lunch to work in plastic containers (like the ones you get with carry out). They were so nice, are free, basically leakproof, and can be washed in the dishwasher, but I think that stuff is horrible for you too - especially microwaved..."

I used to bring lunch in plastic containers up until 2008. Many, if not all of my coworkers, replaced their plastic containers with ceramics or glass ones. I think it started out when a bunch of them received spam emails about the risk of getting cancer from eating microwaved foods in plastic containers. There were some paranoia. Many people stopped bringing lunch and bought lunch everyday. As for me, I think the breaking point was when I saw the melted corner of my boss's lunch box after she heated up her curry.

There are health concerns over heating foods in plastic containers because of the possibility of chemicals called plasticizers that can leach out and evaporate into the food. According to TCI America, plasticizers are "materials which are added to improve several properties of polymers such as workability, heat resistance, low-temperature resistance, weathering resistance, insulation properties and oil resistance etc". In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates plastic containers that come in contact with food. Manufacturers are required to test the plastic containers that come in contact with food to meet FDA standards and specifications. Only plastic containers that have passed the FDA stringent testings have the microwave-safe symbol or written instructions indicating the product is microwave-safe.

Here are some common U.S. microwave-safe or food-safe symbols

Photo Credit: cgpbento.livejournal.com

Below is a list of microwave precautions from the Harvard Medical School:

Most takeout containers, water bottles, and plastic tubs or jars made to hold margarine, yogurt, whipped topping, and foods such as cream cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard are not microwave-safe.
Microwavable takeout dinner trays are formulated for one-time use only and will say so on the package.
Don’t microwave plastic storage bags or plastic bags from the grocery store.
Before microwaving food, be sure to vent the container: Leave the lid ajar, or lift the edge of the cover.
Don’t allow plastic wrap to touch food during microwaving because it may melt. Wax paper, kitchen parchment paper, or white paper towels are alternatives.
If you’re concerned about plastic wraps or containers in the microwave, transfer food to glass or ceramic containers labeled for microwave oven use.

If you plan on replacing your plastic containers, make sure they are microwave safe and BPA-free. I think regardless of how microwave safe your plastic container is, if you are heating fatty foods in it, the hot oil can easily melt the plastic. The danger of ingesting plasticizers is still there. I've seen my plastic container deteriorate after just a few usages. So the best bet is to use microwave-safe glassware.

Sources Credit:

Lecom

Cooking For Engineers

Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide

Teflon And Other Nonstick Health Danger

2010-07-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

My parents recently migrated to using only cast iron and stainless steal cookware and tossed out all of their non-stick ones. They had seen a special report on the toxicity of Teflon and nonstick cookware and how the chemicals used in the nonstick coatings of our pots and pans can break down and release harmful chemicals into our food if heated over the suggested temperature of 440°F. I have some Teflon cookware and appliances. My rice cooker also has a nonstick coating. I'm going to replace all of them. After reading about the toxic fumes emitted from Teflon products, the first thing the came to mind was the awful smell of my mini heater and the toaster oven when I first used them and sometimes thereafter.

Below are some of the findings I find while researching online about the danger of Teflon/nonstick cookware. The sources are listed under Sources Credit at the bottom of this post. Most of the test findings are preliminary but I'm not going to wait for a couple of more years of research to confirm that the chemicals used in my Teflon cookware, toaster oven, iron, heater, and food wrappers are indeed poisonous.

DANGER OF TEFLON AND OTHER NONSTICK COOKWARE:

- Lab studies suggest that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in making nonstick coating, can cause cancer and birth defects in animals, and might pose a risk in humans. PFOA stays in the body for years and in the environment indefinitely. ~ Consumer Reports

- Teflon pans and pots, if heated above 500 degrees, will emit fumes that can lead to polymer fume fever in humans and kill birds which is why DuPont recommends keeping pet birds out of the kitchen if you cook with Teflon. ~ Straight Dope

- DuPont claims their products are safe under normal use; however, infared therometer that were used in tests to measure the temperature of various nonstick and Teflon pans showed the following: a generic non-stick frying pan preheated on a conventional, electric stove top burner reached 736°F in three minutes and 20 seconds, with temperatures still rising when the tests were terminated. A Teflon pan reached 721°F in just five minutes under the same test conditions. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. ~ Ecomall

- A study by Environmental Working Group, in collaboration with Commonweal in 2005 found chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of US-born infants including the Teflon chemical PFOA Similarly, researchers at John Hopkins Hospital, who released findings in 2006, found PFOA the Teflon chemical, in umbilical cord blood in 99% of 300 newborns tested. The Canadian government is introducing legislation to ban PFOA." ~ Lotus Foods Stainless

Sources Credit:
Consumer Reports
Straight Dope
Ecomall
Lotus Foods Stainless

Raw Honey For Allergies

2010-07-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

My friend, who used to have airborne allergies, tells me to try raw honey as a natural allergy remedy for my daughter. She says she eats a teaspoon of raw honey every day in the spring and fall for the past 5 years and she has not had an allergy episode. I was not quite convinced because I didn't think raw honey was effective in treating or curbing allergies. When my daughter's allergy flared up a few months ago, my friend again suggested that I give raw honey a try. I didn't have raw honey but regular honey at that time so I gave a teaspoon to my daughter. This was the same allergy episode I wrote in my Allergy Tip post. I think the honey only soothed her throat because she was coughing less but she was still coughing for another week or so. I told my friend that the honey didn't work on my daughter and the first question she asked was "did you use raw honey?". I told her no and she said regular honey is not the same as raw honey.

I bought a jar of wildflower raw honey a few days ago after noticing that some people's allergies are flaring up lately because it's summer. Up until that day, I didn't know what was the difference between raw and regular honey. According to the jar label that I bought, raw honey is 'strained, unheated,, untreated, and non diluted' which contains 'only raw honey, pollen, propolis and live enzyme'.
I found some very interesting health facts from researches conducted on raw honey. I suggest you check the entirety of the data at Really Raw Honey. According to Really Raw Honey:

"Much of the effectiveness of raw honey to help treat respiratory problems has been traced to the bee pollen and propolis suspended within it. According to a research report from Bulgria, they found the honey has anti-allergic, anti-imflammatory, and expectorant properties that insure the body has an immunobiological defense and give it the capacity to regenerate its attacked cells."

My daughter got the sniffles - itchy eyes and runny nose on Tuesday and I gave her a teaspoon of raw honey. I waited. I kept checking on her to see if she felt better and she said her runny nose had stopped and her eyes felt better. The next morning, she looked perfectly fine and again, I asked her how she was feeling and she said no more runny nose and her eyes were not itchy no more. WOW! was my first thought! Raw honey does work! A few days later, my daughter said her throat felt a little itchy. I gave her a teaspoon of raw honey and her itchy throat went away the next day. Normally, when my daughter gets the sniffles, it only gets worse. I'm really happy now. I hope raw honey is effective in preventing or even treating her allergies.