Okay…wow, this is so exciting. On November 9th, the ADA did something, I never expected. They are now urging parents who use water to constitute the formula for their babies to AVOID FLUORIDE. They are concerned that at that age, infants will be getting too much fluoride harming their teeth instead of protecting them. Not that some of us ever thought it protected anything but someone’s bottom line somewhere. But this is major. NOW the question can be asked, “how much is too much?” And where is the line drawn? At what age? So much to think about and this opens a door.
Here’s the link to the article covering this at EWG (environmental working group) and asking folks to sign their petition to Wal Mart asking them to take “nursing water” (apparently just fluoridated water for babies) off their shelves.
http://www.ewg.org/newsletter/20061129-fluoride/Â
For those who like to avoid plastic….we LOVE these glass pyrex dishes. We have both the rectangular ones and the round ones (see the upper right column of the site for the round ons). Dh takes them for lunch. They are fabulous for leftovers and in a pinch for serving. They go from oven, to dishwasher to table. Anyhow, found them for 30% off today.
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=100701
BTW…this is not an affiliate link, I am not affiliated in any way…just a fan.
What do you do with yours?
After all the family and thankfulness, you might still have some leftovers. I have very fond memories as a child of the smell of turkey permeating every room in our house as my mother made Turkey Noodle Soup with the leftover Turkey. I didn’t eat poultry for over 20 years but now that I am again, I can indulge in this memory by creating it for my own children.
Turkey Noodle Soup~
Remove any skin from the turkey carcass and place in a large pot covered with water. Leave any vegetables used to fill the cavities for cooking (if you didn’t do this, saute some large pieces of onion, celery and carrot for flavor and add to pot). I usually just add some salt, pepper and parsley and my secret….a dash of tamari sauce and bring to a boil, then simmer for hours! Along the way, I remove the smaller bones and pieces as they start to fall apart and let the larger bones cook. Then when there’s a good rich flavor, I strain the soup so that I am starting with just the clean broth.
Then I add some more chopped celery and carrots, bay leaves, parsley and salt/pepper. Simmer some more and add some cooked egg noodles. And you’re done. YUM. Not hard to do while you are moseying around on a holiday.
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
-Booker T. Washington
Honestly….I can’t believe how much spices cost in the supermarket. Even non organic brands (which we avoid due to spices being irradiated). So unless its an emergency (and yes, I have been known to have “spice emergencies”…lol), I buy my spices from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Here are some examples of prices.
FLAVOR    SIZES: 4oz  8oz  1-lb
ORGANIC PARSLEYÂ 3.75Â Â Â Â 6.75Â Â Â Â 12.00
ORGANIC ONION POWDERÂ Â 2.75Â Â Â Â 4.00Â Â Â Â Â 7.00
ORGANIC SAGEÂ Â 3.25Â Â Â Â 5.25Â Â Â Â 9.00
ORGANIC CINNAMONÂ Â 2.50Â Â Â Â 3.50Â Â Â 5.00
Given that most spice jars range from 1/4 to 1/2 ounce and cost anywhere from $2 on up for that small amount. This is a fabulous deal, even with including the shipping.
Plus if you get some buddies to order with you, you start getting discounts at 5lbs.
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/cgi-bin/Main.pl?AID=049969&BID=30
You can also become an affiliate as I did if you appreciate the company and their products as well as their ethics
I love this time of year. Over the years, I’ve been able to work out a routine that helps keeps our chaos at a minimum so we can all enjoy the time off together. Today my 8 year old and I made stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans and 2 pumpkin pies. So tomorrow its just the turkey, some more veggies (rutabagas and broccoli probably) and rolls of some sort. EASY!
So my wish this season is that you all find yourself having a peaceful holiday. That your lives are plentiful, your challenges few, your laughter great and your hearts joyful. And lets all start thinking about those who are less fortunate and help if we can. Adopt a family for Christmas! Contact your local women’s shelter if you can’t find anyone to give to. A gift card to a supermarket is a great gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!
May we all learn to love just a little bit more and judge just a little bit less. 
This is a great brief summary of what to expect as far as basic development and play preferences for your baby, from birth to age 12. Print it out and keep it handy!
 http://www.naturalchild.org/research/ages_stages.html
For those without “faith” in Bush and who welcome the “freedom” in 2008. Thanks Kelly for sharing this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm2OXQh3duI&eurl=
So we’ve been dealing with alot of questions lately from our 4 1/2 year old. He’s been doing the “why this”, “why that” thing. Something I suppose that most children go through at some point from 2-5 depending upon their level of language comprehension. I jotted down some of the recent questions and answers as they cracked us up.
Owen: Why is that a computer?
Dad: Because its not a rock
Owen: Why is Buster a dog?
Me: Because he’s not a cat
Owen: Why is this ball blue and red?
Me: Because its not purple and green
And the best was last week, Owen came into our bonus room (where we all congregate as each family member wakes up) with absolutely NOTHING on except one sock, pointing his two pointer fingers on his nipples and shouting, “I’VE GOT THESE!” ROFL
Posted by a member of the HP list, this video clip is hysterical, to those who are anti-vaccine, that is;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfCnjnShnM