A Case of the Sickies

Photo By LittleMissPip

I hate it when my children aren't feeling well. I'm so very glad that things are pretty much back to normal now... just the usual whininess that accompanies teething. Teething+cold=unhappy 20 month old. Add in a 3 year old with a bad cold and you get the idea of my week last week.

:) But I'm thankful to say that we survived and I've been reminded to be thankful that our family is generally healthy. Health can easily be taken for granted and I'm so thankful that we don't have long term, chronic challenges around here.

What are you thankful for this week? Check out Gratituesday for inspiration!

Spring Cleaning: The Non-Toxic Way

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/ / CC BY 2.0

Are you going to be attacking your spring cleaning this coming month? There's an a post over at GOOD Instructions on making non-toxic homemade cleaners for everything from floor soap to oven cleaner to air freshener. Take a look if you want to be a little more green (and cheap!) this spring!

Book Review: Raw Energy

Raw Energy

By: Stephanie Tourles

Retail Value: $16.95

Disclaimer: Mama Buzz and reviewers received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

I've always been interested in health food and in the last few years I've been very interested in the "raw food" concept. After I had my first daughter, I was hoping that raw food could help me lose the extra pregnancy weight I had left over. I think it did help.

I love the concept of this book. Rather than trying to convince you to eat only raw food all day, the author introduces the idea of just making your snacks raw. This way of approaching it keeps the beginner from getting overwhelmed, as I often was with other raw food books I read.

The author begins the book by explaining a little bit about the whole raw food concept, the reasons behind eating mainly raw foods and how to begin your journey towards learning to "uncook." She explains some common raw foods that are used and their nutritional values, equipment that is helpful and some techniques.

I LOVE the sound of most of the recipes. Raw food is all about having energy (rather than being weighed down with digesting heavy foods) and I like that the recipes aren't too heavy. Many of them don't require a lot of advanced planning either. Another wonderful thing is that the recipes that are a little more time intensive can be frozen for some time. That will make it much easier for me to stick with it! I've been inspired to try the raw foods way of life again (little by little this time!) and my kitchen is now full of produce I can't wait to use in the recipes!

Overall, this is a wonderful little book for the Raw Foods beginner who just wants to get an idea of what raw foods is all about. The recipes in this book won't overwhelm you, but will give you a taste (lol) of how to start moving in a more healthful direction!

Ewww....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmickitty/ / CC BY 2.0

I like to read about and try out health food and such. I'd never heard of this before, but some people talk about how some fast food will never rot. If you leave it out, it will simply become stale but look exactly as it did before.

A nutritionist recently tried an experiment. She left a Happy Meal out on her shelf for an entire year and was shocked when it never decomposed. It never smelled. It basically stayed the same. Ugh. Makes you wonder what the effect on a kid's body is. Amy at Health Begins with Mom gives the rule of thumb: If it can sit for a long time without rotting or bugs and pests won't eat it, why would you?

Interesting: Bleach vs. Peroxide

I recently received an email from a friend about the benefits of peroxide and thought I'd pass it on to you. Hope it helps you!

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a
doctor's wife), and I want to share it with you. She
was over recently at a friend's home for coffee and
smelled the bleach I was using to clean my toilet and
counter tops. This is what she said:

I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain
little ole bottle of 3% Hydrogen peroxide you can get for under
$1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost?


My husband has been in the medical field for over
36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide.
Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!!!
Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the
nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if
they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's?
It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops.
Peroxide was invented during WWI in the 20's. It was
used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops
and hospitals.

Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes
with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes
daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more
canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without
expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

e.g. Arm & Hammer baking soda & PEROXIDE

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide
to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide
to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a
little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on
the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour
peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed
a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them
(especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five
to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has
seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was=20
healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide
and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect
without harming your septic system like bleach or most
other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your
50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus.
It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for
a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to
a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into
your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times
a day. The pain will lessen greatly.


10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your
hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after

a shower and comb it through. You will not have the
peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages
but more natural highlights if your hair is a light
brown, faddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens
gradually, so it's not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help
rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.


12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of
bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten
them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly
on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub
it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no
smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no
home should be without!
With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad
there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple,
healthy manner! "
This information really woke me up I hope you gain
something from it, too.

Are there any tricks you use peroxide for? Share with us!

Cell Phone Radiation

I was intrigued by Health Begins with Mom's post about cell phone radiation. As of right now, no one is really sure if cell phone radiation is safe or not, but scientists are worried and everyone agrees there needs to be more research done on the subject. If you're interested, you can go here to see a list of over 1,000 cell phones and the amount of radiation they emit put together by the Environmental Working Group. Here's the list of the top 10 phones with the lowest radiation:

10 Best Phones

Listing is based on phones currently available from major carriers.
You can also see all available phones ranked by radiation.

	1.	Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) [AT&T]
	2.	Motorola RAZR V8 [CellularONE]
	3.	Samsung SGH-t229 [T-Mobile]
	4.	Samsung Rugby (SGH-a837) [AT&T]
	5.	Samsung Propel Pro (SGH-i627) [AT&T]
	6.	Samsung Gravity (SGH-t459) [CellularONE, T-Mobile]
	7.	T-Mobile Sidekick [T-Mobile]
	8.	LG Xenon (GR500) [AT&T]
	9.	Motorola Karma QA1 [AT&T]

I'm not the type of person to throw away my phone and get a new one, unless there's a really good reason to do so (luckily my LG EnV is pretty low in emissions- 0.71 W/kg) but if you're going to be looking for a new cell phone soon, you might want to check out the list!