Going Green - What's in it for you?

I think a lot of people are thinking more about this subject now than they ever have before. Wasn't life a lot better when we didn't have to worry about what was in our food or the air or the water or our body and when gasoline was 35 cents a gallon? That may be before your time if you were born after 1960. I think most people would agree that we've paid a big price for convenience and technology.

So what can we do about it. I think we should eat from our own gardens or buy meat and produce from local farmers. You can also check out the Tennessee agriculture resources for farms and Farmers Markets near you in Tennessee.

Decrease your use of plastics by using glass, paper or cloth instead of plastics whenever possible. Most grocery stores will give you paper bags or if you want to save a tree, you can bring your own reusable cloth bags.

There seems to be a lot of alternate power options on the horizon. The free energy home generator is really interesting. What about this wind turbine and solar panels. Anyway, you get my drift. Big Brother and his friend Big Business aren't taking care of us very well. It's time we take care of ourselves. Go Green as soon as you can. Hopefully the more interest is shown the more affordable it will become.

What are you passionate about?

Of course, first and foremost, I am passionate about my family. I think back over the years and I know that I could have done things differently had I known what I know now or if I had let God be God. But I believe that in spite of all the mistakes I made, I gave them unconditional love and they are passing that legacy on to their children. I have been blessed in spite of myself because He is merciful.

I am passionate about people. I believe God is passionate about people too. Why else would he put up with us? I am especially passionate about little people. I hate it when big people are mean to them. I hate it when big people exploit them, abuse them, use them and treat them as though they don't matter. They matter very much to God. It is our responsibility to protect and care for them and to always let them know that they are loved and important to us and to God. I believe that our future on this earth depends on how we treat our children. I believe that children learn what they live and that loved children can change the world. I am ready for that change. How about you?

I am very blessed to have grandchildren whose parents take this responsibility very seriously. When you get to the final equation, love is all there is worth living for and dying for.

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

All Child Safety Seats Are Not Created Equal

Britax Child Safety Seats are definitely worth the cost should the unexpected happen. After all how many times do you buy a carseat? Only once per child if you buy the Decathalon which takes you from newborn to 65 pounds and up to 49" tall. There are other models of course including the Regent which takes a child from 22 to 80 pounds and up to 53" tall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association states that all children up to 49" tall must be in a child restraint - the reason being that the position of the seat belt may injure their internal organs in an accident. In fact you will get a ticket in the state of Tennessee if your child (or child's friend) are not secured in a child safety seat - but of course a ticket would be the least of your worries in an accident situation.

I have personally invested in 4 of them - 1 for each grandchild and 1 for my great-grandchild. I think it was the best gift I could give.

Check out the Britax and the NHTSA site links for more information. For the best prices, check out Baby Catalog or What She Buys. You can also find them at Target or BabiesRUs but the selection is limited.

What is Bisphenol A and why should you care?

I don't know about you but I thought those little numbers in the triangle on the bottom of plastic items were about recycling - an important subject in itself but it never occured to me that it might be about me too. That is until I saw an interview with a doctor on the subject. Turns out those little numbers or lack of numbers are of utmost importance. I know you're probably saying everything causes cancer, right? In my opinion you should probably minimize your risks whenever you can and this one is pretty painless.

You may want to print out The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Report "The Smart Plastics Guide."
You can also read the ABC news report on the safety of water bottles and baby bottles or go to Bisphenol A Free.org for more information on what you can do to protect your family from "Better Living Through Chemistry."

After you do your own research you can make an informed decision about what to do with all those plastic cups you've been saving and any plastic container, baby bottle, etc. that has the number 3, 6, and 7 except for bio-based plastics labeled as such. How hard is that? You'll also see that latex nipples and pacifiers should go in the trash too. Use silicone instead.

And if you really want to do us all a favor, how about reverting to glass? That's where I'm heading. After all glass containers never hurt anybody permanently!

Two Beautiful Grandchildren Born Au Naturale

Well, this has certainly been an exciting week for our family with Andrew Evan coming into the world on April 9th and his cousin Chloe Grace following on his heels on April 14th.

I want to shout praises and thanks to God for their parents' commitment to making the choice for natural childbirth. Easy for me to say I know but I do so admire them for stepping out on faith and doing it even though it was hard! Hooray for the fathers who supported the laboring moms all the way and for being there when their baby was born. (I'm from a generation where fathers were relegated to the waiting room.)
What an awesome accomplishment! You gave your babies a wonderful entrance into the world. Be proud!

Dr. Bob Sears Takes a Balanced Look at Immunizations

Dr. Bob Sears of the Sears family of pediatricians has published a book that takes an objective look at the risks and benefits of immunizations. His book "The Vaccine Book" should be in every parent's reference library in my opinion. It is a very good read and examines the pros and cons of immunizations and the rights of parents to make informed choices. His extensive research lists the contents of each vaccine (you may be surprised) as well as the rights of parents to alternative, delayed, selective, and brand specific choices (preferably aluminum and animal tissue free.)

I recently took this book with me when I accompanied my granddaughter to her son's well baby/immunization appointment. I was pleasantly surprised at the response I received when I began to ask informed questions about which vaccines and what brands of vaccines were going to be administered and she was able to delay a couple of the vaccines because they were not the "right sort" until other options could be explored. I also remembered to ask if the vaccines he would be getting were from single dose vials (less objectional additives.) I don't know if that was the original plan but we were given the individual vials his vaccines were drawn from and shown how to read the lot number. YES!

My granddaughter later reported back to me that her son had a very mild reaction to the immunizations he did receive which was a big change from his three hour crying episodes and other negative reactions from his previous vaccines. Hmmm, maybe animal tissues and aluminum in a young immune system isn't such a great idea after all.

Check out Dr. Sears website at Ask Dr. Sears for more information or to purchase "The Vaccine Book."

If your doctor patronizes you or rolls his/her eyes, you can choose to ignore it and stand your ground or look for a vaccine friendly doctor. In the Nashville, Tennessee area you can contact Dr. Daniel Kalb.